MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X
June 2017Type
Graphics CardPrice
$839.99 USMSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X Power Consumption
I compiled the power consumption results by testing each card under idle and full stress when the card was running games. Each graphics card manufacturer sets a default TDP for the card which can vary from vendor to vendor depending on the extra clocks or board features they plug in on their custom cards. Default TDP for the GTX 1080 Ti is set at 250W and since we are testing a custom board, the figures can be lower or also exceed the default TDP.
The new 16nm process on the GeForce 10 series cards based on Pascal architecture deliver huge increases in performance per watt values meaning that the GTX 1080 Ti is able to deliver higher performance while sipping in drastically lower power than the 980 Ti OC.
In the case of our MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X sample, we are looking at three 8 pin power connectors. These would immediately indicate a 525W power consumption but in real world usage, the card never reached that limit. The extra power is only for extreme overclocking sessions which the board is designed to handle. In LN2 cases, overclocks can be performed on the board with use of custom power mods and BIOS that can allow the board to utilize more power for better clocking and voltage supply to the GPU and memory. In regular gaming sessions, we don't see that kind of power use and the overall consumption remains close to other GTX 1080 Ti cards.
You can see the results for yourself below which show that the GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X has a total power input of 349W with OC profile while the GTX 980 Ti Lightning has a peak draw of 351W. We can see that the GTX 1080 Ti offers much more performance at a slightly same power input which demonstrates its efficiency increase.
Contents
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The MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X is an enthusiasts choice with a high-end PCB design, tremendous overclocking potential and tons of gaming performance packed inside its belly.
- Great performance at 4K resolution
- Factory Overclocked Out of Box. Ships with 3 profiles (Silent/Gaming/OC)
- Tri Frozr heatsink cooling performance is great
- ZeroFrozr Technology Included on Torx 2.0 fans
- Close quarter heatsink design promises optimal VRM, MOSFET, VRAM temps
- Great overclocking potential, full tuning options with MSI Afterburner app
- Memory modules on the Lightning X can hit more than 500 GB/s bandwidth
- Backplate includes heatpipe solution for increased heat dissipation
- RGB Lighting support on the shroud and backplate are a plus
- Included stickers for personalization on the front of the shroud
- Good driver support for GeForce products, compatibility with DX11, DX12, Vulkan, OpenGL titles
- Performance per watt is great on Pascal graphics cards
- Lot's of display connectivity, great for VR and multi-display PCs.
Pros
- High Price ($839.99 US)
- Requires Three 8 Pin connectors
- Triple Slot Design, May not fit in small cases
- Overclocking limited unless using custom vMods
Cons
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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