MSI’s factory-overclocked GeForce GTX 560 is available on Newegg for $200, which is a fairly typical price point given the GF114 graphics processor. The board's PCB measures 9” x 4.5”, but an extra-large cooler extends the total dimensions to 10” x 5”, from end to end.


By default, MSI sets Nvidia's GPU to 870 MHz and the on-board memory to 1020 MHz. That's 60 MHz higher than the reference core speed and 18 MHz higher than Nvidia's GDDR5 spec. Both of the six-pin auxiliary power inputs are on the back of the card, which could be problematic for builders without much space between installed graphics cards and their hard drive cages.

MSI’s Twin Frozr II cooler employs two 6 mm and two 8 mm heat pipes, the larger pair pulling thermal energy to the outside edges of the card. Two 3” radial fans push air past the cooling fins, surrounded by a metal shroud.

There’s not much to discuss with regard to the board's suite of output connectors. MSI’s card supports the same single mini-HDMI and twin dual-link DVI outputs as three of the competing cards. And again, you can only use two of the three connectors at any given time.

MSI's bundle includes a DVI-to-VGA adapter, two dual Molex-to-six-pin power adapters, a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI adapter, a driver disk, and a user manual. Despite its relatively low price, MSI goes so far as to include a game with the card (actually, a voucher for Lara Croft And the Guardian Of Light). This is a well-reviewed game we've admittedly never played, but from what we've seen, it mixes classic tomb-raiding with a Diablo-esque fixed perspective.
Overclocking
MSI’s own Afterburner overclocking software works with the card, of course. Ironically, though, its 1.087 V ceiling is lower than the 1.15 V setting available on GeForce GTX 560 cards from other manufacturers.
In any case, we managed to push this board's graphics core to 990 MHz and its memory to 1250 MHz, both of which are respectable results.

- GeForce GTX 560 In Nvidia's $200 Range
- Asus GTX 560 DirectCU II TOP
- ECS Black Series NBGTX560-1GPI-F GeForce GTX 560
- Galaxy 56NGH6DH4TTX GeForce GTX 560 MDT x4
- MSI N560GTX Twin Frozr II/OC
- Zotac AMP! ZT-50702-10M GeForce GTX 560
- Test System Setup And Benchmarks
- Benchmark Results: 3DMark 11 And Battlefield 3
- Benchmark Results: AvP And Metro 2033
- Overclocking And Multi-Monitor Performance
- Power, Temperature, And Noise
- Five Unique GeForce GTX 560s
This dosent match with the above chart
Your kidding right, my overclocked 580GTX at 60% fan speed idles at 32c. Cards down clock themselves which allows them to run cooler at idle temps even if it were clocked at upwards i don't think a card would get hot unless it was being used.
I have the feeling that even a i5 2500k@4ghz bottlenecks a 7970 @1080p in most newer games.
If the GPU market goes the way it does, it won't take long that even midrange cards will be bottlenecked @1080p by the cpu.
Not really. This is mostly game depended. Depends on how much stress each graphics engine push at cpu and gpu.
Games like Dragon Age 2 and SWTOR are gpu intensive. So a GTX570 (that I have) is being used at 1080p at 99% of its usage with a low performance nowadays Q6600 in SWTOR (used MSI after burner to monitor it).
But with games such Skyrim which cpu is more important than other games, a highly clocked sandybridge is required in order to play smoothly at 1080p.
One thing is certain for sure. The higher the resolution the more gpu power and less cpu power requires a game.
The 280 idles higher than the 580 to the best of my knowledge, plus it's a 65nm part and the largest gaming GPU ever created.
That's an enormous amount of fan speed for an Idle GPU. Hope you're happy having a nice loud fan at idle. I can't imagine how loud it gets under a light load.
To the article, I don't think these comparisons are really necessary. All the cards are going to have different overclocking capabilities, which is what anyone from tom's is going to check. Hell, the worst card you guys test according to this comparison might overclock the most, and be the best card for the money on someone else's comparison.
For a $30 savings the ASUS ENGTX560 DCII OC/2DI is worth a look. Sure if you run the fans at 100% a higher CFM fan is going to be very loud, but no one runs their fans @ 100% either.
With Apps like MSI Afterburner and others it's incredibly easy to OC any GPU. It's a balancing act between performance, temperatures, and dDA (noise). One of the big reasons for water blocks on higher end cards, etc.
BTW - I appreciate the Article, it's enlightening and offers good info. Thanks!
Quite right! Fixed.
The GTX 560 is comparable to the 6870, though generally thought to be a little slower but with better OC headroom. The 6950 is much faster, and is comparable to the GTX 560 Ti.