MSI Trident 3 Gaming Desktop
USD
Pros
- Fairly affordable
- Solid VR performance
- Runs quiet
- Incredibly attractive design
- ULTRA 4K HD
Cons
- Not very future-proof
- Wireless port issues
- Availability issue
- MSI software constantly pops up
- Reboots often
In This Article
Verdict
The solid structure does not look boring. The design is sleek and not sick. The ultra slim system is not a bulky model and that feels nice.
There are other strong reasons to love its simple yet stylish design. Yes, we are talking about its performance. It is not elite on that ground. Still we wore a happy look while playing games on it.
We played both high-end and mid-range games. For the latter type, it is brilliant. For some power-thirsty top-end games, it is not that much good.
Both audio and visual quality is good. The dedicated graphic card and high-end audio system make sure that the users fail to differentiate between on-screen thrill and real-life feel. That is definitely the winning point of this gaming PC.
MSI Trident 3 & Vartiant Price
Introduction
The gaming PC makers have been hell-bent on manufacturing a console-sized PC for a long time.
In the recent past, Intel and Nvidia have been successful in improving thermal and power efficiency and that has helped the PC manufacturers in achieving the desired result to some extent.
Yet, it remains a strong challenge for them to come out with a small rig that combines powerful performance and easy affordability.
In fact, MSI has also put in a lot of effort to come out with an effective recipe to make their dream true.
Buy for:Â VR performance, design, silent performance.
Beware of: Power supply, upgradability, issues with wireless port.
Best uses for: Mid-range to high-end gaming including CSGO, GTAV, PUBG, Fortnite, video editing, photo editing, software compiling, Photoshop.
The alternatives:
Specs Details:
- Brand: MSI
- Hard Drive: 1024 GB Mechanical
- RAM: 8 GB
- Hard Drive Speed: 7200 RPM
- Hard Drive Type: Serial ATA
- RAM Type: DDR4
- RAM: Upgrade able to 16 GB
- Processor: Intel Core i5 8400
- Processor Speed: 2.7-3.3 GHz
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060
- Product Dimensions: 13.9 x 9.2 x 2.8 inches
- Processor Brand: Intel
- Weight: 6.99 lbs
- Operating System: Windows 10
Reliability
The company has now resumed its struggle. This time, they have tossed Intel Core i5 8400 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics in the Trident 3 VR7RC 020US.
MSI has slapped a higher price tag if compared with its close competitors. However, considering the mundane models rolling out every now and then, you will not mind opening your wallet for it.
Let us now get into the details of this gaming model to figure out if it is really worth attention of those looking forward to a more thrilling gaming experience.
Performance
The one feature we disliked most about this gaming system is its power supply. It is a serious drawback of any compact gaming PC like MSI Trident 3 VR7RC 020US.
You need to consider the power supply of the parts that you intend to replace. It is up to an individual user if he/she will consider it a serious concern. Most users will love playing games on it at high-to-ultra quality settings.
We loved its out-of-the-box performance and hopefully, the users will feel the same.
MSI has packed Nvidia GTX 1060 and not 1080 (which is a higher-end version) in the Trident 3. However, that has not seriously affected its gaming performance.
In fact, the model still manages to give a tough competition to its compatriots. Designed to deliver a rich experience with high-quality settings, the compact gaming desktop will offer audio-visual pleasure to the enthusiastic gaming audiences.
Another impressive feature we noted about this Trident 3 version during our test is it is a silent performer even while handling heavy workloads. The fan is not noisy at all.
It produces little bit of sound but that will never sound annoying. The gaming PC is a perfect home entertainment piece.
With the GTX 1060 allowed to explore its full potentials, the Trident 3 managed to get through even under the rigorous 3D mark graphical test. Most games don’t throw a challenge to the CPU.
However, some games pile heavy stress on CPU while the rest put pressure on the GPU.
The Trident 3 is less likely to make it to the list of gaming echelons. Still, it posts good performance for many gaming enthusiasts who are still enjoying their online games at 1, 920x 1,080.
The VR-ready system is truly enjoyable whether you are playing alone or watching movies with your family.
However, a major concern and complaint about this gaming system is related to multiple pre-installed software. Norton security is a particular problem with constant pop-ups of notifications.
Benchmarks
In the recent period we got the chance to lay our hands on the MSI Trident 3 gaming desktop PC. The spec sheet of this gaming rig is quite appreciative and attractive as well.
Apart from the hard core gaming enthusiast other users will also love to own this gaming apparatus not only it performs well while gaming but also demolishes the day to day task with ease.
Let it be video editing, software compiling, Photoshop, etc it handles everything without any difficulties. You will not regret using it as your primary device on a daily basis.
The variant we got for our benchmark test is supported with an Intel Core i5 8400 processor along with the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 video card.
There are many other variants available allowing you to choose the one according to your preference.
We are going to show you the real world performance of this gaming rig. Here the question arises does it really stand on to the performance as promised on paper.
CPU
The MSI Trident 3 gaming PC is planted with a coffee Lake Intel Core i5 8400 processor; it is capable of offering the required performance but doesn’t complete the entire list.
In the single core benchmark test this processor pushes a great score of 120 pts which is quite appreciating.
Speaking of the day to day operations it seamlessly demolishes the jobs without any difficulties.
Let it be web browsing, content creation, software compiling, video editing, etc you will be unable to notice any lag or stutter.
However this CPU is also capable of handling minute workstation load and moderated server workloads.
As far as the multi core scores goes it produces a result of 631 pts which is quite adequate in fact higher result was expected.
If you inspect the memory latency it offers a figure of 88.1 pts which is good and considered to be its strong side as well.
In the field of 3D gaming it offers some suitable performance which is quite convincing and attractive, however it will be better if you don’t expect any bells and whistles.
GPU
In fact if you check the result of the graphical section you will notice that the result produced by the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 is not very impressive.
However being an external graphical solution higher frame rates was expected but still you can consider it to be an adequate one.
However it will be better if you don’t expect any extraordinary performance from this video card. In fact you might be able to notice minute frame drops while streaming high end games at the highest settings.
In our stress test the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1060 video card scores an overall percentage of 52.2% followed by 65.2 fps which is quite average and not very appreciating.
Apart from that it stands out in the section of average locally deformable PRT producing 64.5 fps and an average NBody particle system offering 66.7 fps.
If you are streaming games like CSGO, GTAV, PUBG, Fortnite, then you will be able to experience a range of 60 fps to 175 fps which is average but manageable.
Design & Build
The compact gaming PC is aesthetically appealing. The manufacturer has mingled modern look and futuristic design in the same box. The design is not plain and simple. However, it is not garish either.
The RGB lighting feels pretty cool unlike what we see in other manufacturers’ systems. The prismatic style is the highpoint of its appealing design.
The maker has stayed away from symmetric look and instead preferred asymmetric angles to make the design more interesting.
It is a small gaming PC. In fact, we have found it as one of the smallest models recently reviewed. This gaming PC clearly shows that MSI has made some striking improvement in every compartment of design.
The panels feel stiff and sturdy. On the downside, the panels are loosely put and that allows the light from the internal LEDs to streak through some nearly invisible spots.
Storage
The gaming PC is outfitted with a 1 TB hard drive. That means the users will have plenty of space to save their works and games.
The HDD is sluggish in its move but it will allow the users to stack extra movies and games without requiring them to use a plug. MSI, unlike its competitors, seems to have composed a better idea in this regard.
The gaming PC comes with an 8 GB DDR4 RAM. That is good enough for quick booting. There are options for customization if you need it. You can upgrade RAM and other features to suit your needs.
Upgradability
MSI has made the internal design of this gaming model quite impressive. The PC comes with a full-fledged processor and a dedicated graphics card.
It is really interesting to note that the maker has integrated some interesting features into an extremely small sized desktop PC.
To be precise, the layout of MSI Trident 3 VR7RC 020US is amazingly straightforward.
Most components in the system, including GPU, storage drives and memory, are replaceable. To put it straight, you can replace almost anything except the processor. Read msi trident 3 user manual to get familiar with the product.
Other Specs
The MSI Trident 3 will not fail to amaze you with what it has in store. The spec list offers some unique, interesting and fascinating features. The system is made to support Windows 10.
Inclusion of Nahimic sound system is an indication that you are going to enjoy a decent audio experience. Good audio quality of any gaming PC adds to visual delight for the users.
The VR port is anchored on the front side, offering an easy and quick access to the users. The PC teams up with a gaming keyboard and mouse. Download MSI Trident 3 manual.
Variants
You will be getting total six (6) types of configurations of this Trident. Now its your choice to decide on to which config will be best to suit your imagination as a gaming console.
All these variants will empower you to unleash the real charm of going into the land of your imaginations. But clarify one thing that price also matter with each of the variants.
Graphics |
Processor |
| GTX 1070 8G | i7-8700 |
| GTX 1070 8G | i7-8700 |
| GTX 1060 6G | i7-8700 |
| GTX 1060 3G | i7-8700 |
| GTX 1060 3G | i5-8400 |
| GTX 1060 3G | i5-7400 |
What Do Users Think?
Our experts have talked to few users and compiled their opinion about this product.
The modern-day users are more in favor of simple and smart finishing. No wonder, the design of the MSI Trident 3 has won their heart.
The hard-core gamers spend hours to play games. Naturally, they don’t like irritating fan noise or heat generation.
This gaming PC runs silently and remains cool even after being in use for hours. The users have loved these features a lot.
Most users love to spend on a system that allows further spending according to their needs. For those flocks, this gaming model is an excellent choice.
This is because, MSI has made room for upgrade of almost every single internal component except its quad-core processor.
Visual experience comes with many delights as per the users’ feedbacks. The Nvidia graphics 1060 makes sure that you don’t miss the details while watching movies or playing games.
Commendable clarity and brightness take their gaming experience to a new height. Though the system suffers under heavy pressure or for some high-end games, overall execution is quite satisfactory.
The customers are more or less happy with its performance. It cannot be compared with the super-fast gaming systems and the customers are not expecting that at this price.
Still, it feels pretty good for them and they think that the system justifies its price tag.
Our Testing & Analysis Report
The coffee Lake Intel Core i5 8400 processor of the MSI Trident 3 gaming desktop scored a high 120 points for its single-core performance. This is quite good for performing daily computing tasks seamlessly.
We tried a few operations, such as web browsing, video editing, content creation, photo editing, software compiling, and more and found that it can handle such jobs quite efficiently.
Even when we run apps like Photoshop on our review unit, we found no lags or slowdowns due to its reasonably good multi-core performance score of 631 points and a pretty good memory latency of 88.1 points.
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card installed in it is not exceptional but is quite good to handle most moderate to high-end games, including some 3D titles.
However, we found that while playing high-end games on this PC at high settings resulted in some notable frame drops, almost unnoticeable to average users.
While conducting a stress test, the video card scored 52.2% overall and rendered frames at a rate of 65.2 fps, which is quite average.
The locally deformable PRT production is 64.5 fps, which is also pretty average, just as its NBody particle system offering is, being 66.7 fps.
Overall, the graphics card can maintain a steady frame rate ranging between 60 and 175 fps while playing games like CSGO, GTA V, PUBG, Fortnite, and others.