Conclusions

Performance wise, the NVIDIA card has the edge. Even given driver behaviour, it's more capable hardware due to the clocks, so we'd expect another slight lead with a 'fixed' driver. We can't say fairer than that. In the real world, both cards perform pretty much identically. HyperZ seems to keep the ATI card competitive.

Performance in the mid-range has never been better. An obvious statement, but true nonetheless.

Overclocking

I was keen to see what the MSI did when overclocked. Memory heatsinks should take things further than the bare reference design. The reference did 490/912, so it was a slight disappointment to only get 498/920. Only slight increases, but perhaps expected. But good clocks all the same, not too shabby.

Noise

Since we already know that FX5900's from MSI are quiet, and that the test FX5600 Ultra takes the backside fan from the bigger card, it stands to reason that this card was going to be quiet.

Quiet it was, never audible over the rest of the system. You can't ask for more than that really.

Overall

Given a price of ~£160, this card will represent a good buy. MSI give you a nice bundle, VIVO, decent overclocking and good base performance for your money. IQ is a mid-range reality, games can finally look like they should. I liked the card a lot, and it served to make me keener to get a look at the special Triplex 9600 Pro.

Worth your money, just like 9600 Pro. Pick either in confidence and MSI give you a good choice should you choose NVIDIA.

Score

Pro's

Performance
Bundle
Presentation
Good value at ~£160, for the features
Cheaper TD128 even better if VIVO isn't your thing
Quiet and good cooling

Con's

Dodgy 44.03's leave a small shadow over things
VIVO isn't for everyone, but the TD128 is available

Thanks

Lars and Angela at MSI
Komplett for the digital camera used to take the shots.