It looks like photos of the PCB for MSI’s upcoming Radeon R9 290X Lighting have been leaked. Looking at the details of the PCB we can see that the Radeon R9 290X will be an absolute powerhouse and will may put to rest all of the complaints that R9 290X reference designs do not take full advantage of the Hawaii XT core.
The reference R9 290X already runs with a high core voltage of 1.25V that is the reason it runs so hot. MSI still plans on increasing the core voltage, but at the same time giving it a more stable power phase design (12+3+2). Obviously unlike reference designs the Lightning card will be able to handle the voltage bump. The PCB design also shows that the card will make use of a combination of dual 8pin and a single 6pin power connectors. That is sure a lot of power!
The Lightning card will be one of the first with a custom PCB for the R9 290X. We are guessing that MSI will use their Tri-Frozr cooler to keep the card nice and cool. On the PCB we can see voltage check points for the PLL, Memory and Core. MSI will be outfitting this card with their Military Class IV components.
No word on when this card will actually be available, we may have to wait till CES 2014!
Source: VideoCardz | News Archive
