As impressive as $600+ video cards are, the level of performance and graphics quality are more or less expected when you are dropping down that much money on a video card. When spending half of that, expectations are generally lowered. It's safe to say when you're asking "what video card I should buy under $300", the general answer is usually something that is a decent performer, but you'll need to sacrifice image quality and/or lower resolutions.
The 8800GT, and as tested today, the MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC changes all of that. This is the first time in years I have been this impressed with a mainstream priced product. The performance isn't 40% slower than the top end part, which was typically the norm before, but it either comes within 10% of the high-end parts, and in some cases, surpasses it. We had some other products here that matches the MSI NX8800GT in terms of pricing, but we left those in the box as an 8600GT is akin to bringing a putty knife to a gun fight.
The performance numbers in A-list games, albeit demos were only available at the time of testing, were simply amazing. We were able to run our gameplay tests at high detail levels at 1680x1050 widescreen resolutions and the MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC handled it with aplomb. MSI should hold a slight edge over some competitors who are sticking closer to NVIDIA's reference design as the MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC comes overclocked out of the box.
We did try to push the card a bit higher and were met with rather uneventful results. Our particular sample was able to reach 695MHz core without any ill effects. I consulted with MSI who have been able to reach 700 MHz in their labs, but we were unable to match those numbers.
Despite using less power than both the GTS and GTX models, the MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC does get very warm. Initially, under full load, the GPU registered a scorching 93°C in our Antec 900 case, though we had the case fans running in silent mode. Even at these temperatures, the MSI 8800GT's fan was relatively quiet. When we turned on the Antec's stock fans to full speed, the temperature lowered slightly to 90°C.
The rest of the package itself is minimal. For that reason, we expect to see the card sell under $300 although no pricing for the MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC is currently available on our price search. You're provided the necessary items to get up and running, but the games are up to you. Again, as stated earlier, unless MSI was going to bundle Crysis, UT3 or COD4, anything else would be underwhelming.
All that aside, we're really nitpicking here. For the money, we simply can't think of a better video card to buy. The MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC offers performance that matches cards up to 40% more money. That is an amazing value in our minds and if you're a serious gamer needing a video card that will really immerse you in the game, you'd need to look no further than this.
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