MSI GTX 560 Ti Hawk Fermi Gaming Video Card Unboxing & First Look Linus Tech Tips

The MSI GTX 560 TI Hawk unboxing presents a fully custom GTX 560 TI card built around MSI's Hawk design. The presenter highlights the Twin Frozr 3 cooler with dual 80 mm propeller blade fans, claiming up to 20 percent more airflow than standard designs. He notes the card’s completely custom MOSFET and capacitor layout, described as Military Class 2 with solid capacitors and tantalum cores, designed to stabilize the GPU and improve longevity. In the opening section, features such as DirectX 11 support via 1 GB of GDDR5, mini HDMI, and dual DVI ports are called out, along with Nvidia technologies like CUDA, 3D Vision, and Surround for multi-monitor setups. The unboxing continues with a close look at the card’s reinforced PCB, the 6-pin PCIe power connectors, and a distinctive mounting brace that reduces board flex under the heavy cooler. The host explains MSI’s V-checkpoints and an 8+1 phase PWM design for cleaner power delivery, and he demonstrates how the exclusive Afterburner 3-way overvoltage controls enable tweaking core, memory, and auxiliary voltages. Throughout the review, he compares the Hawk variant to the reference GTX 560 TI while describing how the cooler, heat pipes, and nickel-plated base work together to dissipate heat efficiently. The video closes with a brief tour of included accessories and a nod to MSI for providing the card, inviting viewers to subscribe for more unboxings, reviews, and computer content. The atmosphere emphasizes outdoor unboxings and daylight photography, with the host joking about the weather and the packaging wording. He points out the backplate and external exhaust behavior of the Twin Frozr 3, stressing that the main cooling is driven by the cooler and not solely by case airflow. Readers are reminded of the card’s SLI capability (two-way, not three or four-way) and the presence of performance and silent BIOS mode indicators, including a JST-style label area that invites viewer speculation about a BIOS switch. The overall takeaway is a positive first look at a high-performance aftermarket card that appears to combine aggressive cooling, a robust power design, and MSI’s proprietary features, setting expectations for potential overclocking and gaming performance. The host signs off by encouraging feedback on the card’s thermals and noise, while thanking MSI for the product and praising the card’s sunlit, glossy finish in outdoor lighting.

Topics · technology · hardware · graphics cards · unboxing