MSI FX5700 Ultra-TD128 Review

Not everyone has the cash to blow on fancy 400$ video cards, but 100$ cards won’t get the job done for those fancy pixel shader games. The FX5700 Ultra is one card that meets you halfway. In the world of graphic cards, you have plenty of choices at different prices. However, are there any differences when you come to compare few mid-range card together that are almost the same? With a lot of today’s mid ranged offerings, can you save a couple hundred dollars to have almost the same performance as a high-end card (at resolutions 1024 and lower)? ..Today, we’ll be focussing on the FX5700 Ultra, and gauge its performance against FX5600 Ultra, and tell you how much nVidia has improved their product.

..Performance was very good when you consider the target market and price point. We’re not talking about FX5950 Ultra numbers here, but you’re not paying 400$ either. Performance is very good for online gamers, who tend to stay under 1280×1024 resolution, though we still worry a bit given our Splinter Cell numbers. They are much improved when compared to the FX5600 Ultra, but Splinter Cell will be surpassed in terms of graphics intensity, and the question remains… how will Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 like the FX5700 Ultra?

At $222 USD, the MSI FX5700 Ultra-TD128 falls in the upper range when compared to other FX5700 Ultra cards. Granted, there are a lot of extras included with the MSI card, but if dumping the poor game bundle drops the price, we say go for it MSI. We will have to admit that the T.O.P. Tech cooling is quite impressive, keeping our card stable without making a racket.

Viper Lair
MSI FX5700 Ultra-TD128