MSI N480GTX Lightning GeForce GTX 480 Sneak Peek

by Marco Chiappetta — Tuesday, October 12, 2010, 07:37 PM EDT

MSI is readying a new flagship NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480-powered graphics card, the N480GTX Lightning. Like MSI’s other “Lightning” branded cards, the upcoming N480GTX Lightning is anything but a “me too” reference card. In fact, MSI has modified everything from the PCB design, to frequencies, and of course the cooler.

First and foremost, the MSI N480GTX Lightning is designed for overclockers. The card features MSI’s new, dual-fan Twin Frozr III cooler which also has a nickel-plated copper heatsink base, linked to a high-density array of aluminum cooling fins by five heat-pipes. The card also features over-voltage controls for the GPU, memory, and PLL, voltage check-points, voltage switches for instant voltage changes, and “CopperMOS” MOSFETS, which reportedly offer better cooling performance. In addition to the aforementioned items, the N480GTX Lightning also sports some “Proadlizer” (Prompt, Broadband, Stabilizer) capacitors which offer ultra-high capacitance ratings and have flat surfaces that can be more easily cooled.

The MSI N480GTX Lightning: 750MHz GPU, 1.5GHz Shaders, 1GHz (4GHz GDDR5) Memory

If you need further proof that MSI is targeting this card are the extreme overclocking crowd, get a load of this. The MSI N480GTX Lightning is also outfitted with dual-BIOS chips, one with a standard BIOS and another that solves the GTX 480’s “cold bug” when LN2 cooling is used. There is also an XtremeCool switch that supposedly solves that same “cold bug”. There is an OCP Unlock switch that allows for >320A of current as well, along with a PWM Clock Tuner switch that sets the PWM to 350MHz, from 260MHz to help eliminate ripple.

The MSI N480GTX Lightning Exposed

Other interesting features of the MSI N480GTX Lightning include 16 total power phases (GPU=12, Memory=3, PLL/PWM=1, triple power connectors—two 8-pin and one 6-pin—and an output configuration that consists of dual, dual-link DVI outputs, an HDMI output, and a DisplayPort output. Reference GTX 480 cards have only 8 power phases, 6 for the GPU and two for memory; the PLL/PWM gets its power from the PCIe slot. We should also note that the third power connector on the card (the 6-pin connector) is dedicated to the on-board memory, which reportedly results in cleaner, more stable power delivery.

We’ll have more on the MSI N480GTX Lightning when it arrives in the lab. Stay tuned to HotHardware for the full scoop in the not too distant future.

Tags: Nvidia, MSI, GeForce, Gaming, graphics, GPU, GTX480, N480GTX Lightning

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com