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MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E Review

New from MSI is the NX6800GT-T2D256E, which is based on the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT GPU. Read inside to find out not only what kind of gaming experience this video card provides, but also what unique features it brings to the table for enthusiasts.

Introduction:

The NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT is one of the most popular video cards to date. It offers everything a gamer wants with the latest 3D features and fast performance in the latest games. The fact that it is only slightly slower than its big brother, the GeForce 6800 Ultra, and can, in most cases, be overclocked to Ultra speeds makes it incredibly appealing for enthusiast gamers.

MSI is well known for producing solid motherboards and high quality video cards with their own unique features. One thing that we mention a lot with MSI video card reviews is the bundle. MSI is simply unmatched currently with the amount of games and software they include with their video cards. Furthermore, when it comes to producing video cards based around the GPU, a card’s uniqueness is very important. You need to separate your product from the rest and make something that is appealing to your target audience. MSI has made strides to do just that. They have some unique features present on the video card we are reviewing today that make it appealing for enthusiasts like us.

We have the MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E on the test bench today. If you head over to their Taiwan site product page you can see what product features this video card has. Pay special attention to D.O.T and CopperULTRA. D.O.T stands for Dynamic Overclocking Technology. D.O.T is a piece of software that controls the hardware clock speeds of MSI video cards. You set the level of aggressiveness, and the software will automatically adjust the clock speed. At the maximum end of the scale, you could receive up to 10% more performance using D.O.T without having to worry about manually overclocking. We will look at this later in the overclocking section of this review. The next unique feature on this video card is CopperULTRA and UltraGear. Below we explain what these two features are in detail.

The MSI NX6800GT is based on the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT GPU. It is built on the 0.13 micron process and has all the GeForce 6 series features such as Shader Model 3.0, FP16 framebuffer with OpenEXR support, and 128-bit precision. It comes equipped with 256MB of GDDR3 on a 256-bit bus. Out of the box, the GPU is clocked at 350MHz and the memory runs at 1.0GHz. This is the PCI-Express model; there is also an AGP8X model available.

MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E:

Just looking at MSI’s box, you know you are in for a large bundle. The box is big and it even has a carrying handle on the top. On the front of the box the major features of this video card are listed such as D.O.T (Dynamic Overclocking Technology), PCI-Express, 256MB of GDDR3, TV-Out and Dual DVI, SLI Ready, and the fact that there are 14 CDs inside.

The front flap opens up and inside you can see the actual card through a window so you know what you are getting, plus the software game titles are listed as well. On the back of the box, some of the features are described in more detail with the minimum system specs listed. There is also a visual representation of the software that is included. When you open the box, you slide it out and you will find everything wrapped up securely.

The MSI NX6800GT is a single-slot video card utilizing a completely copper heatsink and fan unit. MSI calls this CopperUltra. According to MSI, CopperUltra uses pure copper to reduce heat up to 15 – 20c degrees lower than heatsink designs of their competitors.

Ultra Material --- Copper with low-Temperature Soldering & Di-oxidized Technology to Ensure the Best Enduring Cooling.

This video card has the SLI connector on top to allow you to use it in an SLI setup in the event that you happen to purchase two of these. The 6-pin PCI-Express external power connector is also present on the rear of the card. The back plate holds the copper heatsink firm onto the GPU and memory modules, but it does not make contact with the back of the GPU.

Also part of CopperUltra is UltraGear. UltraGear refers to the turbo-enhanced fan that has a manual adjustable speed from 2800 RPM at 30 dB to 4000 RPM at 39 dB. The default mode is set at the 2800 RPM level.

The MSI NX6800GT also has dual DVI with TV-Out.

MSI includes the PCI-Express power cable, as well as two Molex splitter cables if you need to split power off from some device. MSI includes only one DVI to VGA connector, so you will have to pick up another one if you need dual VGA. MSI also include a very large assortment of CDs. Among the driver CDs, you will find four full version games, XIII, Prince of Persia the Sands of Time, URU, and Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow. There is also a game disc of 14 demos included.