MSI GeForce GTX 680 Lightning Review

It's starting to get difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest in graphics cards, particularly if you are a PC user who wants to keep their machine running at the best possible speeds all the time. The truth is that new tech comes out almost every day, and short of spending a fortune on a new card every few months, it does require a bit of luck to strike at just the right time.

On the upside, new technologies don’t go away – not if they’re good ideas, at least. And MSI’s GPU Reactor technology is a very good idea. What this is, quite simply, is an additional device on the back of the card that increases the voltage capacity of the GPU. The result is more juice through the chip, and a resulting faster performance. That, in effect, means that the overclocking capabilities of a card like this is higher, and more stable in execution.

So, in essence, the inclusion of the GPU Reactor on the GeForce GTX 680 means that the card can perform quite a lot above its out-the-box specification. But let’s be honest – there really isn’t anything too shabby about the default performance of this graphics monster. With an Nvidia 680 chipset and 2GB of GDDR5 memory, it really doesn’t break a sweat in most conditions… even under strain. Even if you don’t enter the competitive world of overclocking, this card’s performance will shine.

But, if you do intend to push the device to its limits, you can do so with quite a lot of confidence; MSI have built this card to handle a heavy load. Aside from the Military Class III components on the card, there are numerous systems that allow simple and effective – even safe – overclocking. In addition to software for overclocking, the GTX 680 comes with triple overvoltage technology (allowing the GPU, memory and PLL to be tweaked), as well as triple heat monitoring systems and voltage check points.

On top of all this, MSI have built an extremely good, quiet cooling system for this device. Using independent heat sinks for the front and the back of the card is just one aspect, and the generous 100mm heat fans, which use turbine style blades, work with those and the nickel plated copper base to keep the card running surprisingly cool. The fans also spin in reverse for 30 seconds after start up, to help reduce dust build up.

A card like this means that keeping up with the crazy upgrades won’t be as much of a problem. It is reliable and powerful, and will give the user a long period of hassle free graphics… and if you want more power, it’s easy to tweak.

MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DispayPort PCI-Express Video Card (N680GTX LIGHTNING)
Chipset: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680
Core Clock: 1110 MHz
Video Memory: 2GB GDDR5
Memory Clock: 6008 MHz
Memory Interface: 256-bit
Connectors: DVI-I, DVD-D, HDMI, DisplayPort
Max. Resolution: 2560 x 1600
View detail specification and price