MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning Review

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The card is fitted with SLI connectors so if you've got cash to spend, 2, 3 and 4-way SLI are an option to pursue, though we always recommend two cards maximum for the best scaling and as few driver issues as possible. MSI includes a long flexible SLI cable to you can keep a lot of spacing in-between cards, also handy of you have connected an LCS or LN2 pot to it.
 

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Just behind the SLI connectors you can see a BIOS switch. It offers two modes, two separate BIOS chips, one for gaming and typical tweaking and one specially for extreme overclockers. Though the Voltage tweak support is still in final stages of beta design with AfterBurner, I can already tell you that all end-users will get the ability to apply up-to 1.3 Volts into the GPU, which is massive for a air-based cooler. In LN2 mode the clocks revert to reference yet all OCP limiters are disabled but that mode does require some expertise to end up with a stable overclock. We'll show you how to reach roughly 1500 MHz in our overclock section of this article though.
 

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A new LED lighting accent on top of the card, nothing that is flashing or changing colors at default, just plain and simple Jane. However, should you want to .. it is configurable on colors and animation with the MSI Gaming app software (Mystic Light). We like that.
 

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The lightning comes fitted with three 90mm fans, these are fairly low RPM and as huge as all of the Lightning really is, they remain totally silent.  You can configure fan RPM with AfterBurner, even at 60% the card remains pretty in-audible while you can get your GPU temps in the 55 Degrees C domain, the cooler really is that good.
 

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Underneith the shield a huge radiator with 3x 8mm heatpipes and 2x 6mm heapipes can be found that transfer heat to the radiator fins. Overall a terrific looking card we think. 

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