MSI R7850 Power Edition OC Video Card Review

The first thing you will notice is the impressive Twin Frozr IV heatsink that looks like it was lifted from a Lightning and shrunken down to fit.  Speaking of size the R7850 measures in at just over 8 inches making it one of the smallest cards we have seen in a while.  

Flipping the card over we can make out where all of the major components are located.  Along the side nearest to the video connections we have the PWM followed by the GPU which is surrounded by GDDR5 video memory chips.  The Twin Frozr IV is held in place with four spring loaded screws and secured at each corner of the GPU.

Video output is comprised of a single dual link DIV followed by HDMI and two mini display port connections.  The MSI logo is stamped in the air vent to help advertise your purchase but does more to restrict air movement.

As with most mid-level GPUs the R7850 only features a single Crossfire bridge connection and thus limiting the card to two-way Crossfire configurations.  Given the market position and target performance level this should be more than adequate for most users.

With the Twin Frozr IV removed we are left with the reinforcement bracket that also serves as the heatspreader for the PWM and memory chips.  Assuming that neither gets particularly warm there should be no issues with stability.