MSI N9600GT-OC T2D512 review

Page 11 - Conclusion

Before we pass the final verdict lets sum shortly what MSI N9600GT-OC T2D512 offers.

• Factory raised frequencies (700/1750/1900MHz core/shaders/memory), respectively a better performance than any other referent GeForce 9600GT card (650/1625/1800)
• Big non-referent cooler with heatpipes, leading to higher overclock without noise
• Huge bundle - while ordinary GeForce 9600GT based cards come with just a driver disk and a piece of paper about installing, this card has a full game (Colin McRae DiRT) and a bunch of useful software and accesories.
• Long 3 year warranty (most of the other brands, XFX including come with just 2 year warranty)...
• Price of about 320 leva (~160 Euro)

True, a plain referent 9600 GT can be found for about 295-300 leva (~ 145-150 Euro), but these are as we stated in our 9600 GT review with referent NVIDIA cooler, which tends to get noisy under a load and the cards do get about 10 degrees hotter too (just under 70 degrees). Looking at things tat way, the bundle and the cooler of MSI N9600GT-OC T2D512 are definitely worth the minimal price difference of 20 leva (~10 Euro) (heatpipe cooler of such kind alone is worth somewhere between 30-40 leva (15-20 Euro)), Colin McRae DiRT is even more and don't forget the extended warranty!). And if you are a overclock enthusiast an you get a referent card, it's highly likely that you'll wan to replace the stock piece of aluminum with something more serious... And if you are just a regular user, unwilling to tinker with the card's frequencies, the factory given boost, the rich bundle, the lovely silence and the extended warranty are more than enough. Yes, this way MSI N9600GT-OC is made a very reasonable buy even compared to the entry level 8800 GT (which with some luck can be obtained for 370 leva (~185 Euro)). The good old 8800 GT still haves the edge, mostly with overclock. The results of MSI N9600GT-OC T2D512 were gravitating wit minor differences around those of an referent non-overclocked 8800 GT, which can easily reach 700MHz core and more than 2000MHz memory making the difference bigger. Thing is, these cards have a quite noisy coolers, no extra stuff an maximum 2 year warranty. Also the 8800 GT does consume more power (and radiates more heat) and let's not forget the MSI 9600 GT can be overclocked too.

MSI had always been amongst the leaders in creating innovative and exclusive hardware, the problem was that in Bulgaria, often the price of their products failed to meet the expectations. This time we were surprised and MSI N9600GT-OC T2D512 gets the "Recommended" award, being a perfect choice for most users that are searching for a best buy in the mid-class gaming videocards!

Many thanks to our partners from Solytrade, which made this review possible.

Author: Dimitar Dinchev a.k.a Veseliq

We'll await your questions and comments in our forum HERE .

---