MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting Graphics Card
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This review will be rather short. The GeForce GTX 2xx family is gradually leaving the market, but we'd like to attract your attention to a very interesting solution. No, it doesn't support DX11, like ATI's new cards, but the new API won't be needed much until the spring of 2010 or even later, when the corresponding game titles are released. For now it's just the competition of clock rates, GPUs, and buses in the DX10 camp.
The reviewed card is interesting for its higher clock rates, the customized cooler, and the advanced overclocking capabilities provided by the Afterburner utility from the developer of RivaTuner. The latter allows increasing voltages, as well as clock rates.
As for the huge amount of memory, it's nothing but marketing. Many users are tempted by these numbers, but today there are very few games requiring more than 1GB of video RAM.
Card design
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
- GPU: GeForce GTX 275 (GT200)
- Interface: PCI Express x16
- GPU clock rate (ROPs/Shaders): 700/1400 MHz (nominal 633/1400 MHz)
- Memory clock rate, physical (effective): 1150 (2300) MHz (nominal 1130 (2260) MHz)
- Memory bus: 448-bit
- Vertex processors: -
- Pixel processors: -
- Unified processors: 240
- Texture processors: 80 (BLF/TLF)
- ROPs: 32
- Dimensions: 270x100x33 mm
- PCB color: black
- RAMDACs/TDMS: on the separate NVIO chip
- Outputs: 1xDVI (Dual-Link/HDMI), 1xVGA, 1xHDMI.
- VIVO: n/a
- TV-out: n/a
- Multi-GPU support: Hardware SLI
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| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
The card has 1792 MB GDDR3 SDRAM in 14 Hynix memory chips on the front side of the PCB; 1250 (2500) MHz peak clock rate. |
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| Comparison with the reference design, front view |
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
Reference card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 |
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| Comparison with the reference design, rear view |
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
Reference card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 |
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This card is quite unique. Its PCB is custom-made by MSI and supplemented with higher efficient power supply parts. Moreover, it is based on the enhanced layout, having all of the 14 memory chips on the front side of the PCB. The cooler is also customized, but we'll describe it in the respective section.
Note that the card has no TV-Out connector.
Also have in mind that the card has two 6-pin connectors for external power supply.
Maximum resolutions and frequencies:
- 240 Hz maximum refresh rate
- 2048 x 1536 x 32bit @ 85Hz Max -- analog interface
- 2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz Max -- digital interface (Dual-Link DVI/HDMI)
As for the HDTV support, a review is available here.
Cooling
The cooler is essentially similar to the one used in GTX 260 Lighting, but the heatsink is smaller.
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
The cooler consists of two parts: a plate covering all memory chips, the NVIO chip and power supply parts, and the massive GPU cooler. The latter has the large heatsink that acquires heat from the heatpipes. The cooler has two low-speed (and rather low-noise) fans. While the design is nice, it's not without drawbacks. E.g., the cooler doesn't drive hot air outside the PC enclosure. Also, cooling everything but the core by means of the single thin plate doesn't seem to be very effective. |
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Traditionally, we monitored temperatures using RivaTuner.
MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB
The core temperature doesn't exceed 80°C, which is nice for a modern hi-end graphics card. The cooler remains quiet at that.
Bundle
A basic bundle should include the following items: a user manual, a software CD, an audio cable, and an external power splitter. Now let's see what other accessories are bundled with each card.
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
The basic bundle is ehnanced by the HDMI cable and the DVI-to-VGA adapter. |
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Box
| MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB |
The jacket covers the cardboard box divided into compartments for the graphics card (which is securely fixed) and the rest of the bundle. Strange as it may seem, the manufacturer hasn't supplied this card with AirForce -- the external monitoring and overclocking device (which goes with company's GTX 260 offering, for example). |
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Performance in games
Testbed:
- Intel Core I7 CPU 920 (2,667 MHz) CPU
- ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard with the Intel X58 chipset
- 3GB Corsair's DDR3 SDRAM, 1066MHz
- WD Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB SATA HDD
- Tagan TG900-BZ 900W PSU
- Windows Vista 32-bit SP1, DirectX 10.1
- Dell 3007WFP 30-inch monitor
- ATI CATALYST 9.10; NVIDIA 191.07
- VSync disabled
Benchmarks:
- Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft) -- DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0 (HDR), built-in benchmarking utility (the Middle level), maximum settings.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky 1.509 (GSC Game World/THQ) -- DirectX 10.0, maximum quality settings (dynamic lighting enabled); demo, copy files to the savegames folder, run the game, load level 'ixbt4', and type "demo_play ixbt4" in the console. Maximum test settings (dynamic lights enabled). This game does not support AA.
- 3DMark Vantage 1.02 (FutureMark) -- DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0, multitexturing, 'Extreme' settings.
- CRYSIS 1.2 (Crytek/EA), DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0, 'Very High' settings, 'Rescue' level; batch file, e-mail us to obtain the timedemo.
- CRYSIS Warhead (Crytek/EA), DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0, 'Very High' settings, 'Cargo' level; batch file, e-mail us to obtain the timedemo.
- Company Of Heroes Opposing Fronts (Relic Entertainment/THQ) -- DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0, maximum settings; batch file, run the game, invoke graphics settings and click the test button.
- World In Conflict 1.007 (Massive Entertainment/Sierra) -- DirectX 10.0, shaders 4.0, 'Very High' settings with adjusted AA and AF; run the game, invoke graphics settings and click the test button.
- Devil May Cry 4 (CAPCOM) -- DirectX 10.0, 'Super High' settings with adjusted AA and AF; Scene 1.
- Lost Planet Extreme Condition Colonies Edition (CAPCOM) -- DirectX 10.0, 'Super High' settings (with adjusted AA and AF); Scene 1.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky
Far Cry 2
World In Conflict
Crysis, Rescue
Crysis Warhead, Cargo
Company Of Heroes Opposing Fronts
3DMark Vantage Graphics Marks
Devil May Cry 4, Scene 1
Lost Planet Extreme Condition Colonies Edition, Scene 1
Conclusions
MSI GeForce GTX 275 Lighting 1792MB is a very interesting solution. It's factory overclocking is not that considerable, yielding only 5-8% performance boost. But that's not the most important. The key is the great, highly efficient cooler and the Afterburner utility that allows controlling and monitoring the card (so it's probably an alternative to the AirForce device).
Yes, this product is getting ready for obsolescence, but don't forget about prices. If this card becomes noticeably cheaper than even the AMD 5xxx series, then why not give it a try? It'll be enough for any game for a year or so.
We express gratitude to MSI for the provided graphics cards. The PSU has been provided by TAGAN, the monitor has been provided by NVIDIA.
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