GeForce 7900 GTX Roundup

MSI NX7900GTX-T2D512E:

Core Clock: 650MHz
Memory Clock: 1600MHz

MSI's NX7800GTX-T2D512E comes with the same clocks as the reference design, and aside from an MSI sticker on the fan, the card has the same artwork as NVIDIA's reference cards. We suspect this will change over time, as MSI tend to use their own heatsink artwork. We doubt that they'll change the heatsink design for something else though, because the reference heatsink design is a good one - it's quiet, efficient and looks pretty good too, in our opinion.

The backplate comes with the same connectivity options as the BFG Tech GeForce 7900 GTC OC, meaning that there are two dual link DVI ports capable of driving two 30" Dell monitors along with a single 7-pin HDTV out port. This seems to be the standard configuration across all of the GeForce 7900 GTX cards we've seen - it's possible that some board partners will offer a VIVO solution later down the line.

There's not a great deal more to say about this card - it's the same as the reference design, with the exception of the sticker on the center of the fan. If history is anything to go by, MSI will not ship cards at increased frequencies. This means that - aside from possible connectivity changes - aesthetics are the only thing likely to change when production is ramped up to full speed.

The bundle comes with one of my favourite driving games in recent times: GT Legends. It's a pretty realistic driving simulation with classic cars, good graphics that I've sat playing for hours - it's a must have PC game for anyone who is a racing realism fanatic. In that respect, it's good to see that MSI has included a reasonably good headline title with their GeForce 7900 GTX implementation. There's also a driver and utility CD along with another disk containing a couple of CyberLink programs, namely PowerCinema and PowerDVD.

MSI has included a single page quick installation guide and a more comprehensive quick user guide. They've also included a combination cable with YPbPr component out and S-Video out, along with an S-Video extension cable, a 6-pin PCI-Express power adapter and two DVI-to-VGA converters.