MSI R6870 HAWK (Twin Frozr III Thermal Design) Review

The HAWK is supplied in a distinctive box with a picture of their stealth fighter plane, which is representative of this particular range.

The box is a gateway design which opens up to reveal a detail list of specifications and design implementations as well as the product itself, visible through a plastic window in the center.

The bundle contains literature on the product as well as a software disc, full colour information guide along with power and video converter cables. There are also V-Check point cables which can be used in conjunction with a MultiMeter to read GPU, memory and VDCCI voltage values.

The card is reminiscent of other HAWK cards we have reviewed in the past. The large aluminum cooler covers the whole PCB.

The cooler is an impressive design, with a series of 5 thick heatpipes splitting into two arrays of aluminum fins on other side, with two propeller style fans directly cooling each section.

The top of the card features three connection points (or V-Check points) which allows the user to hook up a MultiMeter directly to analyse the GPU, Memory and VDCC voltage readings. The card can also be set up into a Crossfire configuration.

The card offers dual DVI x2 connectors, an HDMI out and two mini displayport connectors. There is also a switch to allow for two fan speed settings, one ‘performance' mode, and the other ‘silent' mode.

The R6870 HAWK is powered by two 6 pin PCIe power connectors.

Once the cooler is removed, we can get a full view of the fantastic engineering quality implemented. MSI are using Hi-C Cap (Tantalum core) with extremely high conductivity and 15x less leakage. This is apparently the same material which is used on Space Shuttles. MSI are also utilising Super Ferrite Chokes with 10% better power efficiency and 30% higher current capacity. This can aid the overclocking capabilities.

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