MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC specifications and in-depth review

MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC

Manufacturer: MSI

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC is a desktop graphics card based on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process with 31,100 million transistors. It operates with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2542 MHz, giving it a floating-point throughput of 31.24 TFLOPS. The card measures 303 mm in length and 121 mm in height, drawing up to 250W under load via PCIe 5.0.

On the memory side, the card carries 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM across a 192-bit bus, running at an effective speed of 28,000 MHz and delivering up to 672 GB/s of bandwidth. It includes 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, yielding a texture rate of 488.1 GTexels/s and a pixel rate of 203.4 GPixels/s. Feature support covers DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 3, ray tracing, and DLSS, alongside Intel Resizable BAR and ECC memory compatibility. Display connectivity consists of one HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort outputs, supporting up to four monitors simultaneously.

Pros
  • Supports up to four simultaneous displays through three DisplayPort outputs and one HDMI 2.1b port
  • GDDR7 memory with a 672 GB/s bandwidth ceiling and an effective speed of 28,000 MHz enables fast data throughput
  • ECC memory support adds data integrity for reliability-sensitive workloads
  • Ray tracing and DLSS are both supported, broadening compatibility with modern rendering pipelines
  • Intel Resizable BAR support allows the CPU to access the full VRAM pool at once, which can improve frame delivery in compatible systems
  • The 5 nm fabrication process allows 31,100 million transistors to be packed into a relatively contained 303 x 121 mm footprint
Cons
  • The 192-bit memory bus is narrower than what some cards in this class offer, which limits total bandwidth scaling
  • At 250W TDP, system power requirements are substantial, demanding a capable PSU
  • No USB-C output is available, ruling out direct connection to displays or devices that rely on that interface
  • Air-water cooling is not supported, so users seeking liquid cooling integration will need to look elsewhere
  • RGB lighting is absent, which may matter to users building visually themed systems
Who is this for?

This card is well suited to users running demanding real-time rendering workloads, where the combination of ray tracing support, 31.24 TFLOPS of floating-point throughput, and DLSS compatibility allows for visually intensive scenes to be handled without sacrificing pipeline flexibility. The 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM paired with 672 GB/s of bandwidth also makes it a reasonable fit for compute-adjacent tasks that benefit from ECC memory support and Double Precision Floating Point capability. Additionally, users who need a multi-monitor setup of up to four displays will find the combination of three DisplayPort and one HDMI 2.1b output well matched to that requirement.

Who is this NOT for?

Users who rely on USB-C display connectivity will find this card incompatible, as no such output is available. Those interested in liquid cooling integration will also need to look elsewhere, since air-water cooling is not supported, which may be a limiting factor in thermally constrained or custom loop builds. Furthermore, users working within systems that have strict power budgets may find the 250W TDP difficult to accommodate without upgrading other components.

Performance:

GPU clock speed 2325 MHz
GPU turbo 2542 MHz
pixel rate 203.4 GPixel/s
floating-point performance 31.24 TFLOPS
texture rate 488.1 GTexels/s
GPU memory speed 1750 MHz
shading units 6144
texture mapping units (TMUs) 192
render output units (ROPs) 80
Has Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP)

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC runs at a base GPU clock of 2325 MHz, boosting up to 2542 MHz under load, while its GPU memory operates at 1750 MHz. With 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, the card achieves a texture rate of 488.1 GTexels/s and a pixel rate of 203.4 GPixels/s. Overall floating-point throughput reaches 31.24 TFLOPS, and the card includes support for Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP).

Memory:

effective memory speed 28000 MHz
maximum memory bandwidth 672 GB/s
VRAM 12GB
GDDR version GDDR7
memory bus width 192-bit
Supports ECC memory

The card is equipped with 12GB of GDDR7 VRAM running across a 192-bit memory bus, reaching an effective memory speed of 28,000 MHz and delivering a maximum bandwidth of 672 GB/s. ECC memory support is also included, adding a layer of data integrity for workloads that require it.

Features:

DirectX version DirectX 12 Ultimate
OpenGL version 4.6
OpenCL version 3
Supports multi-display technology
supports ray tracing
Supports 3D
supports DLSS
has XeSS (XMX)
AMD SAM / Intel Resizable BAR Intel Resizable BAR
has LHR
has RGB lighting
supported displays 4

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 3, covering a broad range of graphics and compute workloads. It includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS support, along with stereoscopic 3D and multi-display technology for up to four simultaneous outputs. Intel Resizable BAR is supported, while XeSS (XMX) and LHR are not present on this card. The card does not feature RGB lighting.

Ports:

has an HDMI output
HDMI ports 1
HDMI version HDMI 2.1b
DisplayPort outputs 3
USB-C ports 0
DVI outputs 0
mini DisplayPort outputs 0

The card's output configuration consists of three DisplayPort outputs and a single HDMI 2.1b port, totaling four display connections. There are no USB-C, DVI, or mini DisplayPort outputs present on this model.

General info:

GPU architecture Blackwell
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 250W
PCI Express (PCIe) version 5
semiconductor size 5 nm
number of transistors 31100 million
Has air-water cooling
width 303 mm
height 121 mm

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC is built on the Blackwell architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process node and integrating 31,100 million transistors. It connects via PCIe 5.0 and carries a TDP of 250W. The card measures 303 mm in width and 121 mm in height, and relies solely on air cooling, as air-water cooling is not supported.

Final Verdict

The MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC is a well-specified graphics card that brings together the Blackwell architecture, ray tracing, DLSS, and 672 GB/s of GDDR7 memory bandwidth into a package that holds genuine appeal for users with demanding rendering and compute workloads. Its four-display output capacity and ECC memory support extend its relevance beyond purely consumer gaming scenarios. That said, the 250W TDP and the absence of USB-C outputs and liquid cooling compatibility mean it suits a specific system profile rather than a universal one. For users whose setup aligns with those requirements, the RTX 5070 Shadow 3X OC represents a technically coherent option with a strong feature set anchored by its memory subsystem and modern API support.

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