{"video_id":"sJBO-0THq3Y","title":"MSI GTX 780 Lightning","channel":"Linus Tech Tips","show":"Linus Tech Tips","published_at":"2014-05-07T14:53:29Z","duration_s":451,"segments":[{"start_s":6.799,"end_s":14.0,"text":"Buy an unlocked Intel 4th gen Core i7 or Core i5 processor and get a free copy of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":11.84,"end_s":20.16,"text":"Rome 2: Total War. Click now to learn more. It's lightning time again, folks.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":16.8,"end_s":22.24,"text":"MSI has their regular cards. Then their","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":20.16,"end_s":27.199,"text":"gaming cards, both of which are pretty sweet, but they're truly flagship","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":24.88,"end_s":32.719,"text":"graphics cards are branded lightning, presumably because they are so flashy","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.4,"end_s":37.399,"text":"looking. Or wait, no, hold on. It's probably because they're powerful and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":35.28,"end_s":42.84,"text":"lightning is made of electricity and clouds. Wait, hold on. Ju just","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":40.52,"end_s":46.879,"text":"electricity? How does it even m So, the first thing you're going to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":44.96,"end_s":53.36,"text":"notice about this graphics card is the weight. Holy balls. It comes in an","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":50.64,"end_s":58.64,"text":"awesome carrying case style box with a full set of accessories, including PCI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.48,"end_s":64.64,"text":"Express six pin to 8 pin adapters and even an alternate back plate for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":61.68,"end_s":69.92,"text":"card if you swap decide to swap out the full length one for just a smaller short","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.68,"end_s":76.0,"text":"one. Once the box is open, the next obvious thing is the fact that this is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":72.32,"end_s":78.24,"text":"not a reference card. I mean, here's a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":76.0,"end_s":83.68,"text":"picture of a reference card for context. It is smaller and punier in every","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":80.88,"end_s":88.0,"text":"possible way. Because of this, you will need to make sure that your system is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":85.68,"end_s":92.64,"text":"capable of containing the greatness of the GTX 780 Lightning. side panel fans","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":90.799,"end_s":97.119,"text":"could interfere with its increased height and you'll need to make sure that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":94.64,"end_s":103.439,"text":"you have enough expansion slots free because due to its two plus slot cooler,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":100.079,"end_s":106.0,"text":"it will take up one, two, three PCI","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":103.439,"end_s":111.6,"text":"slots. Now, because the card is based on the GeForce GTX 780 GPU, there are no","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":108.799,"end_s":117.68,"text":"real surprises in terms of normal NVIDIA graphics card features. You got support","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":113.36,"end_s":119.92,"text":"for SLI, 3D Vision, Fizzax, CUDA,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":117.68,"end_s":123.439,"text":"G-Sync, and of course, GeForce Experience, which has now added game","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.0,"end_s":127.92,"text":"streaming to compatible devices like NVIDIA Shield. Low overhead gameplay","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":125.759,"end_s":132.16,"text":"recording, and Twitch live streaming to its ability to optimize your game","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":130.56,"end_s":136.16,"text":"settings and keep your graphics drivers all up to date and all of that good","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":133.68,"end_s":140.48,"text":"stuff. But that's not why you were shopping for a Lightning. Let's talk","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":138.0,"end_s":144.959,"text":"about what makes this card special. First up is the fact that this is a very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.959,"end_s":150.64,"text":"non-reference PCB. It utilizes components with MSI's military class","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":147.599,"end_s":152.959,"text":"concept, including Dr. Moss 4, copper","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":150.64,"end_s":157.599,"text":"moss, high caps, new super ferite chokes, and their dark solid capacitors.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":155.519,"end_s":160.48,"text":"So, unless you've got some electrical engineering under your belt, most of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":158.879,"end_s":165.76,"text":"that probably sounded like gibberish. But the point is that even though the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":163.2,"end_s":170.72,"text":"mil standard 810G compliance doesn't really mean much, a lightning card is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":168.16,"end_s":175.28,"text":"capable of running faster, cooler, and longer than a typical reference card.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":173.44,"end_s":180.0,"text":"Second is their triple force architecture. So the lightning logo on","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.2,"end_s":185.2,"text":"the top illuminates green, blue, or red depending on the load. Their twin Frozer","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":182.64,"end_s":190.56,"text":"cooler design has been updated to triozer with three PWM controlled","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":188.4,"end_s":195.68,"text":"propeller blade fans rather than two. And their power delivery system for the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":193.519,"end_s":202.959,"text":"card itself has been decked out with an all digital design. Core, memory, and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.599,"end_s":205.04,"text":"auxiliary voltage are all digital. Next","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.959,"end_s":210.959,"text":"up is the GPU reactor, which is basically like an extra PCB strapped to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":208.239,"end_s":215.92,"text":"the back of a card to reduce ripple and increase power delivery to the GPU core.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":213.44,"end_s":220.72,"text":"In practice, this will be way beyond irrelevant unless you're using exotic","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":217.84,"end_s":225.36,"text":"cooling methods, but hey, it's there. To go along with it, their V checkpoints","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":222.879,"end_s":229.599,"text":"allow you to easily monitor key card voltages if you're performing mods and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":227.599,"end_s":234.56,"text":"want to use a dedicated multimedia rather than multimedia multimeter rather","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.239,"end_s":238.56,"text":"than software to find out how much juice you're giving to key components on the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.48,"end_s":244.56,"text":"card. particularly when you're extreme overclocking. Their twin BIOS feature","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":240.959,"end_s":247.519,"text":"gives you two separate BIOS chips, which","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":244.56,"end_s":253.959,"text":"is good because if you can find your way to get your hands on the non-nerfed LN2","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":250.72,"end_s":256.639,"text":"BIOS that allows a power limit over","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":253.959,"end_s":261.28,"text":"109%, then uh that might be pretty useful. Now, to be clear, guys, we","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":258.72,"end_s":266.16,"text":"benchmarked our card assuming that end users will have to just deal with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":263.6,"end_s":269.199,"text":"stock BIOS, but trust me, there is more potential in this card if you're willing","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":267.6,"end_s":274.16,"text":"to get a little bit crazy. And that dual BIOS implementation means that there's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":271.199,"end_s":279.84,"text":"an easy bailout switch if something goes wrong during a BIOS flash. Triple over","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":277.52,"end_s":284.88,"text":"voltage that is cranking up the volts to the GPU memory and PLLL is all handled","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":282.88,"end_s":289.16,"text":"separately because of that feature and it is fully supported by MSI's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":287.04,"end_s":293.759,"text":"afterburner software. But again, it will have limited","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":291.6,"end_s":298.56,"text":"relevance unless you perform the BIOS flash that I was talking about a moment","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":295.28,"end_s":301.6,"text":"ago because that is going to hold back","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":298.56,"end_s":304.4,"text":"the true raw potential of this graphics","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":301.6,"end_s":310.4,"text":"card in a very meaningful way. So the conclusion is this. The GTX 780","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":307.44,"end_s":314.32,"text":"Lightning is, how you say, uh, lightning fast. We threw a few games at it from","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":312.639,"end_s":318.32,"text":"our usual suite of benchmarks, and while it doesn't really stand out from the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.08,"end_s":322.0,"text":"crowd in terms of its performance, just as a reminder, guys, all of our cards","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":320.24,"end_s":326.639,"text":"are overclocked as high as they can go, in my opinion, it's really very","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":323.84,"end_s":331.44,"text":"reasonably priced. For $50 more than a reference 780 running at reference","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":328.56,"end_s":336.24,"text":"clocks and as little as 20 to $30 more than a normal non-reference card, if","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":334.24,"end_s":340.08,"text":"nothing else, you're getting better build quality and cooler operation for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.4,"end_s":344.8,"text":"your graphics card throughout its lifetime. It's also aggressively","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":342.08,"end_s":349.919,"text":"overclocked out of the box at a full 133 MHz faster max boost clock than a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":347.199,"end_s":353.44,"text":"reference GTX 780. and it has no difficulty hitting those numbers","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":351.12,"end_s":357.759,"text":"consistently while running cooler and still being satisfyingly quiet. My only","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":355.919,"end_s":361.68,"text":"issue with the 780 Lightning actually has nothing to do with MSI, but rather","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":359.84,"end_s":366.88,"text":"to do with NVIDIA. Since it was released, the 780 Lightning has been","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":363.44,"end_s":368.639,"text":"nerfed with that 109% power limit BIOS","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":366.88,"end_s":372.88,"text":"that I was talking about before versus the aggressive one that it had available","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":370.8,"end_s":378.0,"text":"to it at launch. This practice of NVIDIA's where non-approved card designs","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":375.44,"end_s":382.72,"text":"are limited puts some restraints on their partners' ability to deliver the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":380.08,"end_s":387.68,"text":"best possible performance. And while I understand NVIDIA's perspective, um, and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":385.52,"end_s":390.88,"text":"you know, I agree that maintaining a brand image of reliability is more","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":389.52,"end_s":396.639,"text":"important than three more FPS in Battlefield in general. I wish that the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":393.6,"end_s":398.96,"text":"card partners and endusers were allowed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":396.639,"end_s":402.479,"text":"to make their own choice and forego warranty coverage if they really want to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":400.72,"end_s":406.639,"text":"push things to the limit. I mean, I guess the really extreme guys still can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":404.16,"end_s":411.52,"text":"if they go and find BIOS mods, but I just wish it was a little bit easier.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":408.319,"end_s":415.44,"text":"Anyway, guys, thanks for watching this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":411.52,"end_s":417.039,"text":"review of the MSI GeForce GTX 780","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":415.44,"end_s":421.36,"text":"Lightning. Don't forget to like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":418.96,"end_s":426.72,"text":"disliked it. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Would you spend an","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":423.84,"end_s":431.28,"text":"extra 20 to $50 knowing that your card's going to run cooler and it's going to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":429.12,"end_s":434.479,"text":"look better and it's going to last longer, or is that not worth it to you?","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":432.96,"end_s":437.599,"text":"Do you upgrade so often that it doesn't really matter? And then finally, guys,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":436.08,"end_s":452.739,"text":"as always, don't forget to subscribe to Linus Tech Tips for more unboxings, reviews, and other computer videos.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"Buy an unlocked Intel 4th gen Core i7 or Core i5 processor and get a free copy of Rome 2: Total War. Click now to learn more. It's lightning time again, folks. MSI has their regular cards. Then their gaming cards, both of which are pretty sweet, but they're truly flagship graphics cards are branded lightning, presumably because they are so flashy looking. Or wait, no, hold on. It's probably because they're powerful and lightning is made of electricity and clouds. Wait, hold on. Ju just electricity? How does it even m So, the first thing you're going to notice about this graphics card is the weight. Holy balls. It comes in an awesome carrying case style box with a full set of accessories, including PCI Express six pin to 8 pin adapters and even an alternate back plate for the card if you swap decide to swap out the full length one for just a smaller short one. Once the box is open, the next obvious thing is the fact that this is not a reference card. I mean, here's a picture of a reference card for context. It is smaller and punier in every possible way. Because of this, you will need to make sure that your system is capable of containing the greatness of the GTX 780 Lightning. side panel fans could interfere with its increased height and you'll need to make sure that you have enough expansion slots free because due to its two plus slot cooler, it will take up one, two, three PCI slots. Now, because the card is based on the GeForce GTX 780 GPU, there are no real surprises in terms of normal NVIDIA graphics card features. You got support for SLI, 3D Vision, Fizzax, CUDA, G-Sync, and of course, GeForce Experience, which has now added game streaming to compatible devices like NVIDIA Shield. Low overhead gameplay recording, and Twitch live streaming to its ability to optimize your game settings and keep your graphics drivers all up to date and all of that good stuff. But that's not why you were shopping for a Lightning. Let's talk about what makes this card special. First up is the fact that this is a very non-reference PCB. It utilizes components with MSI's military class concept, including Dr. Moss 4, copper moss, high caps, new super ferite chokes, and their dark solid capacitors. So, unless you've got some electrical engineering under your belt, most of that probably sounded like gibberish. But the point is that even though the mil standard 810G compliance doesn't really mean much, a lightning card is capable of running faster, cooler, and longer than a typical reference card. Second is their triple force architecture. So the lightning logo on the top illuminates green, blue, or red depending on the load. Their twin Frozer cooler design has been updated to triozer with three PWM controlled propeller blade fans rather than two. And their power delivery system for the card itself has been decked out with an all digital design. Core, memory, and auxiliary voltage are all digital. Next up is the GPU reactor, which is basically like an extra PCB strapped to the back of a card to reduce ripple and increase power delivery to the GPU core. In practice, this will be way beyond irrelevant unless you're using exotic cooling methods, but hey, it's there. To go along with it, their V checkpoints allow you to easily monitor key card voltages if you're performing mods and want to use a dedicated multimedia rather than multimedia multimeter rather than software to find out how much juice you're giving to key components on the card. particularly when you're extreme overclocking. Their twin BIOS feature gives you two separate BIOS chips, which is good because if you can find your way to get your hands on the non-nerfed LN2 BIOS that allows a power limit over 109%, then uh that might be pretty useful. Now, to be clear, guys, we benchmarked our card assuming that end users will have to just deal with the stock BIOS, but trust me, there is more potential in this card if you're willing to get a little bit crazy. And that dual BIOS implementation means that there's an easy bailout switch if something goes wrong during a BIOS flash. Triple over voltage that is cranking up the volts to the GPU memory and PLLL is all handled separately because of that feature and it is fully supported by MSI's afterburner software. But again, it will have limited relevance unless you perform the BIOS flash that I was talking about a moment ago because that is going to hold back the true raw potential of this graphics card in a very meaningful way. So the conclusion is this. The GTX 780 Lightning is, how you say, uh, lightning fast. We threw a few games at it from our usual suite of benchmarks, and while it doesn't really stand out from the crowd in terms of its performance, just as a reminder, guys, all of our cards are overclocked as high as they can go, in my opinion, it's really very reasonably priced. For $50 more than a reference 780 running at reference clocks and as little as 20 to $30 more than a normal non-reference card, if nothing else, you're getting better build quality and cooler operation for your graphics card throughout its lifetime. It's also aggressively overclocked out of the box at a full 133 MHz faster max boost clock than a reference GTX 780. and it has no difficulty hitting those numbers consistently while running cooler and still being satisfyingly quiet. My only issue with the 780 Lightning actually has nothing to do with MSI, but rather to do with NVIDIA. Since it was released, the 780 Lightning has been nerfed with that 109% power limit BIOS that I was talking about before versus the aggressive one that it had available to it at launch. This practice of NVIDIA's where non-approved card designs are limited puts some restraints on their partners' ability to deliver the best possible performance. And while I understand NVIDIA's perspective, um, and you know, I agree that maintaining a brand image of reliability is more important than three more FPS in Battlefield in general. I wish that the card partners and endusers were allowed to make their own choice and forego warranty coverage if they really want to push things to the limit. I mean, I guess the really extreme guys still can if they go and find BIOS mods, but I just wish it was a little bit easier. Anyway, guys, thanks for watching this review of the MSI GeForce GTX 780 Lightning. Don't forget to like this video if you liked it, dislike it if you disliked it. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Would you spend an extra 20 to $50 knowing that your card's going to run cooler and it's going to look better and it's going to last longer, or is that not worth it to you? Do you upgrade so often that it doesn't really matter? And then finally, guys, as always, don't forget to subscribe to Linus Tech Tips for more unboxings, reviews, and other computer videos."}