While the biggest problem with the MSI Trident X 9th 9SE-06STW is the lack of an available price for the current model, similar configurations available on Amazon had a price tag of $2255 at the time of writing. With that out of the way, I can say the system performed beautifully in all tests. The Intel i7-9700K delivered stellar performance, while MSI's NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ventus delivered solid frame rates even at 4K. Good performance isn't limited to the CPU and GPU either, as the Samsung PM861 SSD delivered on the storage front. Even the 32 GB of memory, which are by no means fast, at least offered ample room for multi-tasking and didn't seem to hold the system back to any serious degree during my testing.

As for the design of the system itself, it is eye-catching, takes up about the same amount of space as a console, and comes packed with RGB lighting. While RGB lighting is a love-it or hate-it feature, in smaller chassis, it can be overdone quite easily. Instead, the MSI Trident X 9th remains well lit without being over the top. In many ways, the design is quite similar to the Zotac MEK1. However, disassembly and upgrades being much easier to manage, the MSI offering is more comfortable to work in. While expansion options are decidedly limited due to the form factor, users still have the option of adding another 2.5" drive to an additional 2.5" drive bay. The I/O on the board is a bit limited as well, but not detrimentally so unless you need all the USB you can get.

The CPU cooler, while not class-leading, did fairly well because the design features five heat pipes. Not once did the CPU get anywhere near its thermal throttle point with temperatures hitting 74°C in gaming. Even heavy loads only resulted in temperatures peaking at 81°C. FPU loads didn't produce as much heat here since the CPU down-clocked to 4.3 GHz even with temperature headroom available. Noise levels with this particular cooler were not a problem either as it was quiet most of the time. That said, fan RPM tends to spike once in a while right as the CPU is put under heavy load, but will quickly correct itself. Even with that minor quibble, it can be eliminated by setting a custom fan profile in the BIOS. Noise output of the entire system maxed out at 44 dBA with intense load. Typically, gaming, Photoshop, web browsing, etc., had the system stay below 40 dBA. As for the graphics card, it stayed below 70°C in all gaming tests and could not be heard over the CPU cooler.

The system can be overclocked as the motherboard features a Z370 chipset and has a fully featured BIOS. The problem is that the board lacks VRM heatsinks. While it is not likely to be a massive problem with the system at stock, the use of an unlocked processor along with overclocking support means there is the possibility of issues arising. It is a shame, too, as the CPU does have some thermal headroom available. Therefore, overclocking and tweaking is easily doable. However, I would not personally feel comfortable pushing this system too hard without some form of proper cooling on the motherboard VRM and MOSFETs to counter the higher power draw.

Speaking of power draw, the system used just 55 watts sitting idle, while gaming resulted in loads that fluctuated between 280 and 320 watts. This means the 80 Plus Gold 650-watt power supply the system comes equipped with is in no danger of being heavily stressed and operates at its most efficient when gaming.

As with most systems in this category, it does come with built-in WiFi which does the job, but is far from a high-end implementation. MSI opted for Intel's dual-band wireless AC 3168, which has a 1x1 antenna setup with 1x1 TX/RX streams and a max of 433 Mbps via 802.11ac. For wired networking, MSI used the Intel I219-V NIC, which is capable of 1 Gb. Overall, the networking capabilities of the system are decent, and I encountered no problems with the WiFi, which had no issues maintaining a stable connection.

The MSI Trident X 9th gaming PC is a solid SFF system that gets the job done by delivering good overall performance without excess noise. So for those with no desire to build a system, but the want for a high-end gaming experience in the living room, the Trident X 9th series of desktops might be what you are looking for, with similar configurations costing around $2255 as this is written.