The bundled DVD contains a range of utilities as well the as drivers. I would recommend using the AMD website for the latest drivers. The window interface is very basic but it's functional with each tab linking to a utility. Included applications include AIWI, Norton Security and a Cyberlink PowerDVD trial.
One of MSI's most notable application in recent times has been the Afterburner overclocking utility which is bundled with their graphics cards. For those who have previously used the popular Rivatuner overclocking tool, Afterburner will be very familiar, the former providing the foundation for the software. One key difference is its ability to adjust voltages on compatible cards without any hardware modifications. For the latest released version, check out MSI's website.
MSI Live Update 4 is a unique tool that allows users to view their installed components and update their motherboard or video card BIOS. Unfortunately, the former wasn't functional due to an ASUS motherboard being used.
The Live Update tab searches for the most up to date BIOS, drivers and utilities online and presents users the opportunity to painless update their systems without having to trawl the internet themselves.
The MSI Afterburner application is heavily based on the Rivatuner engine developed by Unwinder from Guru3D. The major difference is the intuitive GUI that makes it easy to overclock, and its voltage control ability, although this does not apply to all graphics cards. The main screen gives users the ability to alter core clock speeds, memory clock speeds and the shader clock speeds for those cards that have the shader clock unlinked to the core clock. The fan speed can also be controlled manually but if left on auto, it will follow a fan profile. The latter can be adjusted in the settings with regards to temperature thanks to the Lightning’s PWM fans. The greatest feature of the Afterburner application is the core voltage tweak which isn't limited to the MSI HD6970. Most reference cards from both Nvidia and AMD eventually receive voltage tweaking support thanks to the regular updates done to the software.
On the right, different aspects of the card can be monitored including the temperature. Users can select which options to be displayed in the hardware monitor window. After all the settings have been applied, overclocks can be saved as profiles to be loaded up whenever the user wants. There is even a hotkey application to quickly load profiles.
The Lightning has the unique Triple Overvoltage feature allowing users to not only tweak the Core voltage but also the Memory and Auxiliary voltages. The support comes from the second on-board voltage controller and the improved dedicated memory circuitry that gives the memory modules more power and overclocking headroom.
Going into the application properties reveals even more options for users to delve into. Here, the application can be configured to suit the user's needs.
AMD PowerTune
Overclocking is nothing without stability and for most enthusiasts; applications such as Furmark, OCCT or MSI Kombustor have been the stress test of choice to truly load graphics cards. However, both AMD and Nvidia have voiced their concerns against the use of such applications due to the number of cards killed as a result of high temperatures and unforgiving load. They believe that stress tests are not representative of gaming loads and should therefore not be used as an indicator for stability.
This is where PowerTune comes in. The basic concept is that it locks the GPU’s thermal design power (TDP) to a pre-determined value such that when it is exceeded, the GPU will try to lower power usage. This is achieved by simply lowering the clock speed when the pre-determined TDP is attained under load. On the HD6950, the PowerTune Maximum Power is set to 200W whilst on the HD6970, it is set to 250W. AMD claim that typical gaming loads would draw 140W using the HD6950 and up to 200W using the HD6970, meaning that in typical scenarios, gamers shouldn't worry about their cards reaching the maximum TDP and throttling. The main situation where it PowerTune would kick in is under heavy loads from programs such as the stress test applications mentioned above. This particular HD6950 by ASUS most likely has its maximum TDP set to 250W to make better use of the power connectors on-board.
Overclocking presents another scenario where throttling might occur. Not surprisingly, overclocking will increase the power draw both in game and in stress tests closer to 200W/250W. This means that the card will be more susceptible to throttling as they exceed the PowerTune maximum TDP. AMD realise that PowerTune may not appeal overclockers but rather than giving them the option to disable the feature, they provide power control settings in Overdrive. Raising the limit to 20% sets the new maximum TDP to 240W on the HD6950 and 300W on the HD6970, still within ATX specifications. This gives overclockers additional headroom before throttling occurs. It also means that at stock clocks, the chance of getting reduced performance is much less. Conversely, to increase power efficiency, the power control settings can be reduced by 20%, making it ideal in situations where higher clock speeds are not needed.
In some ways, the system is akin to Turbo mode on both AMD and Intel CPUs. In the latter case, if power draw is within the TDP, the CPUs will have their speed boosted. Therefore, under light load, the CPUs will operate faster and simply clock to default speeds when the TDP is reached. In the HD69XX’s case, the core works at its default clocks and throttles when the TDP is reached. Nvidia have employed a similar feature on their GTX580/570 for the same reasons as AMD.
In the case of the Lightning, the maximum power draw is significantly higher due to the two 8 pin power connectors delivering up to 375W of power along with the PCIe interface. However, since the two extra pins provide power to the three memory phases rather than the GPU, the TDP of the latter should be similar to reference boards and as such PowerTune will work as normal. In ‘Performance’ mode, the PowerTune limit is increased by 2.5 times to cater for overclockers overvolting further and pushing the core beyond its default limit in ‘Silent’ mode.
