NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB

MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E:

Core Clock: 500MHz
Shader Clock: 1200MHz
Memory Clock: 1600MHz
Warranty: 2 years limited (parts and labour)
Price: £223.19 (inc VAT)

MSI’s box design is also a very familiar sight and follows the same theme as previous high-end MSI video cards we’ve reviewed. It advertises the fact that the card is HDCP ready, just like all GeForce 8800-series video cards. It also advertises support for MSI’s Dynamic Overclocking Technology (D.O.T.) and the fact that there is a full version of Company of Heroes included. This is a great choice for a bundled game because, in my opinion, Company of Heroes is the best game on the market at the moment and I wouldn’t call myself an avid Real Time Strategist.

The other disc in the bundle is a utility CD containing drivers, various MSI utilities (including MSI DualCoreCenter), a soft copy of the full manual and some trial versions of some third party software. Interestingly, the DVD playback software that was included in MSI’s NX7950GX2-T2D1GE is not present this time around. The selection of cables is typical of MSI: two DVI-to-VGA converters, an HDTV-Out to S-Video and Component combination cable and an S-Video extension cable. Finally, there’s a couple of quick install guides to round off the bundle.

Unsurprisingly, MSI’s first GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB implementation is exactly the same as BFGTech’s, minus the differing artwork on top of the heatsink / fan solution. Because the cooler is the same as the one on the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB, you can expect it to be just as quiet. MSI tells us that this is the first of at least two GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB cards that the company plans to sell to its customers – the second will be a pre-overclocked version, but we haven’t had confirmation on the final clock speeds yet.

MSI protects the DVI ports with some plastic covers. These don’t really do much to protect the card any more in all honesty, but that’s down to the fact that MSI packs its card incredibly securely in a custom foam enclosure. I suppose what the plastic covers do add is a subtle advertisement that both DVI ports are dual-link capable and can drive displays with resolutions up to 2560x1600.

If there’s one question left playing on my mind it’s why NVIDIA has gone back to using a green PCB on these cards – the black PCB just looked so much cooler, in my opinion. Maybe it’s cheaper to manufacture the PCB with a green dye; who knows, at least the bolt-gun PCI bracket hasn’t been trashed as well though.

Warranty:

MSI offers a two-year limited warranty in Europe. Both years are covered with a parts and labour service. The point of contact during the first year of ownership is the retailer, while the second year is covered by MSI themselves. However, if for some reason you are unable to get support from the retailer, MSI will pick up the slack in the first year too.