MSI GTX980 Gaming 4G Review

MSI box artwork is instantly recognisable. The iconic Dragon is shown across half of the box width with some key details alongside.

MSI highlight the cooling system on the rear of the box. We will talk about this a little more shortly.

Inside the package is a driver/software disc, literature on the product, with power/video converter cables.

MSI also include a ‘Gaming App’ on this disc which may prove useful for some people (you can control each fan individually). I have to admit after playing with it for a few minutes I deinstalled it completely. The only MSI software I like to run is MSI Afterburner (more on this later in the review).

The MSI GTX980 Gaming 4G is a two slot solution, built on a black PCB. MSI use two large ‘Torx' fans, to maximise airflow and performance. The card dimensions are 279x140x36mm.

From any angle, the Gaming 4G really is very tasty.

The MSI GTX980 Gaming 4G takes power from two 8 pin power connectors.

The card is SLi capable, if you feel the need for more frame rate power.

The MSI GTX980 Gaming 4G has a single DVI connector on the back (DVI-D), alongside three full sized DisplayPort connectors and a single HDMI connector. This HDMI port will handle 4K resolutions at up to 60hz. MSI earn bonus points for using full sized connectors – no silly adapters needed.

The new MSI cooling system looks formidable. There are four heatpipes in total. These are all running into various positions into aluminum fins on either side of the cooling base. High grade Samsung GDDR5 memory features on this card, cooled by a dedicated heatsink.

MSI claim the card is certified to MIL-STD-810G standards to help improve stability and longevity.

The GTX980 is built on the 28nm process. It has 2,048 Cuda Cores, 64 ROP’s and 128 Texture units. The 4GB of Samsung GDDR5 is running at 1,753mhz (7 Gbps effective) and is connected via a 256bit memory interface. The core clock speed has been increased by MSI to 1,216mhz with a boost speed set at 1,317mhz.

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