MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition manual Overview, Getting Started, Quick Installation

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Overview

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The VGA card shown here is for reference, and may vary from the actual card.

For further information, please visit MSI's website at www.msi.com

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1Fan Connector

28-pin Power Connectors

3V-Check point

41536MB DDR5 memory

5NVIDIA GeForce GTX580

6PCI Express Interface

7Bios Switch

This switch is located on the back side of the card.

8SLI Interface**1

9Display Port

10HDMI Connector

11DVI-I Ports

-HDMI supported

-HDCP supported

-Dual Dual-link DVI output supported

**1 To ensure the best SLI performance, please visit MSI website to update the latest driver.

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Getting Started

Unpacking

Please check out the following items to make sure that you get the complete product:

>VGA card

>Disk: Drivers, documentation, and applications

Consult your dealer immediately if anything is missing or damaged.

System Requirements

To install the VGA card, your computer system needs to meet the following requirements:

> PCI Express or PCI Express 2.0 - compliant motherboard with one dual-width x16 graphics slot

>Two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

>Minimum 700 Watt or greater system power supply (with a minimum 12V current rating of 42A) is recommended.

>CD-ROM / DVD-ROM for driver installation

>Visiting MSI website for further information of operating system support

Card Features For reference only

>NVIDIA GeForce Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)

Delivers a proven record of compatibility, reliability, and stability with the widest range of games and application. NVIDIA GeForce drivers provide the best out-of-box experience for every user and deliver continuous performance and feature updates over the life of NVIDIA GeForce GPUs.

>Microsoft Windows 7 Support

Windows 7 is the next generation operating system that will mark a dramatic improvement in the way the OS takes advantage of the graphics processing unit (GPU) to provide a more compelling user experience. By taking advantage of the GPU for both graphics and computing, Windows 7 will not only make today's PCs more visual and more interactive but also ensure that they have the speed and responsiveness customers want.

>NVIDIA PhysX - Technology

Full support for NVIDIA PhysX technology technology,enabling a totally new class of physical gaming interaction for a more dynamic and realistic experience with GeForce.

>NVIDIA CUDATM Technology

CUDA technology unlocks the power of the GPU's processing cores to accelerate the most demanding system tasks - such as video transcoding - delivering up to 7x performance over traditional CPUs.

>NVIDIA 3D VisionTM Surround Ready

Expand your games across three displays in full stereoscopic 3D for the ultimate "inside the game" experience with the power of NVIDIA 3D Vision and SLI technologies. NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround also supports triple screen gaming with non-stereo displays.

NVIDIA 3D Version surround requires (1) specific drivers released by NVIDIA, (2) two or more graphic cards in NVIDIA SLI configuration, (3) 3D vision glasses, and (4) three identical displays in support of 3D version. See www.nvidia.com/surround for more information.

>Noise Reduction

Improves movie image quality by removing unwanted artifacts.

>Edge Enhancement

Sharpens movie images by providing higher contrast around lines and objects.

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Getting Started

>3-way NVIDIA SLITM Technology

Industry leading 3-way NVIDIA SLI technology offers amazing performance scaling by implementing 3-way AFR(Alternate frame Rendering) for the world's premier gaming solution under Windows 7 with solid, state-of-the-are drivers.

>PCI Express 2.0 Support

Designed for the new PCI Express 2.0 bus architecture offering the highest data transfer speeds for the most bandwidth-hungry games and 3D applications, while maintaining backwards compatibility with existing PCI Express motherboards for the broadest support.

>OpenGL 3.2 Optimization and Support

Ensures top-notch compatibility and performance for OpenGL applications.

>OpenCL Support

Full support for OpenCL GPU computing API.

>DirectCompute Support

Full support for DirectCompute, Microsoft's GPU computing API..

>32x Anti-aliasing Technology

Lightning fast, high-quality anti-aliasing at up to 32x sample rates obliterates jagged edges.

>Dual-link DVI Support

Able to drive industry's largest and highest resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560x1600 and with support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP).

>HDMI 1.3a Support

Fully integrated support for HDMI 1.3a including xvYCC, Deep color and 7.1 digital surround sound.

>NVIDIA PureVideoTM HD Technology

The combination of high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video.

>Dual-stream Hardware Acceleration

Supports picture-in-picture content for the ultimate interactive Blu-ray and HD DVD movie experience.

>Dynamic Contrast Enhancement & Color Stretch

Provides post-processing and optimization of High Definition movies on a scene by scene basis for spectacular picture clarity.

>Dual-link HDCP Capable

Designed to meet the output protection management (HDCP) and security specifications of the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats, allowing the playback of encrypted movie content on PCs when connected to HDCP-compliant displays.

>High-Quality Scaling

Enlarges lower resolution movies and videos to HDTV resolutions, while maintaining a clear, clean image. Also provides downscaling of videos, including high-definition, while preserving image detail.

>Bad Edit Correction

Recovers original film images from films-converted-to-video (DVDs, 1080i HD content), providing more accurate movie playback and superior picture quality.

>Enhanced Error Resilience

Correct errors or losses in broadcast content to ensure crisp, high quality playback.

>Hardware Decode Acceleration

Provides ultra-smooth playback of H.264, VC-1, WMV, DivX, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 HD and SD movies without the need for a dual or quad-core CPU.

>Microsoft DirectX 11 Support

DirectX 11 GPU with ShaderModel 5.0 support designed for ultrahigh performance in the new API's key graphics feature, GPU-accelerated tessellation.

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Quick Installation

Hardware

Follow the steps below to install the VGA card:

1. Remove the computer case.

2. Locate the expansion slot on your mainboard. Warning: Inserting the VGA card into a wrong slot may damage your card (refer to your mainboard manual for more Information).

3. Put the card directly over the expansion slot and press one end of the card into the slot first. Gently but firmly press the other end until the card is fully seated in the slot.

4. Secure the card with a bracket screw.

5. Install all other cards and devices and connect all the cables, and then install the case.

6. Connect the monitor. Now, you are ready to install the software on your computer.

Software

To install the driver of the VGA card to your computer, please follow the steps below:

1.Turn on the computer.

2.Insert the CD into the CD-ROM drive. The Autorun program will start the Setup program, and show the setup screen as follows:

Tip: If, on your computer, the Autorun program does not execute automatically, please 1) enable the CD-ROM drive Auto-detect function from Control Panel; or 2) find and run the setup.exe file manually from the CD.

3.Click the Driver tag, and follow the on- screen instructions to complete the installation.

4.After finishing the installation, restart the computer as instructed.

To operate the overclocking function, it is required to install the Lightning Afterburner application in advance.

To install the Lightning Afterburner application, please click the Utility tag, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

The Lightning Afterburner function includes:

1)GPU Overclocking,

2)Memory overclocking,

3)GPU Overvoltage, and

4)Fan Speed Control(%)

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Contents Overview Quick InstallationGetting Started Using MSI Live Update Online FeaturesInstalling MSI Live Update Using Live VGA Driver Update