MSI's 15-Phase R5870 Lightning Graphics Card is an Overclocker's Wet Dream
Shopping for a high-end videocard? Then you've probably been scoping out ATI's Radeon HD 5870, the fastest single-GPU card on the planet. Adding to the hype (deserved, mind you), MSI has just announced its R5870 Lightening graphics card, the only HD 5870 "built to be perfect."
Already a killer card, it's not like the HD 5870 needs a whole lot of marketing jargon or performance enhancements, but MSI took the liberty anyway, and we're not complaining. Just as we're prone to get a little bit giddy over a decked out motherboard, MSI zeroed in on premium parts in constructing its R5870.
To begin with, there's the 15-phase (13+2) power supply design, an industry first according to MSI, and a decent upgrade compared to the 7-phase (5+2) design found on reference cards. This helps provide the GPU with more power, which is also aided by two 8-pin power connectors. This is capped off by a dedicated LPL (Lightning Power Layer) design, which MSI claims helps increase stability and reduce noise.
Overclockers and enthusiasts alike will also appreciate the inclusion of Hi-c capacitors, which supposedly offers up to 8-times the lifespan of most traditional solid-state caps, lower temperatures, and better transmission efficiency. Technical jargon aside, these should, in theory, result in better overclocking headroom.
As is typical with MSI's Lightning series graphics cards, the R5870 comes equipped with the company's Twin Frozr II heatsink with dual 8cm PWM fans and 8mm heatpipes (or SuperPipes, as MSI likes to call them).
Already a killer card, it's not like the HD 5870 needs a whole lot of marketing jargon or performance enhancements, but MSI took the liberty anyway, and we're not complaining. Just as we're prone to get a little bit giddy over a decked out motherboard, MSI zeroed in on premium parts in constructing its R5870.
To begin with, there's the 15-phase (13+2) power supply design, an industry first according to MSI, and a decent upgrade compared to the 7-phase (5+2) design found on reference cards. This helps provide the GPU with more power, which is also aided by two 8-pin power connectors. This is capped off by a dedicated LPL (Lightning Power Layer) design, which MSI claims helps increase stability and reduce noise.
Overclockers and enthusiasts alike will also appreciate the inclusion of Hi-c capacitors, which supposedly offers up to 8-times the lifespan of most traditional solid-state caps, lower temperatures, and better transmission efficiency. Technical jargon aside, these should, in theory, result in better overclocking headroom.
As is typical with MSI's Lightning series graphics cards, the R5870 comes equipped with the company's Twin Frozr II heatsink with dual 8cm PWM fans and 8mm heatpipes (or SuperPipes, as MSI likes to call them).
Rounding out the marketing bullet blitz, you'll also find a pair of dual-link DVI ports, HDMI output, a DisplayPort, HDCP compliance, MSI's Afterburner overclocking utility, and other odds and ends you're welcome to check out here.
What you won't find, unfortunately, is any word yet on price or availability, though we suspect that to change once CeBIT rolls around next week.
What you won't find, unfortunately, is any word yet on price or availability, though we suspect that to change once CeBIT rolls around next week.
