X-bit labs

MSI NX6800GT-T2D256E Graphics Card Review

Category: Video

by Alexey Stepin

[ 07/22/2005 | 12:33 PM ]

We reviewed an excellent graphics solution from MSI based on the GeForce 6800 GT GPU from NVIDIA. Good gaming performance, very rich set of accessories, support of Shader Model 3.0 and floating-point color, and relatively quiet cooling system, will make it a great choice for those gamers who look forward to some new releases. Read the article for more details.

Table of contents:

• Package and Accessories
  
• PCB Design
  
• Noise, Overclocking and 2D Quality
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Performance in First Person 3D Shooters
  
• Doom 3
  
• Unreal Tournament 2004
  
• The Chronicles of Riddick
  
• Far Cry
  
• Painkiller: Battle Out of Hell
  
• Half-Life 2
  
• F.E.A.R. Multiplayer Demo
  
• Performance in Third Person 3D Shooters
  
• Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
  
• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
  
• Performance in Simulators
  
• IL-2 Sturmovik: Aces in the Sky
  
• Lock On: Modern Air Combat
  
• Colin McRae Rally 2005
  
• Performance in Strategies
  
• Warhammer 40.000: Dawn of War
  
• Perimeter
  
• Performance in Semi-Synthetic Benchmarks
  
• Final Fantasy XI Official Benchmark 3
  
• Aquamark3
  
• Performance in Synthetic Benchmarks
  
• Futuremark 3DMark03
  
• Futuremark 3DMark05
  
• Conclusion
  

NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT graphics cards are fast and feature-rich, but their acoustic characteristics are worse than those of ATI’s RADEON X800/X850 – a majority of 6800 GT-based devices come with rather noisy cooling systems. Unfortunately, this is unavoidable.

The NV40/45 graphics processor consists of 222 million transistors and supports advanced technologies like Shader Model 3.0 which all results in a higher level of heat dissipation. A simple and quiet cooler just wouldn’t cope with such a complex GPU.

There have been numerous attempts to hush up the GeForce 6800 GT/Ultra, but cooling systems with acceptable acoustic characteristics are usually very bulky. For example, the Arctic Cooling NV Silencer 5 works almost silently and easily keeps even an overclocked GeForce 6800 Ultra cool, but it occupies two slots and exceeds the dimensions of the card’s PCB, thus making the installation of the card more difficult, especially if you’re building a SLI system.

And still the graphics card manufacturers keep on trying to create a compact and yet efficient and quiet cooling system for the GeForce 6800 GT, using heat pipes, copper as the heatsink material and other tricks.

This review is about one such attempt which MSI implemented in its NX6800GT-T2D256E graphics card. Did they have any luck? Just read on and you’ll soon know!