As one of the most powerful graphics cards in the world, the Nvidia GTX 980 Ti is a pretty sought-after piece of kit. Those that like their GPUs colorful will likely be doubly interested in MSI’s new version of it too. The GTX 980 Ti Lightning is factory overclocked, giving increased performance, has a high powered cooler and a new color scheme that really makes it stand out from the crowd.
For those after the raw numbers, the Lightning card has a bumped core clock of 1,203 MHz (a full 20 percent more than the stock GTX 980 Ti clock speeds) which boosts up to 1,304MHz — a big jump over the 1,075MHz of the standard GPU. The memory clock has been bumped up by a further 96MHz too, which while unlikely to be a tangible difference, could help net a couple more points in any performance-focused benchmarks.
To make sure this higher performing GPU holds it together under pressure, it comes fitted with a “TriFrozr” cooler that incorporates with three coaxial fans. Some of those fans have twisted blades too, which MSI claims further increases airflow without impacting the noise output. These all help cool the large aluminum heatsink, which is fed by three giant heatpipes.
Related: AMD releases benchmark comparison to GTX 980 Ti
But this upgraded graphics card doesn’t stop there. As TechReport points out, this GPU also comes with dual BIOSes, which gives you some redundancy if you happen to mess up a tweak, or offers two modes of operation for those that want them. There’s also added stability in terms of power transference to the GPU and its memory, and RGB lighting running along the top, so owners can customize the look of their card from the top down.
The front fans all come painted in an eye-catching yellow too.
Unfortunately there is no pricing information as of yet, but considering standard 980 Ti’s retail for around $700, expect this one to be even more.
