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MSI lightning GTX 680 testing

X

xoleras

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
3,551
Have been testing these cards for the past 24 hours. In a word: wow. I love them. Couple of tips for users: You need to use the LN2 BIOS (switch to the right) and it willl unlock 200% power and +100mV, you can verify up to 1.25V on a multimeter. The next revision of afterburner will allow up to 1.8V on the lightning cards *only*, it is due out soon per unwinder.

Thus far I have been able to do benchmark runs at 1352 mhz in SLI, although that is with 100% manual fan, which is obviously loud. The fans can run at up to 4200rpm if you want them to, you can get good cooling performance on air no matter what your overclock is. Obviously the highest settings aren't quiet, but to put things in perspective - 65% fan on this thing is 3000rpm fans.

This card has a TON of potential, can't wait for the unlocked voltage with the next lightning afterburner revision.
 
Do you plan to watercool them? If not, what are your maximum stable clocks at reasonable fan speeds, like 60%?
 
I'll add my results from overclock.net

Still working on overclocking. Just crashed in heaven on the stock bios at 1308 so Im guessing it should be stable around 1280-1300 after some long runs. Max temp was 58C. My Asus GTX 680 TOP had a max temp of 69C in the same situation. Card boost to 1229 with no adjustment at all so Im guessing thats pretty good. As a note these are just quick core clock adjustments and are in no way confirmed 100% stable.

Gonna switch over to the LN2 bios and see what that gives me.

Also running the lastest afterburner beta of 2.2.2

Heres a pic of the voltage confirmed at 1.215

20120626143110244.jpg





Okay just checked out the LN2 bios. Found some interesting stuff.

Power percent goes 200% as previously described. Stock boost however is lower, 1202. Voltage reads 1.215 in afterburner. And the big surprise look what it reads on the multimeter: (1.255)

20120626145038316.jpg


Pretty interesting. As far as overclocking goes in the LN2 bios I crashed at 1333 on the core. So Im assuming stable at around 1300-1320 in longer runs of heaven hopefully. It doesnt appear that LN2 bios affects temps or the fan profiles any. I maxed out at 60C during that run. Higher clocks cause higher temps. I dont think that I got a gem of a card by all means but it is certainly nothing to frown at. I havent checked out memory yet. Just trying to nail down my core clock. Im gonna run heaven for awhile at 1310 in the LN2 bios and see how long it will go. I'll probably be sticking with the LN2 bios because of the higher voltage. Also when I turned my computer off and switched to the LN2 bios the display driver wasnt present and didnt load so I had to re-install it for some reason.

Someone can make another thread and link it here for everyone to compile their results if they would like. Im going to get back to playing ;)

- The cards leds on the back are pretty visible. No idea what all the leds on the pcb do but they are fairly bright. Not enough to be bothersome, to me at least. Each fan has one led on it as well.



Hey everyone. Just another little update.

I ran heaven stable at 1322mhz for 40min. I'll burn in more later with a memory overclock. Im trying to get the memory dialed it. Its a little complicated on the 600 series. Im trying to make sure the memory ECC doesnt kick in and start hindering my performance. Anyways Im at 7000 (3500 in AB) effective on the memory right now. Heres my first 3dMark11 graphics score over 12K!

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3747645

Overclock: 1333/7000 and a 2600K @ 4.8

1333 wasnt stable in heaven but worked it 3dmark11.

Im going to begin dialing in the memory which will take some time probably. The thing Im most impressed about is the temps. Max Ive seen so far is 62C. My 3 slot Asus TOP 680 would hit 69-70. I couldnt be happier. I'll feel even better about the upgrade once voltage is unlocked more.



Well after some more extensive testing my memory is nothing special it seems. I guess its my high core overclock. I seemed to be dialed in a 1322 and 6600. I just hope the new afterburner really brings out whats lying underneath that black and yellow metal shroud.

On a side note I was freaking out for awhile because BF3 keep stuttering like crazy at all defaults. Apparently there is something wrong with the servers right now. Seems to be a wide spread issue.


1312 core and 6700 mem with a max temp of 62C

I dont want to say Im disappointed because those are nothing to frown at but it seems like others are having better luck. Hopefully the new afterburner will make things better :)

Also as an important note. The LN2 BIOS DOES NOT DOWN CLOCK due to temps! Ran some furmark for the hell of it and hit 75C and guess what happened? NOTHING! Good job Msi :thumb: I should be able to decide what the my card does, not the card ha.
1312 core and 6700 mem with a max temp of 62C
 
Strange that the LN2 BIOS doesn't throttle above 70c since that BIOS was designed for ultra low temps anyway, you would think they wouldnt care if throttled there since it wasn't designed to ever see those temps.

Good for you regardless, at least you have a little more voltage with that BIOS to play with until they get Afterbuner going.
 
just picked one up on newegg. Do you think Pci 3.0 makes much of a difference than Pcie 2.0

Are you getting a new MB?
 
infospace said:
just picked one up on newegg. Do you think Pci 3.0 makes much of a difference than Pcie 2.0

Are you getting a new MB?
Click to expand...

Little to no difference with one card. With two cards, it's like 5%. With three or more cards - you definitely want PCIe 3.0.

Info to back up the above claims here: http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=226569&st=0. I personally saw huge gains going from quad-SLI PCIe 2.0 to tri-SLI PCIe 3.0. Waiting on my 4th card (arrives tomorrow).
 
Thanks for the info. Just using this 1 card so I'm glad it don't make a difference.
 
Hey hammer,

What kind of fan curve are you using just out of curiosity? I bet you could push some of those higher OCs with 75%+ or more , but it would be a little noisier :cool:

(still REALLY happy with these cards)
 
xoleras said:
Hey hammer,

What kind of fan curve are you using just out of curiosity? I bet you could push some of those higher OCs with 75%+ or more , but it would be a little noisier :cool:

(still REALLY happy with these cards)
Click to expand...

I'm just running the stock fan curve. I might give this a shot because with it only hitting 62C the fan is still running pretty slow, 40% or so. Like youve said before these cards at high rpm's arent as loud and whining as youd expect. If you really looks at the fans they have some nice design and you can tell they are really optimized for these cards.

I honestly think my memory oc is whats holding me back. I looped heaven for over an hour at 1322 core and 6600 memory. Play BF3 and then I crash. The only big difference between BF3 and heaven is memory usage. I'm gonna try and back off my memory some and see how it goes.

This is still the best graphics card I've owned by far. What mem speeds are you running at xoleras?

PS: I NEED MORE VOLTAGE IN MY LIFE :D
 
I saw that someone running these cards in SLI (two cards) had to remove the GPU Reactor? Doesn't seem like it would be that big to affect two card SLI...for sure three/four card SLI but not two card. Is this correct? I have two coming for SLI and I was hoping to leave these guys "as-is"....
 
Phishy714 said:
HAMMERFORGED

I AM JEALOUS

That is one beastly card, hooollyy crappp.
Click to expand...

Ha you have one beastly card headed your way as well though :) I assure you that you will not be disappointed :D

You better be excited!

@sk3tch

You should be fine with at least one pci-e lane in between the cards. If you do need to take it off it really provides no advantages for overclocking within normal ranges. Only really benefits extreme LN2 guys from what I understand.
 
hammerforged said:
I'm just running the stock fan curve. I might give this a shot because with it only hitting 62C the fan is still running pretty slow, 40% or so. Like youve said before these cards at high rpm's arent as loud and whining as youd expect. If you really looks at the fans they have some nice design and you can tell they are really optimized for these cards.

I honestly think my memory oc is whats holding me back. I looped heaven for over an hour at 1322 core and 6600 memory. Play BF3 and then I crash. The only big difference between BF3 and heaven is memory usage. I'm gonna try and back off my memory some and see how it goes.

This is still the best graphics card I've owned by far. What mem speeds are you running at xoleras?

PS: I NEED MORE VOLTAGE IN MY LIFE :D
Click to expand...

I'm at 1352 in sli, +475 memory. Lovin it! My cards do require high fan speeds since they're in SLI, i'm using manual 75% which doesn't bother me really. If I use the stock fan curve it will crash in stress testing after 15 minutes or so. But i've gone several hours at maximum fan settings at 1352. I can use auto fan around 1290-1300.

Definitely the best cards i've had in a long time! :cool:
 
sk3tch said:
I saw that someone running these cards in SLI (two cards) had to remove the GPU Reactor? Doesn't seem like it would be that big to affect two card SLI...for sure three/four card SLI but not two card. Is this correct? I have two coming for SLI and I was hoping to leave these guys "as-is"....
Click to expand...

You can keep GPU reactor on but in SLI they take up space between cards...so you can't have a card directly on top of it. Many motherboards have space between the 2 main pcie graphics slots though.

Most people will want to remove GPU reactor....its space you dont need really. It doesn't affect maximum air overclock, I understand it helps for LN2 mainly.
 
Sounds nice, but I want to see a comparison between one of these cards and a GTX670 at similar clocks. My non-TOP Asus DC2 boosts to a stable 1352 / 7200 consistently and will run like that all day, and it's pretty much dead silent while doing it. How much more performance would one of these 680s give at the same clocks (if they can achieve them)?

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but there is a $200 premium over the 670 DC2 (Which means you could buy three DC2 670s for the price of two Lightning 680s) and the clocks that have been shown so far seem to be quite similar...
 
blackhawk777 said:
Sounds nice, but I want to see a comparison between one of these cards and a GTX670 at similar clocks. My non-TOP Asus DC2 boosts to a stable 1352 / 7200 consistently and will run like that all day, and it's pretty much dead silent while doing it. How much more performance would one of these 680s give at the same clocks (if they can achieve them)?

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but there is a $200 premium over the 670 DC2 (Which means you could buy three DC2 670s for the price of two Lightning 680s) and the clocks that have been shown so far seem to be quite similar...
Click to expand...

I dont feel like do game performance benchmark but heres a 3dMark11 graphics score over 12K with my Lighting at 1333/7200.

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3747645

Whats your 670 do?
 
blackhawk777 said:
Sounds nice, but I want to see a comparison between one of these cards and a GTX670 at similar clocks. My non-TOP Asus DC2 boosts to a stable 1352 / 7200 consistently and will run like that all day, and it's pretty much dead silent while doing it. How much more performance would one of these 680s give at the same clocks (if they can achieve them)?

I'm not trying to start an argument here, but there is a $200 premium over the 670 DC2 (Which means you could buy three DC2 670s for the price of two Lightning 680s) and the clocks that have been shown so far seem to be quite similar...
Click to expand...

Clockspeed is only half the story, you're still short quite a few CUs, which is why the 670 can clock higher than the 680 in many cases. (it is easier for fewer cores to clock higher than more cores) I'm sure all website reviews of the lightning will have comparisons to the 670. :cool:
 
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hammerforged said:
@sk3tch

You should be fine with at least one pci-e lane in between the cards. If you do need to take it off it really provides no advantages for overclocking within normal ranges. Only really benefits extreme LN2 guys from what I understand.
Click to expand...

xoleras said:
You can keep GPU reactor on but in SLI they take up space between cards...so you can't have a card directly on top of it. Many motherboards have space between the 2 main pcie graphics slots though.

Most people will want to remove GPU reactor....its space you dont need really. It doesn't affect maximum air overclock, I understand it helps for LN2 mainly.
Click to expand...



Thanks guys. I have two whole PCI slots open in between my 7970s. So I think the 680 Lightnings will slide right in without any modification required (i.e. remove GPU reactor).
 
hammerforged said:
I dont feel like do game performance benchmark but heres a 3dMark11 graphics score over 12K with my Lighting at 1333/7200.

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3747645

Whats your 670 do?
Click to expand...

I'm at work right now so I can't tell you until later on, but the processor, memory, etc all affect your 3Dmark score so it won't exactly be an even comparison anyway (unless you're running a 3570K at 4.7 on a Z77 with 24GB ram; etc). I would like to see a comparison of both cards each set up on the same rig, with real game performance charts. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a sick card but I'm curious how much more in game performance comes from that extra $200 per card. I'm also curious to see what clocks the unlocked voltage will achieve and how much louder the cards will become as a result.

My two reference EVGA 680s will be here monday and I'm also curious about the potential performance gains over one of those; maybe I'll upgrade if it's worth it.
 
It's a hard comparison to make. Value is subjective and even individual cards can OC better and worse depending on your "luck". I definitely took a look at the MSI Power Edition Twin Frozr IV GTX 670s prior to jumping to the MSI GTX 680 Lightning. For me, the extra $170 is worth it for the 5-10% performance. Also - consider resale value - the Lightning is a premium and sought-after line...so that helps when I dump my cards in 3 months. ;)

I had quad-SLI reference EVGA GTX 680 before. I now have three EVGA GTX 680 FTW+ 4GB (and the 4th arriving tonight via UPS). The difference is night and day. It's great to go for luck to see what kind of gains you can get from an OC - but it's even nicer to be dealing with top binned cards! The performance gains are awesome and the quality is unmatched (my EVGA GTX 680 FTW+ 4GB cards have 100%, 97.6%, and 100% ASIC quality!).

GTX 670 is definitely the bang for buck king, there is no doubt. But I'll always go for the performance crown...and that's going to be the GTX 680 every time.
 
If you want the best you pay for the best, not sure what that has to do with the lightning. Some people will pay a premium for 10-15% more potential and unlocked voltage, but as mentioned this isn't a value purchase. Value or cheap purchases should look at stuff like 670, 7850, etc...this really isn't about that :cool: This is about the best 680 which I highly feel the lightning 680 is currently.
 
Unfortunately my card only seems capable of about 1260 on the LN2 bios and 1240 on the stock bios. I suspect my ancient TX850 powersupply my be delivering unclean power but no way to check that right now.

Also I noticed that with the LN2 bios if I get a driver crash from overclocking the driver will never recover I have to do a hard reset.
 
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Sojuuk said:
Unfortunately my card only seems capable of about 1260 on the LN2 bios and 1240 on the stock bios. I suspect my ancient TX850 powersupply my be delivering unclean power but no way to check that right now.

Also I noticed that with the LN2 bios if I get a driver crash from overclocking the driver will never recover I have to do a hard reset.
Click to expand...

I noticed that as well with the driver crash. Makes sense it would just be the LN2 bios I guess. I was wondering why it started doing that ha. My speakers make an awful noise when this happens too.

A little more voltage should help you out hopefully :)
 
would any of you other lightning owners care to post your ASIC scores and max overclocks?
93.3%
and I can only get to 1280mhz@1.212v

ASIC scores can be found using GPU-Z(click on the gpuz icon and it is in the context menu there)
 
Sojuuk said:
would any of you other lightning owners care to post your ASIC scores and max overclocks?
93.3%
and I can only get to 1280mhz@1.212v

ASIC scores can be found using GPU-Z(click on the gpuz icon and it is in the context menu there)
Click to expand...

ASIC score scale doesn't really mean much with nvidia chips, the scale is different than it was with AMD cards. I think i've gotten 100% with every nvidia card i've tried, although I need to reinstall gpu-z. Are you using afterburner 2.2.2 with precision x uninstalled?
 
Well clearly they aren't all 100% then, if someone got an ASIC of 93.3. That being said, I don't put any stock in ASIC scores anyway, they vary wildly and seem to have ZERO relation to overclocking results.
 
Yep, the ASIC value for nvidia GPUs is arbitrary and means nothing, whereas AMD assigns a specific ASIC value to their chips which measures leakage. People also have a misconception that a higher value is better for AMD chips, higher leakage is DESIRABLE for better overclocks on the 7970 and a higher ASIC value would indicate lower leakage.

There are just way too many misconceptions about ASIC value, it is a complete arbitrary value on nvidia gpu's so there's no point in comparing numbers. It doesn't indicate leakage like the AMD number does, actually nobody knows WHAT it measures. So anyway, TLDR I agree with your statement that it has zero relation to overclocking results ;)
 
oh well then. And yeah that is something that confused me about leakage, I remember a while ago AMD had the super overclocking chips and they were designed for high leakage and so it didn't seem to make sense to me that a high asic score would mean better clocks.
 
hammerforged- I stand corrected. I ran 3DMark with my 670 at 1356 / 7200 and my combined score was only ~8000; but I just realized that you were talking about your GPU score and not your overall score and of course I am at work again so I can't verify my GPU only score until I get home. I'll post that result when I get it, but my combined score still is 1500pts short of yours so obviously that card has some power over the 670.
 
blackhawk777 said:
hammerforged- I stand corrected. I ran 3DMark with my 670 at 1356 / 7200 and my combined score was only ~8000; but I just realized that you were talking about your GPU score and not your overall score and of course I am at work again so I can't verify my GPU only score until I get home. I'll post that result when I get it, but my combined score still is 1500pts short of yours so obviously that card has some power over the 670.
Click to expand...

Yeah I mean its a synthetic benchmark so dont take much of it to heart. You still have a better value card by all means. Like most people say its only going to result in around 5% real world performance difference. I think once drivers become a little more mature it will widen the performance gap but theres still no doubt the 670 is the best bang for the buck especially with a good overclocker like yours.

I came from two 7950s and always felt like I could get more performance so I said screw and just got the best I could get and now I dont have that feeling ha. I love tweaking and pushing it to the max though so thats why I love my new lighting so much.
 
I built a rig yesterday evening with a couple of these GPUs in it. I still need to tidy up and mount the CPU cooler and SSD, but hopefully I can put the juice to it this weekend.
 
After many hours of tweaking I found my absolute maximum stable overclock on LN2 bios to be 1290mhz/3204mhz. Not exactly the most impressive overclock ever but better than a lot.
when is afterburner 2.2.3 coming out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Are you using manual fan at higher settings? If not, you should be for your best overclock.

Auto fan isn't gonna cut it for super high overclocks
 
xoleras said:
Latest 3dmark11 run:
Click to expand...

xoleras
I think you have had HD 7970 CF, GTX 680 SLI, GTX 690, and now GTX 680 Lightning SLI. is that correct. After having gone through all these setups which one were you most pleased with. and your reasons ?
 
Sojuuk said:
After many hours of tweaking I found my absolute maximum stable overclock on LN2 bios to be 1290mhz/3204mhz. Not exactly the most impressive overclock ever but better than a lot.
when is afterburner 2.2.3 coming out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

that would disappoint me as well. man comes tomorrow, cannot wait to start testing it. hopefully we get afterburner this week as well.
 
I think there are a lot of us getting Lightnings tomorrow. :) I have a couple coming myself. So psyched to have unlocked Kepler at my disposal!
 
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