the card is immediately identifiable as a premium MSI product thanks to the 'MPower' stripes and colour scheme. Yellow is a strange choice for a premium product as there are few other components that will compliment this card however it cannot be accused of being dull for it will certainly hold an inquisitors gaze.


Being almost 12 inches long, the card is one of the largest on the market. While this may not be an issue for most looking to buying this card, those will small enclosures will need to ensure they have sufficient space available (27cm).


The card is very well protected with all ports and Gold fingers having the benefit of plastic covers which is not a new idea but it is certainly a welcome one for a card this expensive.


The fan uses propeller technology in that the angles of the blades are altered towards the leading edges. This results in a 20% improvement in airflow. The fan setup also boasts dust removal technology whereby the fans spin in reverse for 30 seconds upon start up, sucking the dust away from the heat sink.


The R7970 is both long and wide (5 inches) however, the side profile is no bigger than your average GPU. You will still need to keep two slots free to accommodate this card though. From this angle the card doesn't look too intimidating with only two heat pipes visible but as you can see below, there is a total of 5 all packed neatly away.


The heat pipes are nickel coated copper pipes so not only do they look the business but they should also assist cooling by spreading the heat across the heat sink.


the card is fully crossfire capable meaning it can be paired to any other GPU for the same family.


As mentioned previously, to power the MSI R7970 Lightning, MSI recommend a PSU capable of delivering 650W which quite a draw when compared to competing cards. In MSI's defence though, this card is an out and out overclockers GPU and with its custom power circuitry, it makes sense to have a beefy PSU.