MSI NX8800GTX Review and Mixed-Vendor SLI - Page 1 of 9
Review By Mike Chambers - January 23, 2007
INTRODUCTION
This article is a follow-up on the MSI NX8800GTX graphics card, which we briefly covered in a preview of NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GTX Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). In addition to examining the performance of the MSI NX8800GTX in a single GPU configuration, performance is also examined in a mixed-vendor SLI configuration.
MSI NX8800GTX
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Micro-Star International, or MSI, was founded in 1986 and is one of NVIDIA's leading Authorized Board Partners. They manufacture a variety of products that include consumer electronic, communication and multimedia devices. Among PC gaming enthusiasts, MSI is primarily recognized for their motherboards and graphics cards.
MSI Added Value
MSI adds value to the NX8800GTX by developing custom software to control various aspects of the graphics hardware. Image quality enhancements are managed by Vivid Image Technology, GPU, memory, and fan speed by Dual CoreCell Technology and system status, overclocking and gaming display options by StarOSD.
MSI NX8800GTX
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Bundled software includes the full version of Serious Sam 2, CyberLink PowerCinema and Power2Go, assorted MSI utilities, and drivers. Accessories consist of two VGA-to-DVI adapters, two external power cables, one HDTV/S-Video out cable, and an S-Video out cable extension. A Quick Installation Guide and a multi-language Quick User's Guide are also provided.
MIXED VENDOR SLI
In addition to providing single GPU performance with the MSI NX8800GTX, we also paired it with EVGA's GeForce 8800 GTX to form a mixed vendor SLI configuration. The first order of business when running the GeForce 8800 GTX in an SLI configuration is to upgrade to a Certified SLI-Ready Power Supply. High-end power supplies can be expensive and our PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 1KW-SR set us back $549. However, if the need to troubleshoot should ever arise, there is less of a chance the problem will involve the power supply with an SLI certified model.
Mixed Vendor SLI
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Other components that you will want to match with a GeForce 8800 GTX SLI configuration are a powerful CPU, an SLI-capable motherboard, 2GB of RAM and the most important accessory - a WUXGA (1920x1200) or WQXGA (2560x1600) wide-screen monitor.
