MSI N680 PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 680 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Pros: My initial review and RMA was premature. There was a bios issue with my ASUS mainboard that caused the card to fail. Too bad for me as I missed out on a great card.
newegg and MSI have been kind to me, gladly refunding the purchase price.

Cons: this video card has been discontinued. darn shame

Other Thoughts: room for a GTX 690 in the future. I bought a pair of GTX 660 Ti PE for now!

Pros: awesome card, it was cheaper than the lightning edition card which at the time was already discontinued. but its ok because the one and only difference between the 2 cards is a bios. it takes less than 5 minutes to flash the bios and this is a 680 lightning. core clock up to 1202 without overclocking. reached 1300 core with oc.
Dual bios switch makes it simple to install different bios so if you want to have a really good but risky bios for overclocking and then just an efficient bios you can do that. the bios switch is located right next to/ under the msi logo on the edge of the card, i do not know why the dual bios switch is not advertised.

Cons: barely any. gpu reactor had to be removed for this to fit in my computer case with my other lightning, but that is only because it is a micro atx case.
blue leds dont match well with my red leds in the case but it makes the 2 cards stand out more.
the sli ribbon is rather long however very minor complaint just because my case is smaller than most people who would have this monster of a card.
heat output with 2 of these cards right next to each other is intense. running kombuster i saw temperatures up to 92C on the top card, again this is only because they are very close to each other. other sli systems will most likely not have a problem keeping it cool.

Other Thoughts: you can look up the official owners club of the 680 lightning and learn more about this card and the lightning.
system specs
nzxt vulcan Matx computer case
asus maximus IV gene-z motherboard
i7 2600k @4.33GHz
thermaltake water 2.0 extreme cooler
16gb gskill sniper 1866mhz ram
xfx 1050w fully modular power supply
2 x msi gtx 680 lightning (1 bought as lightning 1 bought as poer edition flashed to lightning bios)

Pros: RMA process was easy. when I get one that works, you get your egg back!

Cons: Failed to function. Too bad I have to pay for the return so - 1 egg.

Other Thoughts: Defective from MSI so I can't dis newegg. The absolute FIRST time I received a defective part from MSI. only the SECOND RMA to newegg in over 15 years.

Pros: looks great while sitting on the table, broken.

Cons: DOA. dead on arrival. did everything perfect, 100% positive the things dead. even contacted msi tech support in a last-ditch effort to see if he could give me some troubleshooting ideas that maybe i havent thought of, but after i told him the exact situation, he didnt even give me any procedures. He just said "yeah, its DOA, dead on arival." and of course when i contact newegg they wont send me a new one because they just so happened to run out of stock right after i got mine. The lady didnt even know when there was going to be a new shipment in.

Other Thoughts: going to return for cash. bought the msi 680 from superbiiz instead. great site, has lower prices than newegg.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues that you are having with this product.
Hopefully the replacement card will work as it's supposed to.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with our tech support team directly at 626.271.1004 for assistance during regular business hours from M to F, 9am to 6pm Pacific Time.
Or you can email us at usreview@msi.com, thank you.

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: This card is absolutely amazing! ASIC quality on this card scores at a 75.6%! Pretty awesome. This card right from the get go, has the boost clock go to 1189 MHZ with no overclocking! I am impressed

The box is amazing (and has lots of accessories). Yes, I am a box junky and like to have a product in nice packaging. That is a huge plus for me.

I also really like the look of the VRM blue lights and the GPU reactor that glow Blue. Not to mention the backplate, the card just screams awesomeness!

Cons: Not really a con - but this card requires 2x 8 pin pci express connectors. So, if you wanted to SLI, then you would need 4 x 8 pin's. If you only have a couple of 8 pin pci express connecters and 2 x 6 pin connectors - You are in luck!! This card ships with 8 pin to 6 pin converters

Other Thoughts: I have owned many many cards, and I have to say this card is fantastic

I have NEVER seen the card get past the high 60's celcius, even under full load for hours of gameplay. The cooling solution (Twin Frozr IV) design runs quiet and cools effectively.

If you are looking for a gtx 680, I wouldn't look any further. Most games @ 1920x1080 (to 1200p) don't really need the extra 2gb that other cards have to offer. There is only really a handful of games that would make a difference ( and No Battlefield 3 is not one of those games ;) - Max Payne 3 and a few others can benefit from the higher V-ram

Buy this card before it is gone. At the price tag of $459.00, you can't go wrong

Pros: Great card takes everything I have put it through. I use a 27in Ben Q with DVI-D connected. Getting 109-150 FPS on WoW on Ultra Settings. Temps not getting above 45 C. Easy OCing with MSI Afterburner. You get what you pay for!!

Cons: None, Love the card going to order another to SLI.

Other Thoughts: Has Lightning card cover with a blue lights to make it look pretty. Although it isnt a true Lightning Card never the less it is a workhorse!!!

Pros: The product quality and look is exceptional it looks exactly as a lighting edition even the PCB is marked as Lighting, its so sturdy and strong that it supports its own weight and doesn't seem to bend like my previous 6870x2 , temperatures are really low around 35 at idle and 54 at workload playing BF3 at ultra settings at 1080p with everything enabled , the noise is inaudible even at workload, a great card in overall, Newegg shipping was fast and well package

Cons: No cons at all its been a wonderful card since day one

Other Thoughts: system specs
Motherboard: Asrock z68 extreme 7 gen3
CPU: Intel core i5 2500k @ 4.5 ghz
Memory: 16gb Gskill sniper series
PSU : Corsair tx650
HDD: Intel ssd
OS: Windows 8

Pros: As others have said, pretty much the same card as the Lightning. I've inspected PCB and all details vs. my Lightning and am happy to report all is the same, including the (working) dual bios switch. MSI installed the standard bios on both settings. I flashed both BIOS with those from my 680 Lighting, making this card a full fledged Lightning (1111 base clock, 1176 boost clock). I'm running cards in SLI on LN2 bios, both boosting into the low 1200's.

Cons: none for me

Other Thoughts: Even is one chooses not to mess with BIOS flashing, you can't go wrong with this card. IMO the 680 Lightning is the best example of a board vendor improving on OEM design. From power delivery to cooling and looks, MSI Lightning has it all. Fun fact.. my true Lightning scored a 73% on GPU-Z ASIC Quality test. This card scored a 71%. Not sure how much stock to put in the test, but it shows this GPU scoring just under a GPU that went on to become a true Lightning.

Pros: As soon as you open the box, it SCREAMS HIGH QUALITY. This Card performs better then any other 680 on the market. Fans are quiet even while under full load of CRYSIS 3. BLUE LED looks sweet with MSI MPOWER Z77 M/B.
This card is similar to MSI Lightening 680.

Cons: non I could find

Other Thoughts: + Quiet
+ Performance
+ Quality
+ Lightening but cheaper
+

Pros: Built a comp using this GPU as the backbone. This thing is a beast...seriously it looks like if you stood on it it could act as a hoverboard. Chomps through BF3, and Borderlands 2 with no hiccups at all. Smooth as silk.

Cons: Price: But, you get what you pay for.
On a side note, it appears as if one of the heat pipes for the cooler became dented somehow. I dont' recall seeing this when I received the product.

Other Thoughts: Corsair 300R
MSI x79 mobo
Intel i7 6core proc
G.Skill Ares 8gb memory 1866 MHz
Samsung 256 GB ssd
WD 2TB HDD
Windowse 7 Ultimate