MSI Readies N480GTX Lightning Graphics Card

[pantherx12]

Test it against the Zotac AMP edition and Sparkle's Calibre.

But why D:

Only comparison that needs to be done is build quality/temperatures/power draw.

Performance wise it will be the same as any other 480 set to the same speeds.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

The reference 5870's have backplates as do the reference 5850's. Its not unusual.

Could be a protection thing but anyway it doesnt seem to affect temps too much. My 5870 idles at 35 degrees and load around 60, for a stock fan thats pretty cool for a graphics card.

dude. the 5870 back plates are basically all for look. and the 5870 yeah they run cool but they are pretty weak now compared to a gtx470 or 480 for the price. they are still about $400. you can get a GTX470 for $300 and they already beat 5870 in a lot of games now and the gtx480 can be had for $440 give or take a few if you shop in the right places.

 

[Rebelstar]

2 8 pins AND a 6 pin holy crap that's alota amps

Agree, true power

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Agree, true power

haha look at the gtx285 classified. its 3 8 pins i think

 

[Rebelstar]

haha look at the gtx285 classified. its 3 8 pins i think

3x 6 pins

 

[buggalugs]

dude. the 5870 back plates are basically all for look. and the 5870 yeah they run cool but they are pretty weak now compared to a gtx470 or 480 for the price. they are still about $400. you can get a GTX470 for $300 and they already beat 5870 in a lot of games now and the gtx480 can be had for $440 give or take a few if you shop in the right places.

wtf?

lol, we were talking about cards with backplates what does a debate about performance have to do with anything?

FYI, i've had my card for over a year and it still runs the newest games on the highest settings. It is also virtually silent and temps are cool.

The 480 is cheap now because no one was buying them so they needed to lower the price. The 5870 will still be solid card for another year at least but personally i will be upgrading to a 6870 when they come out in a few weeks. Why would anyone in their right mind want to buy a 480 now? Not me.

 

[the54thvoid]

the 5870 ... are pretty weak now compared to a gtx470 or 480 for the price. they are still about $400. you can get a GTX470 for $300 and they already beat 5870 in a lot of games now and the gtx480 can be had for $440 give or take a few if you shop in the right places.

Your forum name says it all dude.

Performance per watt, the 5 series still win. Any clown can design a power mad card - why do you thnk the GF104's are so popular? Good fps per watt. The gf 104 is why the 470's and 480's are cheaper now (they have poor fps per watt).

Sure, i could buy a 480 for cheap but it's still going to consume a ton of power and bake me a cake in the process. GF100 is dead in the water. GF 104 is the way forward for NV and then AMD's 6 series are due soon too.

 

[CDdude55]

Your forum name says it all dude.

Performance per watt, the 5 series still win. Any clown can design a power mad card - why do you thnk the GF104's are so popular? Good fps per watt. The gf 104 is why the 470's and 480's are cheaper now (they have poor fps per watt).

Sure, i could buy a 480 for cheap but it's still going to consume a ton of power and bake me a cake in the process. GF100 is dead in the water. GF 104 is the way forward for NV and then AMD's 6 series are due soon too.

To an extent i agree,

The 5 series is definitely an efficient line of card. But i really think that that whole heat issue BS is very overhyped to no end, and again, the power consumption isn't that bad either. As i have said over and over, if you're going to be spending almost $500 on a video card, shouldn't you have enough to power the damn thing?. If your case can't handle the heat and your power supply can't handle the power, don't buy the damn card.

A LOT of AMD/ATI fanboys roam TPU much more then Nvidia ones, so i'm pretty sure someones gonna tell me i'm wrong anyways.

 

[pantherx12]

To an extent i agree,

The 5 series is definitely an efficient line of card. But i really think that that whole heat issue BS is very overhyped to no end, and again, the power consumption isn't that bad either. As i have said over and over, if you're going to be spending almost $500 on a video card, shouldn't you have enough to power the damn thing?. If your case can't handle the heat and your power supply can't handle the power, don't buy the damn card.

A LOT of AMD/ATI fanboys roam TPU much more then Nvidia ones, so i'm pretty sure someones gonna tell me i'm wrong anyways.

Just a couple of issues, the ambient heat around a 480 is noticibly warmer than say 5870, if hands can detect that then it's a big enough difference to effect the temperature of other system components. Not by a whole bunch but every bit of extra heat in a system is something that needs to be get rid off, means more money spent on fans or a nice case too.

Which brings me to my second point, not every has money, some people may save just for an epic graphics card etc.

For example that's what I have to do for upgrades


In regards to heat though, I remember my 4890 used to be really warm above the card ( the air) and it affected my northbridge temps a whole bunch!

 

[CDdude55]

Just a couple of issues, the ambient heat around a 480 is noticibly warmer than say 5870, if hands can detect that then it's a big enough difference to effect the temperature of other system components. Not by a whole bunch but every bit of extra heat in a system is something that needs to be get rid off, means more money spent on fans or a nice case too.

Which brings me to my second point, not every has money, some people may save just for an epic graphics card etc.

For example that's what I have to do for upgrades


In regards to heat though, I remember my 4890 used to be really warm above the card ( the air) and it affected my northbridge temps a whole bunch!

But Nvidia has already stated that it was designed to handle that kind of heat though, and i think for a nice bump in frames and overall performance for a bit of an increase in temps is worth it. And like i said before, even if you are planning to save up a bit for an awesome video card, you should be be aware of the heat output and be prepared for it. Even if it means buying some extra cheap case fans for more airflow, would that really be much of a burden on someone?.

 

[pantherx12]

But Nvidia has already stated that it was designed to handle that kind of heat though, and i think for a nice bump in frames and overall performance for a bit of an increase in temps is worth it. And like i said before, even if you are planning to save up a bit for an awesome video card, you should be be aware of the heat output and be prepared for it. Even if it means buying some extra cheap case fans for more airflow, would that really be much of a burden on someone?.

Yeah the cards might be, but other system components may not like it so much XD especially if you sli
(Even with my set-up which is currently all stock speeds but undervolted ambient case temperatures are 6 degrees above ambient whilst idle, I have plenty of case airflow)

You are right though, 480 is an enthusiast card for the most part the people buying it will already have a decent case or be willing to upgrade cooling.

I guess I'm more worried for the poor people that are nv only purchasers just out of habit who will grab the card expecting something else.
Where as the the plate on the reference design gets to 60-65c! D: Hot! Might surprise them

 

[CDdude55]

Yeah the cards might be, but other system components may not like it so much XD especially if you sli
(Even with my set-up which is currently all stock speeds but undervolted ambient case temperatures are 6 degrees above ambient whilst idle, I have plenty of case airflow)

You are right though, 480 is an enthusiast card for the most part the people buying it will already have a decent case or be willing to upgrade cooling.

I guess I'm more worried for the poor people that are nv only purchasers just out of habit who will grab the card expecting something else.
Where as the the plate on the reference design gets to 60-65c! D: Hot! Might surprise them

That makes sense.

I guess it really comes down to who's buying the card and how deep there pockets are. lol

I think for someone that what's to keep temps down to a better degree as well as don't mind the slight hit in performance. The 5 series is the way to go in those aspects.

 

[Splave]

Bet it's just a different shroud and exact same heatsink.

Nope totally different Its hidding some monster pipes you cant see in the pictures
The one that travels the top side of the card is as wide as my pinky.

Most impressive card I have ever had privilege to hold in my hands

 

[CDdude55]

Nope totally different Its hidding some monster pipes you cant see in the pictures
The one that travels the top side of the card is as wide as my pinky.

Most impressive card I have ever had privilege to hold in my hands

MSI did not reveal exactly when this card will make it to the market

You already got one?, dayum!.

I want your job.

 

[mdsx1950]

2x 8pin and 6pin. What a piece of crap.

 

[wolf]

The 5 series is definitely an efficient line of card. But i really think that that whole heat issue BS is very overhyped to no end, and again, the power consumption isn't that bad either. As i have said over and over, if you're going to be spending almost $500 on a video card, shouldn't you have enough to power the damn thing?. If your case can't handle the heat and your power supply can't handle the power, don't buy the damn card.

From all the people I know personally who own a 470/480, the only thing they tell me is annoying is the idle temperature, load temps are completely fine, hec you dont sit there for hours playing furmark do you?

not to mention is very easy these days to either boost the fan speed to keep temps down, or drop some dosh on an aftermarket cooler, which isn't a huge ask on a $450+ USD card. same goes for a PSU, if you buy the 480, you should be ready for it, or be prepared to spend cash making your rig ready for it.

this is a bleeding edge card folks, no other single GPU can touch it yet, IMO Nv will only be in real trouble with the 470/480 if ATi can best it with a single GPU. IMO Nv doesn't give two craps about the 5970 beating it aside from choosing their price point. the 5970 was out first, and was still the fastest single card when the 480 was released, and guess what, lots of people still bought the 470/480.

A LOT of AMD/ATI fanboys roam TPU much more then Nvidia ones, so i'm pretty sure someones gonna tell me i'm wrong anyways.

A hec of a lot more. I can't believe the enormous rage and fanboy talk about a CPU architecture that won't be out for a year yet.... Intel has plenty of time to pull a rabbit out of their hat between now and then. All I believe in is the real numbers, so like always I say, Let's wait and see.

this GTX480 Lightning looks absolutely frikken' pimp, I can see a few records being broken with 1-4 of these cards before the 6000 series lands.

 

[CDdude55]

From all the people I know personally who own a 470/480, the only thing they tell me is annoying is the idle temperature, load temps are completely fine, hec you dont sit there for hours playing furmark do you?

not to mention is very easy these days to either boost the fan speed to keep temps down, or drop some dosh on an aftermarket cooler, which isn't a huge ask on a $450+ USD card. same goes for a PSU, if you buy the 480, you should be ready for it, or be prepared to spend cash making your rig ready for it.

this is a bleeding edge card folks, no other single GPU can touch it yet, IMO Nv will only be in real trouble with the 470/480 if ATi can best it with a single GPU. IMO Nv doesn't give two craps about the 5970 beating it aside from choosing their price point. the 5970 was out first, and was still the fastest single card when the 480 was released, and guess what, lots of people still bought the 470/480.



A hec of a lot more. I can't believe the enormous rage and fanboy talk about a CPU architecture that won't be out for a year yet.... Intel has plenty of time to pull a rabbit out of their hat between now and then. All I believe in is the real numbers, so like always I say, Let's wait and see.

this GTX480 Lightning looks absolutely frikken' pimp, I can see a few records being broken with 1-4 of these cards before the 6000 series lands.

I agree.

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

Doesn't even look like there's any thermal pads on that backplate, so it just traps air and raises temps.

Back plate would help prevent pcb warping, on stock and even if a 3rd party cooler is used.

 

[Hayder_Master]

W1z you got one of these?

i smell something like that

 

[makwy2]

2x8-pin and 1x6pin... dang! I think people may need a extra PSU just to run this unit!

 

[_JP_]

I don't see the point of this card, except for nVidia fanboys and their wet dreams...but that's just me...

 

[Frizz]

The only negative I can give to this card is the amount of pins it needs... 2x8 pins and 1x6 pin in 3-4 way SLI is GG. Single card its not so bad, but when you move to 2 there is a big gap in system requirements.

Other than that the 5 Series is not perfect anyway, my standard 5970 couldn't even pass 80 degrees celcius without crashing because the VRMs would overheat pass a certain level of overclock which is commonly around 900/1200 and up @ 1162 volts.

I know there are some people who are lucky enough to clock at lower voltages and have temps <80 with 900/1200 but yeah not everyone is that lucky.

I can't wait to see the temps on these cards

 

[miahallen]

You already got one?, dayum!.

I want your job.

Splave and I were both at the unveiling in Taipei for the MOA competition....and as he said, this card is pretty impressive.

Totally built for benching though.....for a normal user probably not a noticable difference.

 

[CDdude55]

I don't see the point of this card, except for nVidia fanboys and their wet dreams...but that's just me...

I don't see a point for the Asus Ares, expect for AMD fanboys and their wet dreams...but that's just me...

 

[_JP_]

I don't see a point for the Asus Ares, expect for AMD fanboys and their wet dreams...but that's just me...

Aye, well said...