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The MSI VT2D8X GeForce4 Ti4600 Video Card Up Close |
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The
Basic Package |
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For the most
part, the VT2D8X is not really all that different, compared
to older Ti4600 cards, other than it's AGP8X support.
The GPU runs at the familiar 300MHz. and the 128MB of DDR
RAM is clocked at 650MHz. What does set this card
apart from other models is its Dual-Head DVI and VIVO
features, as well as its customized cooler that we'll
discuss in a moment. The beauty of this card is
whether you plan on using an LCD monitor or a traditional
CRT, visual improvements can be seen with both. The
DVI outputs do not need to utilize the conditioners commonly
found with standard VGA based cards. Instead, the
signal is pure digital, translating into perhaps slightly
better 2D desktop quality, regardless which type of monitor
is used.
We've seen a lot
of reworked Ti's enter the market lately, boasting AGP8X and
a wide variety of customize cooling packages. The MSI
flavor comes with a sleek two piece cooling unit that aims
to keep the card at or below normal operating temperatures,
without the additional noise often associated with
customized coolers. Utilizing the
T.O.P (Thermal Obviation
Protection) cooling
package, MSI claims that it is the most efficient and quiet
unit available compared to offerings from such manufacturers
as Abit, ASUS, Chaintech, Gainward, Leadtek, PNY and
Visiontek. While we haven't put together a full-blown
comparison to validate these claims, we can confirm that
this is the quietest cooler we've seen, or heard, in quite
some time. The only thing that comes close in my mind
is the ACS2 from eVGA, which was noticeably missing from
MSI's comparison list.
What was most
impressive about this card was how well MSI was able to
apply thermal grease to the front and back of the GPU and
RAM. So many times we've reported on new cards with
optimized coolers being applied, yet underneath we would
find thermal pads or poor applications of thermal compound.
What MSI has done is perfect the process, making sure that
all components make good thermal contact with the T.O.P
cooler. This is a testament to their excellent quality
assurance practices upheld during manufacturing. As
the track history of customized coolers has shown, fancy
coolers do not equal extra overclocking. However, a
superior cooler will keep the components running within
normal tolerances while overclocked, helping to prolong the
life of the card..
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Some
Eye Candy |
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Examples of Visual Quality |
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No graphic card
review would be complete without some screenshots that
demonstrate a video card's visual prowess. I thought
it would be good to use one of the games that came included
in the bundle. Morrowind seemed like a good choice, so
we turned up all of the video quality details in the drivers
and the game and took some screenshots. Clearly the
details in the room with the fireplace are beautiful.
The fire is very realistic and the rug to the left looks
woven and soft. The next shot is of a table in the belly of
a sea ship. The details of the wood, rope and basket
really caught my attention, however, the real money shot was
the water scene. The details of the hands are pretty
good and the landscape is ok too, but the clincher is the
water. Notice the realism in the reflection and yet it
is transparent enough to see the bottom of the lake on the
shore. Now look real hard and see how the rain is
impacting the surface, making individual ripples with each
drop. The developers of Morrwind employed some leading
edge 3D Graphics techniques and the MSI VT2D8X renders them
nicely.
Morrowind-The Elder
Scrolls III
OK, let's get
back to work. Next we're going to take a quick look at
how well the VT2D8X overclocked before firing up the HH test
bed.
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Overclocking |
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We
Want More! |
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We've reviewed a fair amount
of new video cards that come with some form of customized
cooling package and one thing doesn't change. While
you may think that these contraptions would give you a huge
advantage in overclocking, compared to a card with stock
cooling, the difference is usually minimal at best.
The VT2D8X is no different, but that doesn't mean that it
didn't overclock well...en contraire! In fact, this
card was a very good overclocker. We started out at
the default 300MHz core and 650MHz DDR memory and ended up
with a stable 325MHz core and 705MHz DDR memory. We
would like to have seen the memory increase higher, but 705
was decent and it is doubtful another 20 or 30MHz. would've
impacted any scores that much. In the end, the card
posted a gain
of 8%
across the board. In the pages to come, we'll throw in
some overclocking scores to see what you can expect with
this kind of increase in overall muscle.
The
Test Rig and Some DirectX Testing...
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