Monday, March 5th 2012

MSI R7970 Lightning Graphics Card Showcased at CeBIT

CeBIT 2012 is kicking off tomorrow but already the show floor is buzzing with cameras taking pictures of the hardware on display. One such camera, handled by the lab501 team, spotted at MSI's booth the R7970 Lightning, a highly-customized Radeon HD 7970 targeting enthusiasts and overclockers.

Seen below, the incoming Tahiti-based card makes use of Military Class III components (Hi-c CAP, SFC, Solid CAPs) and has an oversized PCB, 14+2-phase digital power, a Twin Frozr IV dual-fan heatsink, a backplate, and something called a GPU Reactor. The R7970 Lightning also features 2048 Shader Units, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, Eyefinity 6 support, plus two DVI and four mini DisplayPort outputs. The card's clocks, price tag and release date have yet to be revealed but should be exposed soon.
Source: lab501
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23 Comments on MSI R7970 Lightning Graphics Card Showcased at CeBIT

#1
FreedomEclipse
~Technological Technocrat~
I want TWO of these!! :rockout::rockout::rockout:
Posted on Reply
#2
douglatins
Damn i want, but now that i have 2 radiators so i need a wc card.
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#5
Darkleoco
I see a job in my future :roll:
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#6
Hayder_Master
i wonder how much GPU clock speed and memory speed.
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#7
neko77025
Oh its here .. this what I have been waiting for ...

This thing is going too Crush 3dmark 11 .. any eta on 3dmark 12 ?
-----------------------

Should note it is 2x 8pin & 2x DVI Stacked.
-----------------------

Ok , what is your guess for 3dmark 11 P after its OCed.

I am going to say P14,877.
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#8
m1dg3t
Interesting, don't like the yellow or the lack of HDMI but i guess this is targeted at gamer's anyways so good for them :)
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#9
radrok
The yellow will be very hard to fit in a case theme, would've preferred ATI red or even white.

The card is awesome though, can't wait to see 1400 MHz core on water :O
Posted on Reply
#10
neliz
I begged my nuts off for over a year to get the yellow in there and then not everyone likes this little bit of freshness in the PC world...

my job is d000000000000000000med :(


In other news, it is an absolute blast to see these cards crossfired (on the other side of the wall) and keep everyone puzzled about the true meaning of the "GPU reactor"

I like the me gusta-o-meter above, that's definitely what this card says :)
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#11
Faster4Run
Surprized and Fun for this new weapon !!

1)Since MSI is so smart to take the design of the "larger fan but thin" cooling fan (which is already utilized on the EVGA and does not require the 3 slots-space in PICe card) . I hope this card will be come with the lower street price (that is the result of heavy competition againt the coming nVida Keplar graphic card).
2)Since the "fully designed VRM and capacity components" that brings the allowance of great overclocking capability" from the inside of this PCB circut, so I expect the "beyond both 1,125MHz core clock and 6,000MHz memory clock". Please come to me soon ... !!
Posted on Reply
#12
cadaveca
My name is Dave
7990 Lightening, pls. Mkaythxkbye.
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#13
neko77025
Faster4Run1)Since MSI is so smart to take the design of the "larger fan but thin" cooling fan (which is already utilized on the EVGA and does not require the 3 slots-space in PICe card) . I hope this card will be come with the lower street price (that is the result of heavy competition againt the coming nVida Keplar graphic card).
2)Since the "fully designed VRM and capacity components" that brings the allowance of great overclocking capability" from the inside of this PCB circut, so I expect the "beyond both 1,125MHz core clock and 6,000MHz memory clock". Please come to me soon ... !!
this card will cost A arm and leg. I would not be surprised to see this card for 730.00. Take in the fact that 1000mhz cards are non stop sold out for 599.99 - 610.00. This card will be like 1100 stock easy & overclock way more. This will justify the $130.00

This is not a value card ... its all about power and overlocking.
Posted on Reply
#14
buggalugs
neko77025this card will cost A arm and leg. .
You might be right, but the 6970 and 580 lightning werent that expensive. They were about the same price as the Asus DCUII cards.

But if MSI whack a big overclock on the card then yes maybe they will be expensive. The Asus DCUII 1000Mhz is around $599, if the MSI card is $599-$629 it will be worth it just for the cooler.
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#15
Munki
Pretty nice card, but the yellow is a turn off for me.
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#16
SteelSix
That power array is a thing of beauty.
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#17
Shoda
Eyegasm!

ooohhh hohoho. This "thing" looks WICKED! I WANT! Possibly upgrading to this from my 6950?!
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#18
radrok
cadaveca7990 Lightening, pls. Mkaythxkbye.
I SECOND THIS :rockout:
Posted on Reply
#19
neko77025
can't believe we missed this ... Twin Frozr IV (listed in the pic) .. so they have moved passed the III.

Here is some other info , in another Lighthing post

Exclusive first look at MSI new world-class graphics cards
MSI will also display its new Military Class III and PCI Express Gen3 based graphics card at CeBIT 2012. The first world premier will be new king of graphics cards: the MSI R7970 Lightning. The MSI R7970 Lightning comes from a pedigree line of overclocking favorites graphics cards. The R7970 comes equipped with the all new Unlocked Digital Power Architecture (Unlocked BIOS, Digital PWM controller and Enhanced Power Design) ready for world-record breaking performance and is cooled by the next installment in MSI's award winning Thermal Design: Twin Frozr IV. The MSI Twin Frozr IV is upgraded with the unique Dust Removal technology enhancing the cooling performance of the Twin Frozr IV over time compared to traditional Thermal Designs. The new Twin Frozr IV Thermal Design can also be found on power user's favorite series of MSI Hawk graphics cards gets expanded with the R7870 Hawk delivering class leading performance, thermal and acoustic characteristics thanks to its Twin Frozr IV Thermal Design. MSI new Power Edition series of graphics card enrich the PCI Express Gen3 scene by offering Triple Overvoltage and are all equipped with an Enhanced PWM design. All this overclocking potential of the Lightning, Hawk and Power Edition series of graphics cards is unleashed with MSI Afterburner. Editor's most favorite overclocking software that is also compatible with Android and iOS based devices allowing for real-time control and monitoring of voltages, temperatures and fan-speeds. MSI Predator, the video capturing software and MSI Kombustor, one of the industry's most varied benchmark applications are included for free with MSI Afterburner.
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#21
NHKS
For who are interested to know the clock speeds of the R7970 lightning:

The clocks on the MSI R7970 LIGHTNING are @ 1070MHz (1.07 GHz)

see screenshot below (thumbnail)


this info is from a german site I found..
www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,871188/Cebit-2012-MSI-zeigt-R7970-Lightning-1070-MHz-Chiptakt-ab-Werk/Cebit/News/

u can find all pics(20) of the card here:
www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,871188/Cebit-2012-MSI-zeigt-R7970-Lightning-1070-MHz-Chiptakt-ab-Werk/Cebit/News/bildergalerie/?iid=1635178&vollbild
Posted on Reply
#22
dj-electric
Its okay-ish, Was expecting it to be 1100Mhz or above.
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#23
neliz
Dj-ElectriCIts okay-ish, Was expecting it to be 1100Mhz or above.
Lightnings never ask to run at default speeds.
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