The document details the specifications and features of the MSI N480GTX Lightning graphics card, highlighting its extreme overclocking capabilities and advanced thermal design. It includes information on its innovative Power4 architecture, military-class components, and various overclocking functions such as triple overvoltage and dual BIOS support. The card is praised for its stability, efficient cooling, and performance compared to the reference GTX 480 model.

1. DPS Department
Wing Lu
edited by Dennis Achterberg
Version 1.11EU (October 21, 2010)

2. Dedicated to extreme LN2 overclockers

3. Evolution of MSI Lightning
October 5th 2010
February 2009
N480GTX Lightning
August 2009 Broke 9 world
records at once.
World’s highest core
clock on GTX 275 -
April 2009 1.3GHz
World’s 1st GTX 260
that reached
1.1GHz

4. MSI Lightning, World Champion Overclocking
MSI’s N480GTX Lightning already beat the previous highest GTX480 GPU
clock by 125 MHz before it is even released!
Competitors old highest clock was 1325 MHz (HWBOT)
For more information about the world record, please visit http://hwbot.org/community/submission/1061564_elmor_3dmark_vantage .

5. MSI Lightning Power4 Architecture
16 Phase PWM Design Independent Memory Power CopperMOS 4 Proadlizers
Extreme OC Military Class
Twin Frozr III Triple Overvoltage
Functions Components
18℃ cooler GPU/Memory/PLL Convenient kits for Longer product lifespan
than reference design Voltage Adjustment extreme overclocking
V-Check
V-Switch
Points

6. 80 Ampere Design
2
1
3
PWM Comparison
N480GTX Ref. GTX
Lightning 480 154
1. GPU PWM 12 6
Phase
2. Memory 3 2 480
PWM Phase
3. PLL PWM 1 0
Phase
*PLL = PCI-Express clock gen power
Max. Current Capability (A)

7. Independent Memory Power
Input Power Comparison
N480GTX Lightning 480 Reference
GPU Input 8+8 pin 8+6 pin
Power (Also supports 8+6 pin)
Memory Shared PCI-
Dedicated 6-pin
Input Power Express Power
GPU Input Power Dedicated PCI Shared PCI-
PLL Power
Express Slot Power Express Power
(Compatible with 8+6 pin)
Memory Input Power
Comparison of Memory Current
Ref. GTX 480 N480GTX Lightning
A lower current wave means a more stable power supply.

8. CopperMOS
Double sided cooling for the best
thermal performance
20 100%
40 80%
Current Capacity (A) Temperature
Cooler MOSFETS, higher current capacity

9. Proadlizer
Proadlizer
Prompt Stabilizer
Broadband
• Next generation capacitor for extreme overclocking
• Flat footprint, suitable for extreme cooling
• Extremely High Capacitance: 1000uF & Low ESR: 1 m Ω
• Placed in the shortest route to GPU and Memory for
maximum effect
1 for Memory 3 for GPU
Solid Cap
Proadlizer
Solid Cap
Proadlizer
Proadlizer Characteristics

10. Active Phase Switching (APS)
Active Phase Switching “Unlike other solutions, APS works”
APS is MSI’s unique power saving technique that also
–Tomshardware.com
increases the power efficiency of the N480GTX Lightning.
It is fully automatic and independent of the operating system
used.
PWM clock frequency is adjustable from the Lightning
Tweaker Tool
Low Load
Per GPU Phase
load indication
High Load
Per GPU Phase
load indication

11. Twin Frozr III Thermal Design
Dual 9cm PWM Fans SuperPipe Technology
Dual 9cm fans provide 55% more airflow than the reference 8mm SuperPipes transfer heat much faster to the fins under
cooler, to cool down GPU, memory, and PWM. the dual PWM fans,

12. Twin Frozr III Thermal Design
Nickel-plated Copper base
Large Copper base coated with nickel provides the best heat
dissipation and the best contact area with the GPU.
Form-in-one Heatsinks
Dual Form-in-one Heatsinks cover the front and rear of the PCB to
dissipate the heat of memory and other components up to 24%
more efficiently.
High-Density Fins
Ultra high density aluminum fins have a large area for heat
dissipation. Spaced equally for optimum efficiency.

13. Triple Overvoltage
Triple Overvoltage
Combine MSI’s Afterburner 2.0 with your N480GTX Lightning and
unlock it’s fullest potential with the Triple Overvoltage Feature.
Check voltages with the built-in voltage measuring points!
Overclocking Performance
N480GTX Lightning
134%
(max. voltage setting)
Ref. GTX 480
100%
(default setting)
3DMark Vantage Extreme
*Overclocking results vary per GTX480.
N480GTX
Overvoltage Competitors
Lightning
GPU Overvoltage √ Not Confirmed
Memory Overvoltage √ -
PLL Overvoltage √ -

14. Extreme OC Functions
Dual BIOS
One default BIOS, another BIOS for extreme settings,
to circumvent the GTX480 cold bug.
V-Check Points
Allows on-the-fly readouts of GPU, Memory and PLL
voltages.
PWM Clock Tuner
Tune PWM clock from 260MHz to 350 MHz for
noise/ripple elimination.
V-Switch
Instant adjust GPU/Memory/PLL voltage.
OCP Unlock
Remove overcurrent Protection. Reference is 320A,
with OCP Unlock unlimited.
XtremeCool
Dedicated switch to solve cold bug for LN2 extreme
overclocking.

15. Military Class Components
 Tantalum Core
• Rare metal, incredibly stable
• Extremely high conductivity
• 15 times less leakage
• Stabilizes GPU power, better overclocking
 Super-Permeability Ferrite Choke
• 30% higher current capacity 10% better!
• 10% power efficiency improvement
• Power stability = better overclocking
30% better!
 Aluminium Core
• 10 years ultra long lifetime
• Extremely low ESR
• Lower temperatures
• Higher efficiency

16. Lightning Power Layer
The best PCB and power
circuit design for extreme
overclocking!
• Independent circuit design for GPU, Memory, and Power layer.
• Increase power supply stability
• Eliminate power signal noise (ripple)
• Better PCB cooling

17. Gold-plated Connectors
N480GTX Lightning:
All four connectors are
plated with gold for
the best signal
transmission.
Dual Link DVI-I HDMI DisplayPort
MSI N480GTX Lightning 2 1 1
GTX480 - Other vendors 2 1, mini -
Other vendors
Only the three default
connectors

18. GTX 480 Comparison
Product N480GTX Lightning GTX480 - Other vendors

CopperMOS √ - 
Power4 Architecture √ - 
Proadlizer √ - 
Memory Power Dedicated 6-pin Shared with PCI Express 
Overvoltage GPU / Memory / PLL GPU 
PWM Power 480A 154A 
# of Fans Dual 9cm Fans Single fan
SuperPipe √ -

PWM-Tuning V-Checkpoint 
Extreme OC Functions -
V-Switch OCPUnlock Xtremecool 
# of BIOS 2, selectable 1 
Output DisplayPort/HDMI/ 2x Dual DVI-I Mini HDMI/Dual DVI-I
APS √ -


19. Product Specification
Marketing Name N480GTX Lightning
Model Name V228
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480
Codename GF100
CUDA Cores 480 Units
Core Clock 750 MHz
Shader Clock 1500 MHz
Memory Clock 4000 MHz
Memory Size 1536MB GDDR5
Memory Bus 384 bits
Output DisplayPort / HDMI / 2 DL-DVI
TDP 269 W
Card Dimension 305x127x45mm
Form Factor ATX
DirectX 11
OpenGL 4.0
CUDA Y
SLI Y
PhysX Y
PureVideo HD Y
HDCP Y

20. Conclusion
Power4 Architecture The most powerful components for extreme overclocking
 World’s most powerful graphics card
 Independent Memory Power for better overclocks and stability
 CopperMOS with 2x higher current capacity for stable power supply
 Four Proadlizers optimize power supply and have better overclocking capability
Twin Frozr III thermal design with dual 9cm fans, 8mm SuperPipe technology and form-in-one
heatsinks keep your Lightning’s temperatures up to 18℃ cooler
Military Class components ensure the best power efficiency and stability under extreme loads
Extreme OC features : Dual BIOS, PWM-Tuning, V-Checkpoint, V-Switch, OCPUnlock and Xtremecool
Triple Overvoltage by Afterburner (GPU/Memory/PLL) for extreme overclock performance.

21. Thank you