Physical examination
What's in the box?
Very mystic and enchanting packaging there, MSI.
The card is, quite clearly, a low-profile design, so it'll fit into case with low-profile slots, although the rear bracket may need sacrificing and the D-SUB connector along with it.
Two Hynix memory chips sit around the back, the other two around the front, covered by the small heatsink/fan. The fan is quiet, but does a good enough job of keeping the GPU cool... we clocked the core at a massive 46ºC after a 3DMark run, a delta of +4ºC from idle.
There's a well protected inductor coil on the edge of the card, not that it's tall enough to interfere with anything in the neighbouring expansion slot anyway. The size of the cooler is also clearly visible here.
Left to right we have the D-SUB connector, video out connector and DVI. The D-SUB is attached the board via a ribbon cable. This keeps the PCB low-profile while using the full-size I/O plate.
Bundle
In the bundle, you'll find a setup poster, user guide, WEEE directive information, DVI to D-SUB converter, case badge, s-video cable and finally, a software CD very appropriately named :)
There's no games bundle in this package, although MSI's website suggests some packages could have games included, likely for a little more added to the sale price. There's no DVD playback software, either.
Overall, the card is nice and small, making it easy to install into pretty much any kind of system. It's got a cooler that does the job and it's got the kind of connectivity you'd expect. There's no consideration for component video in the bundle, however, even though the card supports it. So, a nice card, but a shame about the bundle.
