VGA Card Buyer's Guide 07/2003

MSI FX5900-TD128, Continued

MSI's Media Center Deluxe II is more than just a media center - it lets the user control his or her entire PC (program launching, videos, music, radio, picture viewer, TV (Video-In)). The big on-screen buttons and the large fonts make navigation especially easy when the PC is hooked up to a TV via TV-Out.

The games bundle is another highlight. The card ships with full versions of "Morrowind - The Elder Scrolls III" (2002), Tom Clancy's "Ghost Recon" (2001), "Duke Nukem - Manhattan Project" (2002), and an extra CD featuring seven game demos. As a little bonus, MSI also includes a little notepad for jotting down in-game information.

Conclusion: If you're looking for a quiet FX5900 card with a good software bundle, the MSI FX5900-TD128 may be a good fit. Beware of the fan on the back of the card, though - make sure it will fit your motherboard! The very low noise level of the TwinFlow fans is exemplary!

+ Very quiet dual-fan design
+ TV-out
+ Video cable included (S-VHS, 2 m)
+ Huge software bundle (see text for details)
+ MSI software tools
+ Media Center Deluxe II (control center for the PC, useful in combination with TV-Out)
+ Good games bundle with current titles
+ DVI output up to 1600x1200

- Potential installation problems due to the large rear-mounted fan