Rank #2 in Best RTX 5080 Graphics Card: 10 Ranked, All 16GB GDDR7 and a £474.75 Gap
MSI RTX 5080 16G Shadow 3X OC
- Rating
- 4.5
- Ratings
- 193
- Rank
- #2
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5080 16G SHADOW 3X OC is the cheapest card in this guide and ranks second overall. At £1,289.99 it undercuts the dearest of the ten by £474.75, and it carries a 4.5-out-of-5 average from 193 Amazon ratings. MSI describes it as a factory-overclocked version of the SHADOW 3X: 16 GB of GDDR7 at 30 Gbps on a 256-bit bus, PCIe 5.0 x16, three TORX Fan 5.0 fans with ZERO FROZR 0 RPM mode, a 2.5-slot body measuring 303mm and weighing 1046 grams, and a recommended 850W PSU drawing 360W through a 16-pin connector.
Its own listing cannot agree on how fast the card runs. The spec table gives the GPU Clock Speed as 2640 MHz, while a separate field in the same table renders the Graphics Description as "2655MHz Core Clock Speed" — two core clock figures, 15 MHz apart, for one card. The Memory Clock Speed field reads "30 MHz", the same misprint the guide flags on the other MSI listings, where the part described in the bullets is a 30 Gbps GDDR7 card. Everything on this page is taken from the Amazon listing; we have not tested the card ourselves.
How those 193 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.5 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price (cheapest of the ten in this guide) | £1,289.99 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 from 193 Amazon ratings |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR7, 30 Gbps, 256-bit interface |
| GPU Clock Speed (as listed) | 2640 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed in the Graphics Description field (as listed) | 2655 MHz |
| Memory Clock Speed (as listed) | 30 MHz |
| Recommended PSU | 850W or higher; 16-pin, 360W power consumption |
| Form and outputs | 2.5-slot, 303mm, 1046 grams, PCIe 5.0 x16; 3 x DisplayPort 2.1b, 1 x HDMI 2.1b (4K/480Hz) |
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best RTX 5080 Graphics Card: 10 Ranked, All 16GB GDDR7 and a £474.75 Gap.
Questions people ask
Is the MSI RTX 5080 16G SHADOW 3X OC the cheapest card in this guide?
Yes. At £1,289.99 it is the lowest-priced of the ten RTX 5080 cards here, £474.75 below the dearest at £1,764.74.
What memory does the MSI SHADOW 3X OC use?
The listing states 16 GB of GDDR7 running at 30 Gbps on a 256-bit interface, and the spec table agrees on GDDR7 and 16 GB.
What clock speed does the MSI SHADOW 3X OC run at?
The listing gives two figures. The GPU Clock Speed field says 2640 MHz, while the Graphics Description field says 2655MHz Core Clock Speed. MSI calls the card a factory-overclocked variant of the SHADOW 3X.
What power supply does the MSI RTX 5080 16G SHADOW 3X OC need?
A recommended PSU wattage of 850 or higher. Power consumption is listed as 360W over a 16-pin connector.
Will it fit in my case?
The listing describes a 2.5-slot card that is 303mm long and weighs 1046 grams, connecting over PCIe 5.0 x16.
What can I connect to it?
Three DisplayPort 2.1b ports and one HDMI 2.1b port, with the HDMI output listed as supporting 4K at up to 480Hz.
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