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We have collected 2 reviews of the MSI R5870 Lightning. Experts rate MSI R5870 Lightning 6/10. Reviewsor.com helps you find reviews, best prices, user reviews of the MSI R5870 Lightning and MSI Graphics cards.
Factory overclocked graphics cards seem too good to be true. You get increased performance plus the manufacturer’s warranty. XFX’s Radeon HD 5870 XXX was the first factory-OC’d version of that GPU we reviewed (May 2010); that card pushed core clocks to 875MHz and memory to 1,300MHz (5,200MHz effective.) Now MSI is jumping into the game, and unlike XFX, builds a custom cooler onto its 1GB R5870 Lightning. If you have any doubts about the amount of customization MSI put into the R5870, one look at it tells you it’s not your typical reference card. The custom cooler uses two fans instead of one, and the heatsink is a massive chunk of metal that runs the length of the card and features numerous heat pipes. The PCB is also anything but stock, and extends about 3/4 of an inch taller than other Radeon HD 5870 cards. Stock Radeon HD 5870 cards run off an 8-pin and 6-pin power connector. The R5870 features support for two 8-pin connectors for “extreme overclocking.” Out of the box, the card is clocked higher than XFX’s card. But interestingly, while MSI pushes the core clock to 900MHz, it leaves the memory clock at the stock 1,200MHz (4,800MHz effective).
Micro Star International (MSI) manufactures a variety of computer hardware components. Established in 1986, they originally focused on the motherboard and graphics card market, but now produce a variety of notebooks, barebone systems,and wireless networking devices. The Lightning product line represents the fastest models that MSI produces and the one we're looking at today is arguably perhaps the sexiest graphics card they've ever made. The R5870 Lighting features a core clock of 900 MHz and memory at 1200 MHz. The bundle includes a user's manual, MSI's Afterburner overclocking utility, Crossfire bridge, VGA adapter, HDMI cable, and a couple of PCIe power adapters. Its warranty will cover parts replacement for three years, and labor costs up to two years. At $500, it is the at the same price point as the Super Overclock and Turbo X video cards. MSI took the Lightning and dipped it in a bucket of bling. Twin Frozr II is the name of MSI's cooling system--you can see it emblazoned on the heatsink's fan shroud. It's here we find two 80mm fans on top of the Lightning's dual slot cooler. They circulate through a series of aluminum fins that transfer heat from four shiny chrome heat pipes that measure 8mm in diameter.