MSI Recalls Graphics Card Due to Branding Misunderstanding with Nvidia

MSI has withdrawn its newly released RTX 3060 Ti Super 3X graphics card series from the Chinese market due to a branding misunderstanding with Nvidia. According to HKEPC, Nvidia requested that MSI pull the graphics card series as the name “Super” could cause confusion among consumers, suggesting that this is a new line of Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs in Asia.

Confusion Among Consumers

Nvidia has used the “Super” branding for a number of slightly upgraded 20-series cards, but there were no RTX 30-series Supers. It is doubtful that MSI intended to mislead consumers and instead chose the name to highlight the card’s massive Suprim cooler. However, it is unclear why MSI didn’t call the Super 3X the Suprim 3X.

Specifications of the Graphics Card

Despite the confusion, the MSI RTX 3060 Ti Super 3X boasted impressive specifications. The graphics card featured a triple-fan design with RGB and a clock speed of up to 1,845 MHz, making it slightly faster than Nvidia’s reference GeForce RTX 3060 Ti.

Possible Implications and Future Plans

Although it is unknown if Nvidia is forcing the recall because it is potentially planning a “Super” revival with its 40-Series cards in the future, it appears to be an easily avoidable mistake on MSI’s part. Nvidia has not used the Super branding on its GPUs since the RTX 20-series.

MSI’s RTX 3060 Ti Super 3X was only sold in China and is no longer available to purchase online. MSI is likely to relaunch the graphics card under a new name that does not upset Nvidia. Nvidia declined to comment when reached by PC Gamer.

This is not the first time an RTX GPU has had to be “unlaunched” over naming issues. Nvidia had to delay the launch of the RTX 4080 12GB after admitting that “having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing.” The GPU was later released as the RTX 4070 Ti in January.

Overall, this recall highlights the importance of branding and how easily misunderstandings can occur. Companies must be particularly careful when using established branding terms that may cause confusion among consumers.