MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming 2 GB Review

Name: MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming 2 GB
Brand: MSI

W1zzard

on Jan 29th, 2014,

in Graphics Cards.

Manufacturer: MSI

(20 Comments) »

Introduction

Released in late June 2013, the GeForce GTX 760 is based on the same 28 nm GK104 silicon as the GeForce GTX 680, but features just six of the chip's eight streaming multiprocessors, which translates into a configuration with 1,152 CUDA cores and 96 texture memory units (TMUs). Unlike the GTX 660 Ti, NVIDIA left the memory and raster operations subsystems untouched, giving the chip a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface and 32 ROPs.

The chip features NVIDA's GPU Boost 2.0 technology, which takes temperature, power, and load into account. Opportunities for the GPU to run boost frequencies at load are greater if the GPU is cool (under the 80°C mark) , and therein lies the incentive to opt for custom design graphics cards with competent cooling solutions. The memory is clocked at 6 Gbps, which yields a decent 192 GB/s of memory bandwidth, a 33 percent increase over the GTX 660 Ti and GTX 660.

MSI engineered a GeForce GTX 760 variant around the needs of compact form-factor cases. It matches mini-ITX motherboards perfectly, so MSI's recent Z87I mini-ITX release comes as no surprise. The MSI GTX 760 Mini-ITX comes with both its small form factor and a large overclock out of the box, and a new fan that exhausts hot air out the case to make sure your small form-factor chassis doesn't overheat.

Price-wise, we see an increase of around $30, which isn't unreasonably high considering that components with a small footprint usually come with a price premium.

GeForce GTX 760 Market Segment Analysis
	GeForce GTX 660	Radeon HD 7870	Radeon R9 270X	GeForce GTX 660 Ti	GeForce GTX 760	MSI GTX 760 Mini	Radeon HD 7950	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970	GeForce GTX 770	HD 7970 GHz Ed.
Shader Units	960	1280	1280	1344	1152	1152	1792	1344	2048	1536	2048
ROPs	24	32	32	24	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Graphics Processor	GK106	Pitcairn	Pitcairn	GK104	GK104	GK104	Tahiti	GK104	Tahiti	GK104	Tahiti
Transistors	2540M	2800M	2800M	3500M	3500M	3500M	4310M	3500M	4310M	3500M	4310M
Memory Size	2048 MB	2048 MB	2048 MB	2048 MB	2048 MB	2048 MB	3072 MB	2048 MB	3072 MB	2048 MB	3072 MB
Memory Bus Width	192 bit	256 bit	256 bit	192 bit	256 bit	256 bit	384 bit	256 bit	384 bit	256 bit	384 bit
Core Clock	980 MHz+	1000 MHz	1050 MHz	915 MHz+	980 MHz+	1033 MHz+	800 MHz	915 MHz+	925 MHz	1046 MHz+	1050 MHz
Memory Clock	1502 MHz	1200 MHz	1400 MHz	1502 MHz	1502 MHz	1502 MHz	1250 MHz	1502 MHz	1375 MHz	1753 MHz	1500 MHz
Price	$190	$190	$200	$260	$240	$270	$400	$270	$450	$340	$470

Packaging

You will receive:

Graphics card
Driver CD + documentation
PCI-Express power cable
DVI adapter
Mini-DisplayPort to DisplayPort adapter

The Card

Look at the card and you immediately notice its compact size, which makes it ideal for a compact case. Dimensions of the card are 17.5 x 12 cm.

MSI has also recently launched their Z87I Haswell compatible motherboard, which is a perfect match for the GTX 760 Mini-ITX Gaming and a quiet, compact, but powerful gaming system.

Installation requires two slots in your system.

Display connectivity options include two mini-DisplayPorts, one HDMI port, and one DVI port. You may use all outputs at the same time, so triple-monitor-surround gaming is possible with one card.

The GPU also includes an HDMI sound device. It is HDMI 1.4a compatible, which includes HD audio and Blu-ray 3D movies support.