Review: MSI NX6600-VTD128E Diamond

Noise and Thoughts

Noise

Thoughts

With all of our testing complete, we can see that the NX6600-VTD128E Diamond follows in the footsteps of the GeForce 6600 boards which have come before it, in that it proves itself to be a very capable mid-range board, and certainly fills up the rather large clock speed gap between the 'vanilla' and GT 6600s. If the current generation of high-end boards is all about gaming at 1600x1200 with all the eye candy turned on, then the aim for the mid-range this time around has been 1024x768 with AA and AF, and the NX6600 reaches this aim, pure and simple. The addition of VIVO to the board is also worth a mention, if this is something you require from your video card then it's another big plus mark against MSI's offering here.

The real jewel in the crown for this board, assuming it is indicative of these boards as a whole, is overclockability. If the price is right, then this part could become something of a darling for those looking for a bargain in the mid-range video card sector - A board cheaper than a 6600GT but overclockable to beyond 6600GT clocks would be coveted much like the GeForce 6800GT has been at the high-end.

Which, in fact, brings us to something of an issue with this card - Pricing. You would naturally expect the NX6600-VTD128E Diamond to be more expensive that a 6600 clocked at 'vanilla' speeds, but from my research its price at present is roughly equal to that of many 6600GTs available on the market (Most likely due to the VIVO functionality of the board). Such a small price difference makes it much harder to justify choosing this card over a 6600GT board, most of which are no slouches when it comes to overclocking either. To sum up, this board has fabulous potential at the right price, but as of right now you'd be better off scrimping and saving those extra few pounds for a 6600GT.

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Thanks

MSI for the sample

HEXUS Right2Reply

Dear HEXUS,

Firstly, thanks for taking the time out to look at the new MSI NX6600 –VTD128E Diamond. The first ever graphics card to be released in the Diamond series! The basic behind the idea of the Diamond series is to provide something with a little bit extra to make it exceptional in its class. More and more components seem to be carbon copies of the next in the industry, so MSI is branching out to provide diversity where we feel it will be best appreciated.

As mentioned in the review, this card overclocks a significant amount straight out of the box, and for those that like to dabble these cards can achieve even higher speeds easily. This is made possible by a number of component modifications. One of the more notable changes being the upgrade to GDDR3 2.0ns memory, an addition not seen on standard NX6600 series cards. The aim is to be able to reach an audience of consumers whom can benefit from the extra design gone into the card, whilst also providing an exceptional bundle and performance card for users simply using straight from the box.

Obviously with a card such of this, and very rightly mentioned in the review, the pricing will be of the utmost importance. Based on our SRP pricing this card falls at £110.87+VAT as opposed to the GT card at £125.75+VAT. From this there is a distinctive price gap which to a number of users will be hard to ignore. This combined with the ViVo feature and Chronicles of Riddick bundle exclusive to the Diamond range allows people to decide for themselves which they would fine more appealing.

As a final note I have attached an image, showing the final retail box layout for the release product.