Packaging & Accessories: 6 out of 10
On the one hand we doubt anyone will companion about the acutal shipping container MSI is using. It is colorful, but not garish; it is informative; and offers very good levels of protection. The same is only somewhat true of the accessories which are best described as ‘sparse’. While yes they do include a nice support bracket that is about all they include. These days many companies offer a similar support bracket and actual accessories to go along with their video cards. In other words, 4 out of 5 for the box, and 2 out of 5 for the accessories.
Functionality & Aesthetics: 16 out of 20
Let us start with the good. The combination of a monochromatic color pallet with RGB LEDS makes for a rather pretty, arguably gorgeous, card. Easily well above average and pushing into true excellence territory. On the other hand, the functionality is a bit of a mixed bag. While it is indeed a cool and quiet beast that will push the very limits of what NVIDIA allows a RTX 3060 Ti core to do, the fact remains it is a x60 class card that is 3 slots high, 12.7(ish) inches long, and well above width standards as to not even be funny. Put bluntly, if your case can accommodate this ‘plus sized’ card you will find its functionality to be superb… but it is a card bigger than some RTX 2080 Supers. Thus not everyone will find it all that functional.
Build Quality & Warranty: 17 out of 20
MSI’s Gaming X Trio is their premier line where they pull out all the stops in order to make the best darn card they can. The RTX 3060 Ti variant is no exception. It is not just built to handle the demands of a x60 class core, it is overbuilt. It is arguably overbuilt for even x70 class cards as it is cool and silent running even when overclocked all the way to NVIDIA limits. That is how you do overkill properly. The warranty on the other hand is not the very epitome of overkill. Instead, it is best described as ‘industry standard’ at three years… on a premium priced card. “Industry standard” and “premium price” have no place being in the same sentence. Not even when used ironically.
Performance: 30 out of 30
There is no ifs, no ands, and no coconuts about it. This card is about as fast as you can expect to get from any RTX 3060. That is to say it is a beast that easily outperforms last gen x80s and sometimes even x80 Super edition cards. Color us impressed.
Value: 15 out of 20
The value of this particular video card is going to be an either/or type deal. Either you will love the fact you can get an uber-fast RTX 3060 Ti that offers nearly all the performance already unlocked for you and is also whisper quiet… or you will find it mediocre value at best. Silence may indeed be golden but not everyone will think it is worth paying close to RTX 3070 prices for an RTX 3060 Ti. That basically is the cruz of this card’s value. So you will either find it ‘near perfect’ at 18 out 20, or you will be scratching your head wondering why anyone would pay that much of a premium for a RTX 3060 Ti… and consider it a 10 out of 20 at best.
Final Score: 84%
