The MSI Trident A seems to offer any budding PC gamer a viable option into the minefield that can be component selection. With an Intel Core i5 CPU, an NVIDIA RTX GPU and plenty of RAM, performance all round is respectable.
Perhaps the biggest selling point for a machine of this kind is the relatively small real estate that it requires on the desk. The tiny chassis occupies roughly the same space that three 2L bottles of fizzy pop would, to give you a rough idea of its size. Typically, downsizing a PC increases temperatures or volume levels to maintain performance but MSI, with some clever use of grills in strategic places and intelligent fan curves, have managed to negate both of those issues fairly well. System noise really wasn’t a problem at all and temperatures were kept inside manageable levels at all times.
The sharp angles mixed with matte surfaces and glossy panels might not be for everyone but we like the different approach MSI have adopted. It serves its purpose well, maintaining good volume and temperature levels while also looking good; that, in our books, is a win.
Gaming performance is clearly aimed at the 1080p segment, with the inclusion of the Intel Core i5 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. We found the GPU performance remarkably well and allowed high refresh rate 1080p gaming without much fuss.
Having said that, the Intel Core i5 processor lacks any real oomph when it comes to intensive workloads. The Cinebench and Handbrake results, both of which focus heavily on the CPU, lacked somewhat when compared to similarly priced options.
When compared to the Trident X, they really are completely different beasts but each definitely sits in its own market segment nicely.
At £1349, the 16GB of RAM, 6-core CPU, RTX 2060 and a mixture of SSD and HDD storage all tied together into a small but quiet chassis seems like a very good buy.
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
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Perhaps the biggest selling point for a machine of this kind is the relatively small real estate that it requires on the desk. The tiny chassis occupies roughly the same space that three 2L bottles of fizzy pop would, to give you a rough idea of its size. Typically, downsizing a PC increases temperatures or volume levels to maintain performance but MSI, with some clever use of grills in strategic places and intelligent fan curves, have managed to negate both of those issues fairly well. System noise really wasn’t a problem at all and temperatures were kept inside manageable levels at all times.
The sharp angles mixed with matte surfaces and glossy panels might not be for everyone but we like the different approach MSI have adopted. It serves its purpose well, maintaining good volume and temperature levels while also looking good; that, in our books, is a win.
Gaming performance is clearly aimed at the 1080p segment, with the inclusion of the Intel Core i5 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. We found the GPU performance remarkably well and allowed high refresh rate 1080p gaming without much fuss.
Having said that, the Intel Core i5 processor lacks any real oomph when it comes to intensive workloads. The Cinebench and Handbrake results, both of which focus heavily on the CPU, lacked somewhat when compared to similarly priced options.
When compared to the Trident X, they really are completely different beasts but each definitely sits in its own market segment nicely.
At £1349, the 16GB of RAM, 6-core CPU, RTX 2060 and a mixture of SSD and HDD storage all tied together into a small but quiet chassis seems like a very good buy.
Pros
+ Cool and quiet
+ Great for 1080p gaming
+ Upgradeable in many areas
+ NVMe storage enables fast boot times
Cons
- Can’t be laid flat
- Core i5 isn’t the best at intense workloads such as Cinebench R20
+ Cool and quiet
+ Great for 1080p gaming
+ Upgradeable in many areas
+ NVMe storage enables fast boot times
Cons
- Can’t be laid flat
- Core i5 isn’t the best at intense workloads such as Cinebench R20
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.
Stay connected with the Vortez Social Media pages:
Join in with the discussions on Discord
