Most of the time I have with a review video card is spent playing games, and that means QuakeIII. I may fire up MDK2 every once in a while, which the MSI card runs as well as any other 32MB GeForce2 GTS card.
I also have a variety of Direct3D game demos that I run through including Test Drive6, and Evolva. There were no issues that I could find, other than FSAA with the 5.16 MSI drivers.
So what about FSAA? Out of the box, the MSI does not feature a complete FSAA impementation, limited by the 5.16 drivers. This left me with the decision of whether or not to run FSAA benchmarks. I did but I am not going to post them. If you want to know how the MSI would perform with FSAA enabled, look at the next highest resolution's scores for 2x1 sampling and twice the resolution for 2x2 sampling in the 6.18 scores. Ain't it handy how it works out that way?
| Penny For Your Thoughts...
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I love the GeForce2. So what if I am biased. Cards based on the chip can chug out framerates. You can not argue with that, and as the card quickly ages in this fast paced marketplace, you should be able to get the MSI card for a steal. Retailing at $299, expect to see it on the web for around the price of the other major cards at around $250.
Availability may be the only thing that could hold back the MSI card. It's my understanding, though, that MSI is increasing the number of distribution channels. We'll see. MSI was also kind enough to send me a link to Census PC where the StarForce GTS is available.
So how does the card stack up? If you are a little shy about supporting your own card, stick with one of the more established companies. For example, the Annihilator2 has the edge in the support arena, and if it comes down to a side-by-side, I would have to choose the Annihilator2. However, MSI has sent to market a solid product, and if you happen across one for a good price, don't hesitate for a second to buy it and run the Detonator3 drivers.
| PROS |
- Solid Driver Utility
- Relatively low price
- Good overclocking results
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| CONS |
- Limited availability
- Needs Detonator3 Update
- No possibility of VIVO upgrade
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