MSI GeForce RTX 5070 SHADOW 12GB GDDR7 Black
Sparkle Arc A310 4GB GDDR6
What Buyers Say
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 SHADOW 12GB GDDR7 Black
The MSI RTX 5070 Shadow 2X OC is widely praised as an excellent budget GPU for 1440p gaming, offering strong performance and a compact dual-fan design that fits smaller cases like the Alienware Aurora R11. Users report smooth frame rates on ultra settings in demanding titles like MSFS 2020/2024 and above-average 3D Mark scores. However, some note the price is steep for a mid-range card, with a recent markup from $880 to $902, and a few express concerns about cooling with only two fans.
Pros
- Excellent 1440p gaming performance
- Compact dual-fan design fits small cases
- Smooth frame rates on ultra settings
- Above-average 3D Mark scores
- Great value for the price
Cons
- High price for a mid-range card
- Recent price increase ($880 to $902)
- Only two fans may limit cooling
- No LED lights mentioned
- Only 12GB GDDR7 memory
Sparkle Arc A310 4GB GDDR6
This Intel Arc A310 low-profile GPU is widely praised for its exceptional video transcoding performance, low power consumption, and compact size, making it ideal for media servers and small form factor builds. Users highlight its plug-and-play compatibility with Linux and excellent value for money. However, a significant recurring complaint is the fan noise, with many reporting a droning or surging fan that requires firmware updates or workarounds to manage. While not a gaming powerhouse, it handles light gaming at 1080p and is considered a top choice for dedicated transcoding duties.
Pros
- Excellent video transcoding performance
- Low power consumption
- Compact low-profile size
- Great value for money
- Plug-and-play with Linux
Cons
- Loud fan noise and surging
- Fan requires firmware update to fix
- OpenVINO software complex and unreliable
- No ReBAR support causes ~40% performance loss
- Bracket swap requires disassembly
Scores
Specifications
| MSI GeForce RTX 5070 SHADOW | Sparkle Arc A310 | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | ||
| GPU Chipset | GeForce RTX 5070 | Arc A310 |
| Brand | NVIDIA | Intel |
| Architecture | Blackwell | Xe HPG |
| Class | consumer | consumer |
| Process | 5★ | — |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 12 GB★ | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR7★ | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | ||
| Bandwidth | No data | |
| Compute | ||
| CUDA Cores | No data | |
| Tensor Cores | ||
| RT Cores | 48★ | 6 |
| Base Clock | ||
| Boost Clock | ||
| FP16 TFLOPS | 30.8700008392334★ | — |
| FP32 TFLOPS | 30.8700008392334★ | — |
| Performance | ||
| PassMark G3D | ||
| GPU Compute | ||
| Power & Cooling | ||
| TDP | 250 | 75★ |
| Recommended PSU | 650 | 350★ |
| Power Connectors | 1 x 16-Pin | None |
| Cooler | Dual Fan★ | Single Fan |
| Fans | 2★ | 1 |
| Connectivity | ||
| Interface | PCI Express 5.0 | PCIe Gen 4.0 x 8 |
| DisplayPort | 3★ | 2 |
| HDMI | 1 | 1 |
| Max Displays | 4★ | — |
| Max Resolution | 7680 x 4320 | 8K |
| Physical | ||
| Length | 231 | 156★ |
| Slot Width | 2.5 | 1★ |
| Form Factor | Full Height | Low Profile |
| Weight | 2.09 kg | 0.20 kg★ |
| Features | ||
| Ray Tracing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Upscaling | DLSS 4 | XeSS |
| AV1 Encode | ✓ | ✓ |
| VR Ready | ✓★ | — |
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12 Ultimate |
| RGB | ✗ | — |
Pros & Cons
MSI GeForce RTX 5070 SHADOW 12GB GDDR7 Black
- Strong social proof (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong connectivity (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Strong feature (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong rt (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
Sparkle Arc A310 4GB GDDR6
- Strong social proof (89th percentile)89th %ile
- Strong affordability (78th percentile)
- Strong feature (72nd percentile)
- Below average compute (4th percentile)4th %ile
- Below average ai (14th percentile)14th %ile
- Below average raster (16th percentile)16th %ile
- Below average vram (17th percentile)17th %ile
Pricing
Sparkle Arc A310 4GB GDDR6 offers 1.6x better value for money
Verdict
Scores 85 overall, wins 8 of 8 usage categories and 19 of 38 specs.
