MSI Ti4600-VT2D8X

Overclocking:

When we got our hands on the MSI Ti4600-VT2D8X we were expecting some pretty good overclocking results since it has good cooling and 2.8ns Samsung memory. We never found the "max" of the card as it would run without locking up at any speed, but with really bad fragmentation. So we got up to 315mhz core and 702mhz memory before the scores would decrease, although on 3dmark we were receiving fragments.

We then removed all the heatsinks and found the core to be only about 60% covered with compound and a few of the memory modules to not be making contact. We cleaned off the compound and applied Artic Silver II to the GPU and memory modules. After we assembled the card we took it back apart to make sure everything was making contact, and it was.

We then ran the card again to see how it would perform now that it had the "correct" amount of compound on it. We found that the core could now go up to 318mhz, which is a 3mhz increase! As for the memory, it wouldn’t budge and stayed at 702mhz. What was more impressive is that we had no fragments! Our "high" score went from 12,768 to 13,014! This was achieved by just applying Artic Silver II thermal compound and making sure everything was mounting correctly! That is a 246 point increase due to compound alone.

To sum up our overclocking section, always check your card and make sure it has enough compound! We gained a nice increase for minimal effort!

Conclusions:

This card currently features a price tag of US ~$310 on the internet, and it features the fastest nVidia chipset on the market for a few more weeks. But, then again the Geforce FX is said to have limited production and may never hit the market. Therefore, this card might not be something bad to pick up and hold onto till the next nVidia card hits the market.

This card is without a doubt the Cadillac Escalade of current nVidia cards. It comes with 128mb DDR memory, 8x AGP, Video-In/Video-Out, Dual DVI-I, 17 utilities, 10 games, and all the cables and connectors you need to get running (except for a second DVI to VGA Connector). This is truly a feature packed package that MSI was able to put together. For those who are looking for Dual DVI’s, but still want blazing fast speeds and a card that comes with a killer bundle, look no further. The Ti4600-VT2D8X is a great solution for users who do multimedia applications and some aggressive gaming.

PROS

• Performance
• Good Price Point
• Huge Software Bundle
• Cost Effective High Performance
• Does Not Use a PCI slot
• Almost "Silent" For a Ti series Card
• Red PCB

CONS

• Not Enough Thermal Compound Applied