The Card

MSI's card is huge. The front has seen a small visual overhaul, now using black, gray and a red that shimmers through lightly. On the back, you will find a metal backplate. Dimensions of the card are 32.0 cm x 14.0 cm.

Just like the Lightning, adjustable RGB lighting is included, which looks amazing and is almost hypnotizing. Of course, it can be fully controlled using MSI's Mystic Light software.


Installation requires three slots in your system.


Display connectivity options include a DVI port, two HDMI ports, and two DisplayPorts. It's nice to see that the DVI port has been brought back, which was missing on the GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition.

Unlike previous-generation NVIDIA cards, the DVI port no longer includes the analog signal, so you'll have to use an active adapter. NVIDIA also updated DisplayPort to be 1.2 certified and 1.3/1.4 ready, which enables support for 4K at 120 Hz and 5K at 60 Hz, or 8K at 60 Hz with two cables.

The GPU also comes with an HDMI sound device. It is HDMI 2.0b compatible, which supports HD audio and Blu-ray 3D movies. The GPU's video-encoding unit has been updated to support HEVC at 10-bit and 12-bit.


We shine the light from a self-leveling line laser onto the card, which shows no sagging, which is impressive considering the big cooler. Should you still be concerned since you move your PC around a lot, for example, MSI has you covered with the included support bracket.


Pictured above are the front and back, showing the disassembled board. High-res versions are also available (front, back).