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.
If
you have any questions or comments on this or other articles here
at Viper Lair, then please feel free to leave your thoughts in
our forums.
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