MSI NX8800GTS and Leadtek 8800 GTS SLI does 32 X FSAA

WE CONTINUED to play with G80 cards after the launch as there is a lot to be saidabout them. We already shared a lot of details about the faster GTX G80 and its SLI with EVGA and Leadtek cards here, and Leadtek GTS card here.

It is time to cross the swards and to do some in dept testing of all the FSAA settings in the Geforce 8800 GTS configuration. We used Leadtek card and MSI.

Just like Leadtek, MSI NX8800 GTX is clocked at 500MHz core and 1600MHz DDR3 memory. Some Nvidia documents claim it's clocked at 513 MHz but the good old coolbit.reg still works with the new driver and confirmed the 500 MHz core clock. It has an intriguing has 640MB of memory mainly because of its 320 Mbit memory controller.

MSI NX8800 GTX card
The card costs around $/€449 and has s6 Shaders clocked at 1200MHz. The total memory bandwidth is 64GB/s and the card has a texture fill-rate of 24 billion a second. The Geforce 8800 GTS can render 20 pixels per clock or have 20 ROPs (Raster Operations Units).

MSI NX8800 GTX retail box

MSI bundles Serious Sam 2 game, a driver CD, MSI Cyberlink software, two DVI dongles, S video to RGB + S video, S video cable a single power connector user guide and a quick user guide. The box looks nice and the cooler on the card is the same as everyone else's.

As we pre announced in this part we played with the SLI and FSAA 32xQ.

96.89 CD driver with FSAA 32Q

97.03 driver without FSAA 32Q

Benchmarketing
We used the same setup including:
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz Foxconn C51XE M2aa Nforce 590 SLI motherboard
Athlon FX 62 2800 MHz 90 nanometre Windsor core
2x1024 MB DDR2 Corsair CM2X1024-6400C3 memory
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 500GB SATA NCQ hard drive
Thermaltake Mini Typhoon Athlon 64/X2/FX cooler and Intel CPU's
OCZ 700W GameXstream power supply

The power of SLI MSI + Leadtek marriage pixelized

Composite Figures 3Dmark 03	3DMark 03	Game2	Game3	Game3
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	30485	260.2	204.3	194.0
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	24160	194.6	154.0	157.4
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	24088	194.1	154.0	157.4
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	41056	344.2	274.2	301.0
?	?	?	?	?
CPU Test	CPU Score ?	CPU Test 1 ?	CPU Test 2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	1494	162.3	27.2	30.8
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	1490	161.3	27.2	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	1495	162.0	27.3	30.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	1432	157.6	25.8	30.8
?	?	?	?	?
Composite Figures 3Dmark 03	Single Texturinng	Multi Textur.	Vertex Shader	Pixel Shader 2.0
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	6856.8	17649.5	122.6	566.5
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	5098.1	11872.0	96.1	421.5
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	5097.1	11872.0	96.7	421.6
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	10163.8	23709.2	161.3	841.6
?	?	?	?	?
Composite Figures 3Dmark 05	3DMark 05	Game1	Game2	Game2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	15210	54.3	43.6	95.1
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	14195	54.1	42.9	78.8
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	14212	54.2	43.1	78.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	16141	54.1	43.5	114.3
?	?	?	?	?
CPU Test	CPU Score ?	CPU Test 1 ?	CPU Test 2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	7550	3.4	7.5	30.8
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	7458	3.3	7.5	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	7408	3.2	7.5	30.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	7337	3.2	7.4	30.8
?	?	?	?	?
Composite Figures 3Dmark 05	Single Texturinng	Multi Textur.	Pixel Shader	VS/VS complex
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	6912.3	17580.1	566.3	139.8/108.7
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	5148.7	11857.2	387.4	124.1/96.8
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	5149.7	11867.6	387.8	124.1/96.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	10199.1	23583.7	772.6	242.2/177.9
?	?	?	?	?
Composite Figures 3Dmark 06	3DMark 06	?	?
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	9814	?	?	?
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	8343	?	?	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	8311	?	?	?
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	10454	?	?	?
?	?	?	?	?
SM2.0 Test	Score	GT1	GT2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	4530	37.872	37.624	?
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	3719	30.578	31.412	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	3711	30.524	31.320	30.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	4688	38.946	39.191	30.8
?	?	?	?	?
HDR/SM3.0 Test	Score	HDR1	HDR2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	4656	44.543	48.586	?
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	3707	33.724	40.411	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	3710	33.760	40.435	30.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	5436	59.725	48.996	30.8
?	?	?	?	?
CPU Test	Score	CPU1	CPU2
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	2124	0.669	1.079	?
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	2121	0.670	1.075	?
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	2091	0.668	1.048	30.8
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	2094	0.699	1.049	30.8
?	?	?	?	?
Serious Sam 2	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	162.6	161.6	162.3	156.1
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	162.9	161.8	157.1	127.3
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	162.8	161.5	157.2	128.6
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	159.5	158.9	159.0	157.3
?	?	?	?	?
Serious Sam 2 High Quality FSAA + Aniso	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	162.2	160.5	150.9	119.1
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	160.1	147.2	117.1	84.5
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	160.5	149.4	117.0	85.2
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 8xAA/16AF	152.9	124.3	92.4	67.4
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/8AF	152.2	122.9	91.8	66.8
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	151.4	121.4	90.1	65.7
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 8QxAA/16AF	140.9	107.7	77.0	50.1
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	117.2	86.1	59.7	35.3
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	158.3	156.0	155.5	139.6
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 8xAA/16xAF	157.0	152.6	147.9	119.1
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 32QxAA/16xAF	102.0	73.9	50.9	29.7
?	?	?	?	?
Doom 3	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	134.9	134.9	134.2	125.5
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	135.1	134.7	128.9	103.6
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	135.2	134.7	128.8	103.6
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	134.5	134.4	134.3	133.8
?	?	?	?	?
Doom 3 High Quality FSAA + Aniso	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	134.7	130.0	114.4	81.9
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	131.7	110.7	88.1	58.1
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	131.7	111.6	88.3	58.1
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	124.3	97.6	71.1	48.7
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	89.0	59.1	38.6	20.1
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	134.3	134.0	129.3	107.0
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 8xAA/16xAF	134.0	132.4	119.9	94.2
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 32QxAA/16xAF	71.0	45.8	28.5	16.3
?	?	?	?	?
Quake 4	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	187.3	183.4	179.4	167.8
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	189.1	182.1	172.2	142.3
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	186.4	181.0	172.2	142.0
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	186.8	183.2	182.8	174.8
?	?	?	?	?
Quake 4 High Quality FSAA 0 + Aniso	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	181.5	172.1	162.9	136.7
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	174.8	160.0	143.5	101.6
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	174.3	160.4	141.6	101.8
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	168.5	153.0	129.5	88.0
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	145.8	115.1	76.0	36.9
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	183.0	176.8	168.5	155.7
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 8xAA/16xAF	180.8	172.4	166.4	150.0
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 32QxAA/16xAF	136.1	92.3	61.0	30.9
?	?	?	?	?
Half Life 2 High Quality FSAA + Aniso	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	86.01	87.44	85.77	85.68
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	85.97	87.25	86.39	84.20
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	86.16	87.43	85.93	84.28
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	85.49	86.50	80.32	60.67
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	85.28	78.11	59.81	39.99
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	83.20	82.99	81.31	80.64
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MH 8xAA/16xAF	82.97	81.82	78.72	72.49
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MH 32QxAA/16xAF	83.92	69.23	50.70	33.12
?	?	?	?	?
Far Cry High Quality FSAA + Aniso	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	97.31	96.93	97.71	93.54
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	97.12	95.68	94.40	67.00
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	96.96	96.22	94.45	66.56
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	96.85	94.25	81.86	56.79
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	95.46	76.22	51.95	26.76
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	94.85	94.22	94.54	93.54
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 8xAA/16xAF	94.32	93.28	94.12	91.99
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 32QxAA/16xAF	90.60	65.26	44.40	23.35
?	?	?	?	?
FEAR	1024x768	1280x960	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	144	139	125	95
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	142	130	102	71
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	142	128	102	70
?	?	?	?	?
FEAR High Quality FSAA 4X + Aniso 16X	1024x768	1280x960	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF	131	107	80	53
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	114	82	58	33
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 4xAA/8AF	113	80	57	34
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16xAA/16AF	97	68	47	32
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 8QxAA/16AF	76	54	34	16
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz 16QxAA/16AF	56	39	24	12
?	?	?	?	?
Oblivion AA+Aniso+HDR	1024x768	1280x1024	1600x1200	2048x1536
EVGA eGeforce 8800GTX ACS3 575/1800MHz	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 49.32	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 48.98	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 47.51	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 43.71
MSI NX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 48.09	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 47.67	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 43.02	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 35.15
Leadtek WinFast PCX8800GTS 500/1600MHz	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 47.89	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 47.59	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 43.17	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 35.17
8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 48.67	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 48.42	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 47.45	8xAA+8xAF+HDR 40.98

We have to say that MSI and Leadtek cards performed almost identically. One might pip the other by 0.1 or some such similar ridiculous difference so we won't bother to write about it. The bundle and the price should be used to make the comparison.

These two cards gives you 41056 in 3Dmark 03 some eight thousands less than 8800 GTX SLI but at the same time this setup should cost at least €400 less. The SLI is 70 percent faster in 3Dmark03 than the single card. In 3Dmark05 scores only 2000 more or 13.5 per cent faster.

In 3Dmark06 SLI 8800 GTS setup is almost twenty seven percent faster. We believe that the CPU limitation is the blame in this test but in Shader model 3.0 / HDR test 8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz ends up 46.5 per cent faster.

The first game we picked up was the Serious Sam 2 without any effects. It is just a shame to play without FSAA and Anisotropic filtering with such a powerfull cards but we wanted to give it a try. SLI setup is actually some two to three frames slower than a single card and only wins versus a single card at 20x15 by some 30 FPS. The FSAA and Aniso on made much more fun.

We turned all the FSAA available modues on a single card and later on the SLI setup. A single 8800 GTX will score 85 FPS even at 20x15. the same card with 8xAA/16AF will score 67.4 FPS or will drop by twenty six percent. It was fun to try the 16 X FSAA and 8X Anisotropic Filtering and we had less than single frame performance degradation. Now that is something. Then we tried the 16x FSAA and 16AF and guess what we again lost only a single frame compared to 8X FSAA and 8X AF.

Then we turned the magical Q setting, the Quality one. In 8Qx FSAA/16AF the performance drops at 50 FSP or by some seventy percent compared to 4X FSAA and 8X Aniso mode. With this mode you get more than 60 FPS, 77 to be precise at 16x12. Serious Sam 2 with 16QxAA/16AF drops further to 35.3 FPS or 145 percent slower than the 4X mode, even this is a great score 59.7 at 16x12 will be very playable. Then we decided to test the FSAA crazy modes on the SLI. At 20x15 you score 139.6 FPS and you are sixty three per cent faster than a single 8800 GTS card. The 8xAA/16xAF settings scores super playable 119.1 at 20x15. It takes 32QxAA/16xAF to bring this setup on its knees. I am fine with 50.9 FPS at 16x12 and even 29.7 is playable from a perspective and this is how much you get at 20x15.

We continued with Doom 3 Quality FSAA + Aniso. At 20x15 4xAA/8AF a single 8800 GTS scores 58.1 almost 100 percent less than without the effects. 16xAA/16AF drops the score to 48.1 and is twenty one percent slower than 4X, 16QxAA/16AF bring the card to its knees with ony 20 FPS at 20x15 or hundred and ninety percent slower than the 4X FSAA- 8X AA mode. Things are better in SLI. 8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz 4xAA/8AF scores super doper 107.0 at 20x15, 8xAA/16xAF scores 94.2 only thirteen and a half frames slower than 4x 16X. at maximum 32QxAA/16xAF you get playable 45.8 at 12x10 and only 16.3 FPS at 20x10. FSAA 32X with 16 X aniso is 656 per cent slower than with 4X - 8X mode. Well is is not as bad as we believed but you can forget about the HD gaming with this settings while 12x10 will do.

Quake 4 High Quality FSAA 0 + Aniso showed the same trend where only 16QxAA/16AF can result with less than 60 FPS, 36.9 to be precise at 20x15, the rest of the test you get more than 60 almost always more than 100 FPS.

In SLI 8xAA/16xAF scores 150 FPS even at highest 20x15 resolution. With two 8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MHz even at 32QxAA/16xAF you can score 61 FPS even at 16x12 the average resolution of 22 TFT display. Not too many people have bigger than that. 20x15 scores 30.9 still good for me.

You need to move to 16xAA/16AF to see any difference in Half Life 2 High Quality FSAA + Aniso. Even then you can only see the difference at 20x15 as it is or fourty percent slower but only at this resolution and with 16QxAA/16AF it drops to around 60 FPS at 16x12 still very playable at 40 FPS at 20x15.

The 8800GTS SLI MSI-Leadtek 2x 500/1800MH with 8xAA/16xAF comes for free and is slightly slower than 4X FSAA - 8X Aniso mode only eight frames or eleven percent.

Even at 32QxAA/16xAF the SLI setup scores 50.70 at 16x12 and drops to 33 at the highest resolution. Far Cry High Quality FSAA + Aniso 16xAA/16AF shows a difference from 4X mode and is up to ten frames slower or seventeen percent. 16QxAA/16AF rally penalize the score and the game scores only 51.9 FPS at 16x12 compared to 81 FPS with the 16xAA/16AF. We are talking about 56 per cent difference. At 20x15 we are talking about 112 per cent difference and only 26.7 FPS. Well you buy a second card and you are back at 92 FPS with 8xAA/16xAF. 32QxAA/16xAF scores more than 60 FPS at 16x12 but drops to 44 still good for me and 23.35 at the highest resolution.

We introduced 8Q FSAA mode to Fear High Quality benchmarketing. In 4xAA/8AF, 16xAA/16AF and 8QxAA/16AF Fear gets more than 60 or slightly less FPS until 12x9 resolution. 16xAA/16AF is barely playable at 20x15 and not playable 8QxAA/16AF or 16QxAA/16AF. 8Q is surely performance killer and the difference is not that noticeable.

The last is the best looking game of 2006 Oblivion AA+Aniso+HDR. We used Fraps and this time we got outdoors. 8xAA+8xAF+HDR scores the same at first two resolutions and slight difference at 16x12 where a single 8800 GTS falls behind EVGA 8800 GTX / SLI GTS. The difference gets bigger at 20x15 but only for sixteen to twenty four versus 8800 GTX.

As for the end we did a three comparison screenshots of the FSAA modes in Far Cry. We give you the BMP files out of the Fraps.

Far Cry no FSAA and Anisotropic
Far Cry 16QxAnti Aliasing and 16AF
Far Cry 16xAnti Aliasing and 16AF

In Short
MSI did a good job with its card As for performance, it is the same as Leadtek or any other card on the market. At this time all GTS are the same and the performance is, too.

MSI and Leadtek work in SLI so you can mix the vendors and a single card is good enough to play games in 8X and even in 16X FSAA mode or 8X Quality mode. With two cards only sky is the limit but bare in mind that you can first get two 8800 GTX card and the second step is to overclock them to reach the sky a surpass it I guess.

G80 is a powerful card and whoever buys it, it will surely benefit with it massively from the currently DirectX 9 titles. Don't worry, DirectX 10 is still far away but we would like to give G80 a try on that. ?

Reviewed and tested by Sanjin Rados and Fuad Abazovic