MSI shows off its custom Radeon RX 6800 XT

Yesterday AMD finally unveiled its Radeon RX 6900 XT, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6800 graphics cards, giving board partners the green light to show off their own custom designs. MSI was the first to break cover, teasing its take on the RX 6800 XT.

During the latest MSI Insider livestream, the company showed off its custom Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming X Trio. The card features a non-reference PCB, a hefty 2.7-slot cooler with three TORX 4.0 fans, and dual 8-pin power connectors.

Aside from the slightly tweaked cooler, the backplate is particularly interesting. Much like some custom NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 cards, it features two fairly large heat pipes running along the back:

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This should significantly improve heat dissipation from the back of the card. This is crucial because half of the card's 16GB GDDR6 frame buffer (8GB) sits on the back of the PCB. GDDR6 memory runs pretty hot, so the extra cooling will definitely come in handy.

At least initially, the standard Radeon RX 6800 will likely sport a very similar cooler design, though its PCB will probably be simplified compared to its bigger sibling.

MSI didn't mention pricing, specs, or availability for its Radeon RX 6800 XT and RX 6800 Gaming X Trio cards, but we expect more details to surface in the coming weeks.