Great Video Bang for Older Desktops (MSI NX8600GT-TD512EZ/D2)

Member Name: FlaviusMaximus

Product:	MSI NX8600GT-TD512EZ/D2
Date:	15/03/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of Video Power but does not require a Large Power Supply

Disadvantages: Not for the Gamer who must play every new game at Highest Settings

I have owned the card for 11 months now. Low power consumption means it can be used in older systems with the opportunity to put off a new machine purchase for another two years. A great card to bridge the gap between standard VGA and DVI/HDMI video. This card offers a good deal of power for those of us who have older machines (three years old or more). Case in point, you will notice that his card has no fan. It still runs cool enough for use in any desktop that has one good fan in it. But, the lack of a fan means much reduced power consumption. This is a great feature for we who have older and/or low end desktop machines. I have one. One aspect of a lower end desktop is these machines often have a small power supply. All super high end video cards require two power connections to work correctly. This means you must have a beafy power supply to go along with the card. But no so here. My older machine (three years old) had one open PCI-E slot and a 350Watt power supply but this card fit fine and works within this limitation. So my low end desktop will now play any game not released in the last year I managed it without coughing up loads of cash. I expect to get another two years of this desktop easily, but still take advantage of Directx10 for newer games. Specifically I expect to play STARCRAFT2 without issue because of this card.

Summary:

1) does new gaming effects (like smoke etc.)
2) will not overheat even though it has no fan
3) takes power without the additional power connect like the super cards
4) low power consumption means it works with smaller power supplies
5) rock solid drivers (no blue screens etc. since installation 11 months ago)
6) does both standard vga out and dvi/hdmi for older/newer setups
7) excellent price for what it offers if you shop a little
8) 720p resolution and higher and does PHYSX too
9) plays current games as long as you are OK with slightly reduced settings

In short for those looking to extend the life of their existing systems without an expensive upgrade, this card is the the highest grade card available that does not require a second power connect and thus can be used in any system with pci-e, even those with small power supplies or low budget setups. Its powerfull, reliable, and flexible. Not once sorry I got it.

Hail Flavius

Summary: If you want to extend an older desktop to delay a new machine purchse for a while, this does it.

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