In many ways, cooling and aesthetics do go hand in glove. After all, there are only so many ways to make monstrously oversized 3-fan models ‘pretty’. The same goes for teen-tiny single fan options. Thankfully, 2-fan-equipped models do have a lot more leeway in their design, and thus their design team has a lot more freedom in how to cover/clad/cloak said custom cooling solution.
Let’s start with the aesthetics. From a purely looks point of view, the RTX 5080 Expert OC is not only a ‘ten out of ten’ it is easily one of the most gorgeous looking cards we have seen in years. So much so to find its equal, we would have to go back to the GTX 10-series days when PNY were taking massive risks and thinking so outside the box that they couldn’t even see the box anymore. We say that because, just like PNY of yester yore, MSI has gone for a (nearly) full metal fascia design. However, unlike PNY, which was all in on the ‘industrial look’, MSI has taken a much more refined approach. One that blends practicality with beauty in an arguably never-before-seen way.
The downside to all these graceful curves paired with an understated color palette is the fact that there are no LEDs. No glowy-showy dragon diffusers. Not creepy waifu/anime/game character pictures on it. No ‘scratch and sniff’ (and we wish we were joking about this existing on a video card). Instead, this looks like a card designed by actual adults for actual adults. One that may give off more than just a hint of “Quadro”… albeit without the Quadro hardware tweaks. As such, if you are putting this in a custom system, you are going to have to think about the overall aesthetics much more than usual… as you can not just tune a few LEDs to make the RTX 5080 Expert OC match the overall color scheme of a given build.
Thankfully ‘basic black’ and nekkid steel do go with a lot of color combinations, so the only real limiter here is one’s imagination. Put another way, as long as you are not trying for an angsty tween’er build, a try-hard / 1337 / “teen gamer” build, or a neon green build, the RTX 5080 Expert OC will not only ‘work’ but slide right into the overall build’s theme like it was tailor-made for it.
Sadly, the aesthetics of the RTX 5080 Expert OC are not perfect. Close… but not perfect. We are, of course, referring to the use of plastic. Yes. MSI has tried to blend it in with a faux carbon fiber aesthetic. Yes. It is better than just a fan grill covering the intake for the top fan. However, the fact remains that this plastic does stick out and mar the overall aesthetics MSI was going for.
Put another way, this is a corner that should not have been “rounded”. MSI should have gone for real carbon fiber, or found a way to use something (….anything) other than plastic. On the plus side… at least they didn’t go and try to add in fake wood, let alone “wood” vinyl wraps. While we like the trend of real wood accents on our cases… fake plastic ‘wood’ on a video card is pure Gucci Ghetto/trailer trash behavior. Behavior that has no business being even remotely close to being on a card meant for actual adults. So while not perfect, it is closer to what some are aiming for these days.
The other downside to all that die-cast aluminum being used for the Expert OC’s top and back fascia is the fact that this is a heavy card. Think ~1.9Kilos for point of reference. For hamburger unit people, that is not just heavy by 3-fan model standards but insanely overweight for a 2-fan model. So heavy it will surprise you when you first go to pick it up. So be careful and respect the chonk… lest you drop it and break your table (or toe). On the plus side, this battleship armored card will survive life’s bumps and bruises like no plastic-clad card can. Accidentally drop a 140mm fan while trying to install said fan in the top of your new case? Pfft. Not even worth worrying about. The fan will break long before you even scratch the metal of the RTX 5080 Expert OC. Hell, accidentally drop a screwdriver while installing the CPU cooler (which, admit it, we have all done at least once)? It may scratch the backplate, but probably not. So, yes. This card is heavy. It, however, is worth the weight and will give one peace of mind that plastic can never even hope to match.
