MSI GTX 770 OC Lightning
MSI‘s GTX 770 OC Lightning, sporting the TwinFrozr IV cooler, is also quite svelte. However, the card requires an additional 16 mm (0.63 inches) of space due to the “Reactor” mounted on the back of its PCB. It's consequently only viable in SLI if your PCI Express slots are at least three spaces apart. At 30 cm (11.81 inches), it’s also not the shortest board we've seen. Finally, it also weighs a good 3.5 ounces more than Gigabyte’s GTX 770 and almost 5.3 ounces more than Palit’s card.
| Technical Specifications And Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| GPU Clock | 1,150 MHz |
| Boost (according to BIOS) | 1,202 MHz |
| Actual Boost Under Load | 1,241.2 MHz |
| Height | 132 mm / 5.2 inches |
| Length | 294 mm / 11.57 inches |
| Width (Cooler Side) | 36 mm / 1.42 inches (<= dual slot) |
| Width (PCB side) | 17 mm / 0.66 inches (including back plate and MSI Reactor) |
| max. Weight | 1,084 g / 38.24 ounces |
| Fans | 2 x 92 mm / 3.62 inches (fan diameter) |
Its massive TwinFrozr IV cooler makes MSI’s Lightning the heaviest card in our line-up, though it also enables the best cooling performance and aesthetics. The metal shroud with its yellow stripes is an eye-catcher, as are the blue lighting effects. We have to point out that the dimensions cited by MSI's marketing material are a little off, erring on the low side. In other words, plan for a little bit of extra space (or use our measurements above as your guide).
MSI equips its card with two eight-pin power connectors, giving the card a martial look, as well as quite a bit of headroom where power is concerned. In fact, MSI quotes a TDP of 260 W, although power consumption only peaks that high in actual games with additional overclocking.
Two 8 mm- and three 6 mm-thick copper pipes transfer heat to the cooler. RAM and VRMs receive their own cooling courtesy of a massive frame that gets sufficient air flow.
The back of the card hosts familiar connectivity options: two dual-link DVI ports, HDMI, and a DisplayPort output.