It’s that time of year again and PC companies are coming out with even more anime themed PC components and I couldn’t be happier. We got our hands on MSI's latest product, the Geforce 5070 Ti MLG Edition, a stylish red GPU with a beautifully designed etched backplate and more!
Right out of the box, the 5070 Ti MLG Edition comes with everything you need to install it, including a triple 8-pin PCIe adapter and a red colored GPU bracket for keeping the card from sagging while connected to the motherboard's PCIe slot. Additionally, the MLG Edition comes with a themed keycap set of MSI’s original created character, the “Dragon Princess,” or Loong:nia, which is a nice touch, especially if you have their MLG Edition of the TKL Wireless keyboard, which accents it very nicely. The star of the show is the beautifully etched backplate on the back of the card featuring Loong:nia, which unfortunately I would not be able to display in my current PC build, which consists of the Hyte y60 hololive Hakos Baelz Edition. This build puts the GPU in a vertical position and does not make use of the GPU bracket, but the card still looks very stylish and accents my case very well, as I am still looking for ways to make all the colors match.
The card comes equipped with two modes for silent and gaming by a physical BIOS switch on the top edge of the card near the power connectors. By default mine was set to the silent mode which kept the card pretty quiet during my gaming sessions with the less demanding titles having more mellow fan speeds and slightly higher temps but the card itself never seemed to dip above 68°C and would go as low as 38°C and the card itself was not able to be heard over the noise of my fans or with the volume at a reasonable level.
The 5070 Ti MGL edition is priced at $899, which is quite steep all things considered. It's likely that you could find a standard 5070 Ti for less, especially in the second-hand market. However,I would argue that this GPU is primarily aimed at the collector and anime enthusiast. Companies like ASUS have been releasing various anime-themed PC components, such as Evangelion-themed parts—including purple PC components based on Eva Unit 01—and later, Asuka-themed components. Fast forward to this year, and we are finally seeing Hatsune Miku on PC components. Therefore, it makes sense that MSI would want to try their hand at creating their own anime-themed PC components. With RAM shortages and a significant upsurge in AI, the possibility of another GPU shortage is real, which could make this collector's card even more sought after.
For the uninitiated, let's talk about DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling. Think of it like this: your graphics card is a super-smart artist. Instead of drawing every single pixel at, say, 4K resolution, it draws the image at a lower resolution, which is way faster. Then, using super smart AI magic (that's the "Deep Learning" part), it upscales that image back up to 4K, adding in all the detail it thinks should be there. The result is an image that looks almost identical to native 4K, but with a massive boost in frame rates, meaning smoother, more responsive gameplay. It's basically free performance that makes next-gen ray tracing and high-resolution gaming actually playable on cards like the 5070 Ti.
VRAM usage was consistently monitored using MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner statistics. During testing, usage typically ranged from a minimum of approximately 5GB, though more modern and demanding titles pushed that usage up to 10-12GB, which was particularly eye opening to see some games go beyond the 8GB cap that some cards have, clearly proving that 8GB VRAM is no longer sufficient for modern gaming. This can definitely be a letdown for gamers looking for a new graphics card for modern gaming on a budget. Additionally, The 5070 Ti drew at minimum 39 watts and peaked at 260 watts under maximum load, which was a reassuring data point confirming that my existing 850-watt power supply would be more than adequate to safely and reliably power the card without any issues.
Focusing primarily on content relevant to our outlet, I limited my testing to Anime-style and other Japanese games. Recent updates to titles like Monster Hunter: Wilds and Honkai: Star Rail had me excited to jump back in and see how they would perform. I conducted the majority of my testing at 1440P and 4K resolutions at the highest settings with my target frame rate of a minimum of 60 capped with my preferred frame rate being at least 120 where possible, though I also ran several games in 4K to test out the GPU's maximum capabilities.
2XKO Riot Games new free 2v2 fighting game ran at a perfectly locked 60 FPS at 1440P and at 4K with no frame rate drops making this an appealing title for the 5070 Ti.
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian is an absolutely beautiful game, and the 5070 Ti had no problem running the game smoothly at 120 FPS at 1440P and 4K on high settings, additionally having AMD's FSR option available for AI upscaling.
Digimon: Story Time Stranger at 1440P high settings ran nearly perfectly at an almost locked 120FPS with a few minor frame rate dips. At 4K on high settings everything ran smoothly at a nearly locked 120 FPS on my current monitor with nearly no dips in frame rate albeit a few minor ones during battles or cutscene transition but nothing that degraded the experience making it a great pick for the 5070 Ti.
Solo Leveling: ARISE OVERDRIVE ran pretty well at 1440P very high settings, maintaining a mostly locked 120 FPS with a few minor frame rate dips when panning the camera around. 4K was a smooth experience with no performance dips, and being able to push max settings was very nice.
The 5070 Ti demonstrated strong performance in the recently released demo of Capcom's upcoming title Pragmata. Utilizing the RE engine effectively, the card maintained a largely stable framerate, meeting the target of 120 FPS at both 1440P and 4K resolutions with mostly high settings. Furthermore, performance is expected to improve after the game's official launch next April, thanks to the integration of Technologies such as Nvidia's DLSS and frame generation, alongside FSR and Raytracing, are key features.
To prepare for the recently announced Capcom game, Resident Evil: Requiem, I replayed the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4. With all settings maximized, the game maintained a near-constant 120 FPS. Even with 4K resolution and raytracing enabled—a slightly more demanding scenario—performance remained highly playable, registering around 115 FPS.
The recent launch of Monster Hunter: Wilds title update 4 brought significant PC performance improvements, making it an excellent benchmark for the 5070 Ti. This was perhaps the most demanding game I tested. In 1440P, the card effortlessly achieved its target of 120 FPS with maxed-out settings. Running the game at 4K proved more challenging, requiring settings adjustments to maintain a smooth framerate. However, the inclusion of DLSSx4 made this much easier, boosting framerate and simultaneously reducing the VRAM requirement.
For a bit of extra testing for fun, I also put the card through its paces with a variety of free-to-play gacha games. This included Hoyoverse titles like Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero, as well as Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis and the PC version of Solo Leveling Arise, along with the recently launched Blue Protocal: Star Resonance. Across the board, all these games ran perfectly, hitting a very playable experience in both 1440P and 4K, even with some titles being capped at 60 FPS.
The MSI Geforce 5070 Ti MLG Edition, currently priced at $900, is quite expensive when you consider its initial MSRP of $750, which was short-lived. However, the price might not be entirely unjustified, given its apparent marketing as a collector's edition GPU. For users aiming to inject color or a matching accent into their PC build, it's certainly an attractive card. If the aesthetic of "sexy anime girls" aligns with your taste, that's an added appeal. Additionally, the included keycaps are a welcome bonus for anyone who already owns one of the stylish MGL Edition keyboards.
The MSI 5070 Ti is a highly recommended GPU for those building a PC, especially if your primary focus is on anime or indie games rather than pushing AAA titles to their maximum settings. Its main strength is 1440P performance, though it is still capable of running a good selection of games at 4K. Given its price point, it's a worthwhile investment, particularly for anyone seeking an anime-themed graphics card and I definitely recommend it.
Review product courtesy of MSI
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