Testbed:

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Provided by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Provided by Intel)

Memory:
OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Provided by OCZ)
        during testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
Cooler Master 1250W

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Provided by Seagate)

CPU-Cooler:
Freezer 7 Pro (Provided by Artic Cooling)

Case Fans:
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 12 PWM
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 8 PWM

Futuremarks



MSI Geforce N9800 GX2 card is just slightly faster than Gainward 9800 GX2 card, also running at reference speeds. In this scenario 3DMark isn’t the real measure of power because gaming usually sets the results straight, and Geforce 9800 GX2 beats the dual-core ATI HD 3870 X2 by a hefty margin.


Gaming



MSI and Gainward results are quite similar, to the point where they’re identical. At 1280x1024 and effects, MSI N9800 GX2 is about 22 percent better than Radeon 3870 X2. At 1600x1200 with 4X FSAA and 8X Aniso 9800, GX2 cards are 47.5 percent faster. Nvidia simply ran over ATI in these tests, and even at 1920x1440 with 4X FSAA and 8X aniso, MSI and Gainward are faster by more than 35 percent.



Crysis is still not an easy task for all graphics cards, but MSI’s N9800 GX2 did really well and we enjoyed gaming with antialiasing, even at 1600x1200 resolutions.



F.E.A.R. once again proves that Radeon HD 3870 X2’s weak spot is Antialiasing. MSI 9800 GX2 is about 12 percent faster than Radeon 3870 X2. However, as soon as you turn on FSAA and Aniso, this advantage jumps to about 17 percent. Over 100fps at 1920x1440 with 4X FSAA and 8X aniso is more than impressive.


Conclusion

MSI’s card is, just like all the rest Geforce 9800 GX2 cards, worth the investment, and no matter how much we complain this is the fastest card money can buy. Still, overclocked versions of this card might be a better deal, since reference MSI is not overly overclocking friendly.

All in all, this is a great card that’ll cost you slightly more than €400, and it’ll make you never switch to “medium” detail setting ever again.

We recommend this card to anyone who craves top performance and can afford it.