"Out of the box, MSI's GTX 780 Lightning is faster than the much more expensive GTX Titan, thanks to its generous factory overclock. Compared to the reference design GTX 780, we see an eight percent performance improvement. While it is not the highest clocked GTX 780 on the market, it certainly sits at the upper end of the spectrum. I only wish MSI had overclocked the memory too, as there is plenty of headroom to do so.
MSI's new cooler design comes with three fans, two of which are dependent on GPU temperature. The fan in the middle is based on PWM temperature. This approach should provide additional flexibility in keeping the card cool. The cooler itself is quite powerful with seven heatpipes, but requires a little bit more than two slots. MSI's GPU reactor on the back of the card also adds to its thickness, so you must absolutely plan on three slots for SLI usage (a sufficiently long SLI bridge is included). The included backplate adds to the card's look and feel, and will provide additional protection during handling."
