MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X Unboxing

MSI debuted the SUPRIM line of graphics cards as its flagship custom-design products, positioned a segment above the Gaming series. It essentially de-cluttered the segment for MSI, as it effectively replaced both the Lightning and Gaming Z brand extensions into a single one, with a significantly different design. The MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM Liquid X has the same "exalted" appearance as air-cooled cards from the RTX 30-series, with a 2-tone brushed-aluminium appearance on the cooler shroud and backplate. The card gets the highest state of factory-overclocking from MSI and the VRM to match it. In its liquid-cooled avatar, this card features a 240 mm AIO to pull heat from the GPU and memory, while a set of heatsinks ventilated by a single 100 mm fan cool the rest of the card. One advantage of going liquid is in the thickness.


Unlike the other custom-design cards in this article, the MSI SUPRIM Liquid X comes in a monolithic hard board box that opens much in the same way as a motherboard box. The outer surfaces have true-color print detailing the various features of the card.


As you open the box, you're greeted with a thank-you note from MSI, with a layer of foam underneath. As you pull it off, you'll find an MSI SUPRIM-themed complimentary gaming mousepad, with a fiber surface. Lift it, and you can revel upon the card, with coolant tubing going into a layer further below. This layer has the 240 mm radiator with a pair of rebadged Gentle Typhoon 120 mm fans in place.


There's little in the way of accessories, other than the obligatory NVIDIA-designed adapter that converts four 8-pin PCIe power connectors into a 12+4 pin 12VHPWR.


The most obvious dividend of the AIO liquid approach to cooling a beastly GPU like RTX 4090 is product dimensions (at least the card). It is strictly 2 slots thick, and more compact than the Founders Edition. That is, until you consider the rest of it (the tubing and radiator).


The MSI SUPRIM Liquid X RTX 4090 uses an AIO liquid cooler for the GPU and memory, while a single fan cools the rest of the card. Coolant tubing connects the pump block to a 240 mm radiator with a pair of high-quality Gentle Typhoon 120 mm fans installed.


From the looks of it, this is an aluminium radiator. The fans feature rubberized frame mounts that absorb vibrations.


The card draws power from a 12+4 pin ATX 12VHPWR connector. Display outputs include three DisplayPort and an HDMI.


You get a slick three-dimensional backplate with a brushed-aluminium finish. Near the power connector, there's a dual-BIOS switch.


At just 27.5 cm in length, this is the most compact RTX 4090 we have, but that's just the part of it that sticks into the PCIe slot. The tubing and radiator are parts of the card. The total weight (including radiator, fans, everything), is 2.336 kg.


There are definite advantages to taking the liquid-cooling route, and size comparisons with the NVIDIA Founders Edition illustrate these well.