Just your average Aussie Guy, doin' what I can to help out! I try to get my reviews out quick while ...
Just your average Aussie Guy, doin' what I can to help out! I try to get my reviews out quick while the subject matter is relevant! Thanks!
Member since:12.12.2006
Reviews:30
Members who trust:2
This card was my first ever PCI Express 16x Card, and as I got it from MSI, I was sure it would be a high quality product.
For those who have seen my review on the 7600GT, you will recongnise my mention of this card from which I upgraded.
The main reason for this review is to show the strengths of this 'budget' oriented card, as they are still very available, and in an SLI Configuration (2 cards joined together) would be truly powerful. So if you are on a budget and want a great SLI Setup to brag about to your friends, how about two of these babies in your rig!
Firstly the card is very well presented, and in the retail packaging you can expect the card itself, 2 x DVI-VGA adapters (If you have VGA monitors), S-video to Coxial Cable, and a great addition, Brothers in Arms Computer Game (DVD), as well as the driver diskette/utilities.
In single card mode the card performs adequately, playing all modern (Directx 9.0) games, and performing all 2D Functions flawlessly. With some slight tweaking in the overclocking stocks (bearing in mind this is a passively cooled card) a 5-10% gain can be expected, making it a respectably performing card, giving high frame rates in modern games, with moderate graphics settings.
One of the drawbacks of this card is the type of memory MSI have used. It is DDR2 Ram which really restricts the total speed of the memory, and limits your overclocking potential.
My real reason behind this review is to suggest to those who have invested in an SLI Compliant motherboard with 2 PCI Express slots and are still on a budget, that this card would be an excellent candidate for SLI. All you need do is purchase 2 of them, and join them together with your included SLI Bridge. By doing this you effectively double your processing power and bring yourself in line with performances expected from much more (more than twice) expensive cards. If you are a gamer, or a 3D designer, this may be just the idea for you. It has been documented in independent reviews that this can bring the performance up to a 7900's level. Truly impressive if you consider the cost difference. And with SLI there is always a 'Cool' Factor!
Installation wise this card is a breeze, as simple as installing it into the PCI-E Slot. I recommend you connect to NVIDIA's website immediately after doing so and getting the latest driver, as these always enhance performance. Another word to the wise when dealing with graphics cards, is that they are a little power hungry (especially in SLI, and especially when overclocked) and so a 400 Watt power supply from a reputable supplier is recommended at a minimum!
This card can run a total of 3 monitors, 2 via the DVI outputs (regular VGA monitors will suffice) and also via the S-video out! So if you like to run a dual monitor setup, this is a viable option with this card. SLI mode will enable up to 4 monitors!!!
A final note of advice, when using these cards with their passive heatsinks is to ensure adequate ventilation in your case to exhaust the excess heat.
Now get to and build that budget SLI system! you'll be glad you did!
[Included picture is from Nvidia and demonstrates the 2 cards connected by SLI bridge]
Pictures of MSI NX7600GS-T2D256EH
SLI Example 1
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