MSI N480GTX Lightning GeForce GTX 480 Sneak Peek

MSI is readying a new flagship NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480-powered graphics card, the N480GTX Lightning. Like MSI’s other “Lightning” branded cards, the upcoming N480GTX Lightning is anything but a “me too” reference card. In fact, MSI has modified everything from the PCB design, to frequencies, and of course the cooler.

First and foremost, the MSI N480GTX Lightning is designed for overclockers. The card features MSI’s new, dual-fan Twin Frozr III cooler which also has a nickel-plated copper heatsink base, linked to a high-density array of aluminum cooling fins by five heat-pipes. The card also features over-voltage controls for the GPU, memory, and PLL, voltage check-points, voltage switches for instant voltage changes, and “CopperMOS” MOSFETS, which reportedly offer better cooling performance. In addition to the aforementioned items, the N480GTX Lightning also sports some “Proadlizer” (Prompt, Broadband, Stabilizer) capacitors which offer ultra-high capacitance ratings and have flat surfaces that can be more easily cooled.

Zotac announces the GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 AMP! Edition cards

Nvidia-exclusive board partner Zotac has now unveiled its first custom cards based on the GF100 GPU, the GeForce GTX 470 and GTX 480 AMP! Edition models which are factory-overclocked, have a tweaked PCB and make use of a new, dual-fan cooling solution.

Pictured below, Zotac’s new Fermi-flavored cards take up three PCI slots and that can be ‘blamed’ on the Zalman VF3000 cooler that features a copper base, five 6mm heatpipes and two 92mm fans. Thankfully, size does matter in this case and the AMP! cards should run cooler than card based on Nvidia’s reference design.

In terms of specs, the GTX 470 AMP! can brag with a 656 MHz (607 MHz stock) core clock, 448 CUDA Cores set to 1312 MHz, a 320-bit memory interface and 1280MB of GDDR5 VRAM @ 3402 MHz. The GTX 480 AMP! boasts a 756 MHz GPU clock, 480 Cores @ 1512 MHz, a 384-bit interface and 1536MB of memory @ 3800 MHz. Both cards have DirectX 11, PhysX, CUDA and 3D Vision Surround support, and provide dual-DVI and mini HDMI outputs.

For now only the GeForce GTX 470 AMP! has appeared in stores (pre-order) and it is priced as low as €443.50.

GeForce GTX 480 AMP!

Leadtek reveals its GeForce GTX 470 and GTX 480 cards

Already seen last week, Leadtek’s GF100-powered cards have been officially announced and, like their brothers from other mothers (same models, different manufacturers), they are not yet available. The WinFast GTX 480, with its 480 Cores, 1536MB GDDR5, and 700/1401/3696 MHz frequencies (GPU/shader/memory), is listed for pre-order at 479 Euro, while the WinFast GTX 470, which has 448 Cores, 1280MB VRAM, and clocks of 607/1215/3348 MHz can be found @ 349 Euro.

Both of Leadtek’s cards include DirectX 11, PhysX, CUDA, 3-way SLI and 3D Vision Surround support, have dual-DVI and mini HDMI outputs, and will hit stores in a couple of weeks.

Palit working on custom-cooled GeForce GTX 470 & 480

Palit’s first GF100 batch may be boring (aka stock) but all is not lost as a bit later, hopefully by mid/late May, the AIB is going to roll out custom-cooled GeForce GTX 470 and GTX 480 cards. Seen below, the upcoming models swap the reference fansinks with some new, dual-fan, dual-slot coolers that are supposed to keep the GF100 GPU cooler and you less worried about fire hazards in your PC.

To play it safe, Palit will keep the cards at stock speeds meaning the GPU/shaders/memory or the GTX 470 will be at 607/1215/3348 MHz and the GTX 480 at 700/1401/3696 MHz. With a bit of luck Palit will not charge more for these customized models so, if you haven’t already, start saving up.

MSI GeForce GTX 4×0 cards are stock and hot, literally

MSI has entered the weekend as expected, by revealing its own cards based on the GF100 GPU, the N480GTX-M2D15 (GeForce GTX 480) and N470GTX-M2D12 (GTX 470). The slower but still high-end GTX 470 comes with 448 CUDA Cores, a 320-bit memory interface, a GPU clock of 607 MHz, a shader frequency of 1215 MHz, 1280MB of GDDR5 memory @ 3348 MHz, and, of course, support for DirectX 11, CUDA, PhysX and 3-way SLI.

The GTX 480 packs similar features but includes updated specs like 480 Cores, a 384-bit interface, 1536MB of GDDR5 VRAM, 60 Texture Units, and GPU/shader/memory clocks of 700/1401/3696 MHz. Both cards will take up two PCI slots in your PC and provide dual-DVI and mini HDMI outputs. Depending on the SKU bought, you’ll get with the cards a full downloadable game – Warmonger, Resident Evil 5, Dark Void or Street Fighter IV.

MSI’s N470GTX-M2D12 and N480GTX-M2D15 are expected to become available in just over two weeks priced at $349 and $499, respectively.

Asus GTX 480 and GTX 470 box pictures show

As you might well imagine, with the date of the Fermi launch looming over us the leaks are really starting to show up. First it was the general specs, 480 Shaders for the GTX 480 and 448 for the 470, and then more detailed specs followed. Next up was the expected pricing, with the surprising fact that the 480 would be less than $500 for the 480 and less than $400 for the 470.
After  that the images started to pop up…. First we had MSI with their box and an image of the GPU showing up. Now we have a nice image of what the Asus GTX 480 and 470 boxes will look like.

GeForce GTX 480 poses some more, cuddles up with Radeon HD 5970

Easing the tension of waiting for leaked GeForce GTX 400 scores, a fresh batch of GTX 480 pictures have hit the webz, showing in detail the card’s final design. Seen below by its own and close to a Radeon HD 5970, Nvidia’s dual-slot GF100-powered beast boasts a quad-heatpipe, single fan cooling system, 480 CUDA Cores, a 384-bit memory interface and 1536MB of GDDR5 VRAM @ 3696 MHz, a GPU clock of 700 MHz, a shader frequency of 1401 MHz, two PCIe power connectors, and dual-DVI, plus HDMI outputs.

The GeForce GTX 480 features support for DirectX 11, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision Surround, and is said to have a recommend price tag of $499. The official launch of this model and the GTX 470 is set for March 26.

XFX GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470 Pictured

Here they are folks, pictures of the GeForce GTX 480 and GeForce GTX 470 complete with partner branding. These come from XFX, both sticking to NVIDIA’s reference design. The XFX GeForce GTX 480 comes with the usual feature set of 1536 MB of GDDR5 memory, 480 CUDA cores, and a broad feature set that includes support for DirectX 11, CUDA, PhysX, 3D Vision Surround, and 3-way SLI. The GeForce GTX 470 retains this feature set, albeit with 448 CUDA cores, and 1280 MB of GDDR5 memory. The two will be released on the 26th of March.

Final Specs and Prices of Geforce GTX 480 Confirmed?

Internal benchmarks reveal that GeForce GTX 470 is some 5-10% faster than Radeon HD 5850 and similar for GeForce GTX 480 over the Radeon HD 5870. Interestingly, the TDP of GeForce GTX 480 is almost similar to Radeon HD 5970 which is a dual GPU card.

GeForce GTX 480 : 512 SP, 384-bit, 295W TDP, US$499
GeForce GTX 470 : 448 SP, 320-bit, 225W TDP, US$349

Leaked Nvidia slide shows final GeForce GTX 480 design

No empty boxes this time ladies and gentlemen, but not clocks or hands-on pictures of Nvidia’s GF100 cards either. Still, there’s this ‘confidential’ slide about the GeForce GTX 480 depicting the upcoming card’s final design and cvasi-general specs.

As confirmed by the slide, the 10.5-inch long GTX 480 is packing a beefy, dual-slot, three-heatpipe cooler, has a 384-bit memory interface and 1536MB of GDDR5 VRAM, two PCIe (6-pin and 8-pin) power connectors, and a consumption of under 300W (299W?). Nvidia’s DirectX 11 card also has 3-way SLI support, dual-DVI and mini HDMI outputs and no love for anything Evergreen.

The GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 will be introduced on March 26 but more leaks are likely on the way before that.