MSI knows how to make some of the best video cards on the market, and the GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning is proof of that. This is a no holds barred piece of technology that you simply need to own. Show Introduction, Quick Specs and Availability & PriceLate last year when NVIDIA announced its GeForce GTX 980, enthusiasts and gamers waited patiently for MSI to announce its Lightning edition GTX 980, but it never happened. The company released multiple GTX 980 products which were all great, but the icing on the cake wasn't there.  VIEW GALLERY - 65 IMAGES Just a few weeks ago, we started hearing credible rumors that MSI would release a GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning, and those rumors turned out to be true. MSI skipped the GTX 980 in favor of the GTX 980 Ti, and it has seriously paid off. Here we have the cherry-picked GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning, and it is one of the best video cards I've ever used. MSI doesn't just don any of its video cards with the "Lightning" branding, so this GM200 GPU must have been something special. The card is built for overclocking and enthusiasts, where it has 2 x 8-pin and 1 x 6-pin PCIe power connectors for the very serious overclockers out there. More so, it packs LN2 parts in the damn box ready for some liquid nitrogen adventures. I could go on forever about how this is going to be a kick ass card, but instead of that, let's dive headfirst into the review and take it slow. Quick SpecsThe GPU in question is still the GM200, but a cherry-picked GM200 GPU. MSI worked closely with NVIDIA on securing itself the crème of the crop GM200 that was more than capable of being pushed far beyond the stock limits. This is why we have an insane amount of power going into the card, as well as LN2 compatibility. MSI's GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning requires not just 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors, but a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, too. The 2 x 8-pin PCIe power connectors provide 150W each, while the 6-pin PCIe connector draws 75W. This means that the GTX 980 Ti Lightning can consume up to 375W on its own, which is insane. Availability & PriceMSI has the cards available right now, with a not-so-bad price of $729. It's a premium card, with a not so premium price. We even feel that MSI could have charged more as this is a card for the true enthusiasts out there. Packaging & Detailed LookThe PackagingI didn't expect much in the way of packaging from the GTX 980 Ti Lightning, but boy was I wrong. The box is around one-third bigger than most GTX 980 Ti boxes, but the inside packaging will blow you away. This is a premium product, through and through. The front of the box teases the usual fighter jet that has donned previous Lightning edition cards from MSI, with the top right hand corner showing that this is an 'OC series' product. In the bottom right, we see that this is a GTX 980 Ti, duh - and it features various NVIDIA technologies: GameStream, GameWorks and G-Sync as well as DirectX 12 with Windows 10. On the back, we have quite the slew of details. Starting with the 'Mystic Lights' which lets GTX 980 Ti Lightning users completely customize the lights on the top of the card - which are yellow by default. This is a great touch. We also find out the various cooling technologies that MSI has deployed onto the GTX 980 Ti Lightning. Inside, we have a swish box that the GTX 980 Ti Lightning and all of its bits and pieces are found in. Once again, with the drawer at the bottom pulled out. In here, are the PCIe power connectors, and the LN2 part. Awesome packaging, right?! This is the 'extra heat sink for LN2' that MSI includes in the package. Only super-enthusiasts using liquid nitrogen cooling will make use of this. You also get a certificate of quality & stability from MSI in the box. Detailed LookI'm going to come right out and say it: the MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning is one of the, if not, the best looking video card on the market right now. It is simply gorgeous. The front of the card has yellow accents that just scream 'beauty', while the yellow accents also double as the letters 'OC' for OC series. It's not something you notice right away, but once you look at it twice, you see it. The front of the card, with the triple-fan cooler and 'OC' yellow accents. We have 'Lightning' branding at the top, with MSI branding at the bottom. MSI has used a backplate on the GTX 980 Ti Lightning, with a few lightning bolts to the left and right of a fighter jet on the backplate. The MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning is a video card for true enthusiasts. It doesn't hold back, and it will have some serious potential when the cooler is taken off and it's put under liquid nitrogen. That's when the real fun will begin, but it doesn't mean that it's only for LN2 users. If you're after a GTX 980 Ti right now and don't want any compromises, the MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti Lightning is that card, without a doubt. Is GTX 980Ti still good?Nvidia GTX980 and GTX980Ti are top of the line GPUs using the Maxwell architecture. They are great products especially when running software using DX11 or lower. However now that Windows10 and DX12 is out and games are starting to come out using DX12, GTX980 and GTX980Ti should be considered as obsolete. What is the GTX 980 Ti equivalent to?The GTX 980 Ti was only able to match the Radeon RX 590, making it ~10% slower than the 1660 Ti and RTX 2060. Is the 980 Ti any good?The Bottom Line. For those looking to game at 4K on one screen, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is a comparative bargain, delivering frame rates as good as—and sometimes better than—the GeForce GTX Titan X in our gaming benchmarks. PCMag editors select and review products independently. How old is the GTX 980 Ti?The GeForce GTX 980 Ti was a high-end graphics card by NVIDIA, launched on June 2nd, 2015. |
