The MSI MEG Trident X 12th we recently got our hands on comes from the established Trident line and is the latest generation of small form factor PCs from MSI and is easily one of the best gaming PCs money can buy. The 12th is a nod to the latest generation of Intel Core processors powering the Trident X.
Sell for $2,499.99 and $3,699.99 for the top end model with an RTX 3080 Ti, which I have for review here. That’s a lot of money, but the sheer amount of performance and usability you get out of this little machine means you can use it to create 3D animated movies and then move it into your living room for true [email protected], ray- traced gaming on your big screen TV.
Design Features
View Model Specifications
Here are the specs for the PC sent to GameMe for review:
Processor: Intel Core i7-12700KF
Graphic: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
Memory: 16GB DDR5 at 4800MHz
Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Ports: Front side: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1, Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Microphone input, 1 x Headphone output
Rear end: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI out (2.1), 3 x DP out (1.4a)
Dimensions (HxWxD): 5.40″ x 15.61″ x 16.16″
Weight: 14.77 pounds
Guarantee: 1 year
Impressively slim, the Trident X measures 16.6 inches long, 15.61 inches deep and just 5.4 inches wide. To put that into context, the PS5 is 15.4 x 10 x 3.6-inches, so that’s pretty close, but the Trident X packs a lot more than that console and has the advantage of being able to swap parts easily.
The Trident X is a rectangular plate with some edgy embellishments and sits on a wider base for stability – meaning you can’t lay it on its side without killing the critical airflow. That’s fine, because it doesn’t take up much space on a desk or TV cabinet. The case has two side panels that can be easily removed to give you access to the inside and also comes with a tempered glass panel in the box in case you like to look at your hardware.
The front of the Trident X has a good selection of ports: USB Type-C, USB 3.2 and dual audio jacks. There’s a striking lightning bolt-shaped RGB light strip, as well as RGB on the internal housing and cooler lighting that can be adjusted in MSI Center. On the back, you’re also well served with a total of six additional USB 3.2 and three DisplayPort and an HDMI 2.1 – perfect for playing games at 4K 120Hz on one of the best gaming TVs (or the best gaming monitors, of course). In addition, there is Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth and Gigabit Ethernet for networking.
The Trident X is powered by an air-cooled Intel Core i7-12700KF (one of the very latest and greatest CPUs for gaming), sitting on a Z690 MSI motherboard with 16GB DDR5 RAM and a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. An 850W PSU ensures that the RTX 3080 Ti has enough power to run 4K games.
Performance
Benchmarking
How does the MEG Trident X perform in some industrial tests? We’ve included it below to give you an idea of how it performs. All games are tested on Ultra or their highest setting.
3D Mark Fire Strike: 33711
3DMark Firestrike Extreme: 22074
Port Royal: 12550
PC Mark 10: 8673
Geekbench CPU: 1,840 points (single-core), 11642 points (multi-core)
Cinebank R5: 18782 points
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: 4K: 135 fps; 1440p: 168 fps; 1080p: 174 fps
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (RTX on): 4K: 100 fps; 1440p: 133 fps; 1080p: 150 fps
Red Dead Redemption 2: 4K: 95 fps; 1440p: 106 fps; 1080p: 121 fps
Metro Exodus improved: 4K: 95 fps; 1440p: 121 fps; 1080p: 123 fps
Metro Exodus Enhanced (RTX on): 4K: 62 fps; 1440p: 109 fps; 1080p: 122 fps
The Division 2: 4K: 77 fps; 1440p: 144 fps; 1080p: 192 fps
All-out war: three kingdoms: 4K: 50 fps; 1440p: 101 fps; 1080p: 150 fps
It goes without saying that the Trident X is a performance beast. I wasn’t kidding when I said you can game at 4K 120Hz on a big screen, something I was able to do in Destiny 2 with the Trident X paired with the excellent Sony A80J OLED. The new 12th Gen Intels are serious in terms of productivity and gaming, especially when combined with DDR5 memory and a fast SSD for gaming.
In our usual benchmarks, the Trident X scored top marks, just a little behind the much larger Alienware Aurora R13 we reviewed recently. The system disk measures 6893 MB/s and 5283 MB/s read/write, making Windows tasks and loading games fast and snappy.
Creative tasks like 3D animation and video editing will be lightning fast, but I’ve spent most of my time using the Trident X for enjoyable gaming. The MSI Ventus RTX 3080 Ti ran every game I had with laughable ease and I was often way over the limits of my 165Hz monitor in quite a few titles. Wolfenstein Youngblood and Doom Eternal even at ultra settings and ray tracing often ran so fast it was almost nauseating.
Even more impressive, the Trident X does this while remaining cool and relatively quiet; temperatures generally hover around the high 70’s on the GPU and high 60’s on the CPU during my extended gaming sessions, which is great. The fan noise is noticeable under load, but certainly far from obnoxious like Alienware Aurora.
You can adjust the performance settings in the MSI Center, although it has some performance presets that you can switch between at any time, but I was happy to leave it in Balanced mode, which was perfect for performance and quiet.
In general – should you buy it?
The MSI MEG Trident X 12th is a fantastic RTX 3080 Ti PC that works just as well in your living room as it does on your desk. It outperforms most pre-built PCs in this form factor and handily wipes the floor with current-generation consoles. The update to 12th Gen Intel processors and PCIe 5.0 plus the inclusion of DDR5 memory certainly makes this machine future proof for years to come.
However, the Trident X costs a whopping four next-gen consoles and is also $200 more than the larger Alienware R13. That’s a lot of money and the argument can be made for a DIY build now that GPU prices are back to normal. That said, MSI is a reputable brand with great quality control and hardware support. So for what it is, this kind of power is well worth the money.
How we tested the MSI MEG Trident X
In my one-month stint with the MSI MEG Trident X 12th, I extensively tested the gaming PC with our industry-standard benching software, such as Firestrike, Time Spy, PC Mark 10, and CDM, while also using it as my primary gaming . machine.
I don’t have a personal gaming PC, so the MSI MEG Trident X 12th was my main setup connected to an ultra-wide 34-inch QHD MSI monitor. I’ve used it exclusively and judiciously to make headway on my understandably massive backlog of Steam, Xbox PC, Ubisoft Connect, GOG Galaxy, and the Epic Games Store for a comprehensive look at what this machine could do.
I also tested this PC when connected to a 4K OLED Sony TV via HDMI 2.1, where I took advantage of VRR, HDR and experienced PC gaming in the living room.
You can read more about how we test gaming PCs in all of us GameMe+ Hardware Policyas well as how we make judgments about our reviews.
And if you’re in the mood for portable slot machines, be sure to check out our best gaming laptop guide now too.