MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC Review

[MikeC]

Kyle Kerley has completed a review of MSI's NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC graphics card. Based on the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS GPU, this 320MB variant comes overclocked (core and memory) out of the box and is bundled with a retail version of Company of Heroes.

http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/msi_geforce_nx8800gts_320mb/images/card_full_sm.jpg

Kyle compares performance to the 640MB GeForce 8800 GTS at resolutions of 1920x1200 and 2560x1600 in a variety of leading-edge games that include S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Neverwinter Nights 2, Company of Heroes, Oblivion, Half-Life 2, and F.E.A.R.

With prices below $300, the power of the best NVIDIA has to offer is now available for everyone. With the only difference between the two GTS models being the amount of GDDR3 RAM (640MB vs. 320MB) the sub-$300 price is attractive and reasonable. MSI took the reference design and upped the ante by increasing the core and memory clock speeds in their NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC offering. The increase in raw speed on the card served as a good reminder that the marketing hype of "more memory = faster" is definitely not always the case as was discovered when put the through the paces against its bigger, but slower, 640MB brother.

Check out the review here:
http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/msi_geforce_nx8800gts_320mb/index.shtml

[Rummy]

As always a great review.:D

[superklye]

Thank you kindly. :D

[Rytr]

Nice job Kyle! Looks like a good card for the overclocker. :D

[superklye]

Nice job Kyle! Looks like a good card for the overclocker. :D
Definitely...considering its performance in CoH and Oblivion, I'm almost afraid to think of how two of these at 628/992 would perform in SLI. :p

[TiKiMaN1]

The results from MSI's overclock on the card as well as the more aggressive overclock I achieved, along with outside evidence from forum member TiKiMaN1 in this thread make me wonder if the engine behind Company of Heroes was somehow designed with different "performance tiers." What I mean is that when the game is launched, the engine takes a general look at system specs: CPU speed, memory amount/speed, graphics card memory amount/speed and GPU speed and sets a maximum performance limit for the engine based on those numbers. A bracket, if you will. In that bracket, there is a maximum framerate the at which the game can perform, even if the system has more power to offer. As soon as one or more of the components are running at clock speed faster than what the bracket is looking for, the game bumps up to the next bracket allowing for higher/better performance since it assumes that the computer can handle it.

I don't know if that is how the game actually works. However, it is the only explanation that seems to make any sense, especially since all TiKi did was increase his CPU 100MHz and his results went through the roof.


Pure poetry Kyle! I feel like a fetchin' celeb!:D

:tiki:

[superklye]

haha I'm glad your results corroborated mine because I was going crazy seeing those insane results. :D

[sammy sung]

Pure poetry Kyle! I feel like a fetchin' celeb!:D

:tiki:

TiKi can i have your autograph ? :p

[Redeemed]

TiKi can i have your autograph ? :p

I'll go one further-

Can I have your name tatooed on my ass, right next to Gib's and Crainger's? (nana2)







(j/k) :D :D