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Review: MSI vs. ZOTAC: shootout at the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 Corral

by Tarinder Sandhu on 5 February 2008, 08:22

Tags: MSI

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaljq

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MSI GeForce 8800 GTS 512




MSI's GeForce 8800 GTS 512 also uses the reference cooler and, as such, is identical to the ZOTAC's other than company-specific branding.

What's interesting to note is how the specifications of this pre-overclocked model have changed over time.

The first shipment of 50 or so NX8800GTS-T2D512E-OC cards arrived six weeks' ago and were sold immediately. At that time, the card's were flashed with a BIOS that provided 730/1817/1944 clocks - or significantly higher than the reference speeds.

Since then, NVIDIA's requested that its partners adhere to a maximum core clock of 678MHz, to ensure that warranty-related claims are kept to a minimum, so MSI's kowtowed and released all subsequent cards with 678/1728/1944 clocks: the same as ZOTAC's AMP! Edition.

Please be aware that whilst e-tailers may still advertise the original, incorrect specifications, you'll be receiving a package with lower clocks.

Erm, the PCB is green, too.







Given an identical cooler, clocks, and range of outputs, what goes for the ZOTAC also applies to the MSI model.