MSI GTX 1070 Aero ITX Review

There are a lot of good options if you are looking for a compact GPU these days. MSI is trying to shake up the segment with their GTX 1070 Aero ITX. The GPU looks to provide high end performance and industry leading acoustics in a compact form factor.

Specifications & Layout

Connectivity

The 1070 Aero features all the connectors you will be looking for, including HDMI 2.0 and Displayport 1.4. I am looking forward to the day when manufactures no longer include DVI ports, which would increase airflow, and allow liquid cooled cards to be single slot.

Temperatures

The 1070 Aero features 3 heat pipes that snake through the aluminum heat-sink. The card utilizes the MSI’s Torx fan, which is supposed to offer high airflow at lower RPM.

MSI’s “Zero Frozr” tech allows the card to disable it’s fan completely up to a certain temperature. The card primarily exhausts heat from the rear, so case airflow may impact temperatures. All test were performed in an open air environment.

These temperatures are excellent. They are even better when you factor in how quiet this card is. Even at full load the 1070 ITX was the quietest compact GPU I have ever heard. It is shocking to see a card give full 1070 performance, at this size, and this quietly.

Noise Levels

The most shocking thing about this card has got to be the acoustic performance. The Aero never went above 45db even at full load using Furmark for stress testing. If that decibel number doesn’t mean anything to you check out the video above for a full sound test. It is a very quiet card. Easily the quietest powerful compact GPU I have ever heard.

The 1070 will keep it’s fans off at idle or light load. So it operates under complete silence during everyday operation.

The acoustic profile bodes well for small form factor mini-itx PC builders who may be operating in very tight cases that lack airflow.

Synthetic Benchmarks

All tests were performed with the card operating at stock settings. Out of the box this card shot well past it’s rated factory boost up to 1936MHz. The RAM we left at stock speeds. Let me know in the comments if you want to see overclock testing as well.

Gaming Benchmarks (1080p Max Settings)

Now onto real world gaming benchmarks. If you don’t see the game you were looking for, let me know in the comments.

Power Draw

For those of you building a compact system where this may matter power draw with this card was as expected. Under normal usage the 1070 won’t go above its rated 150W TDP. With it’s 8-pin power connector it is capable of exceeding that limit via overclocking with MSI Afterburner.

Conclusion

The MSI GTX 1070 Aero ITX is my new favorite compact card. It offers top level performance, sound levels, and temperatures for the same price as it’s competitio.

The only problem is availability. With the current mining surge the Aero is incredibly difficult to find. If you can find one for a decent price, BUY IT! You won’t be disappointed.

I created a build in the Lazer3D LZ7 mini-itx case that utilizes this card perfectly. Follow the link if you want to check it out.

For more information, watch the video review above.

Test System