Board Features

Dual DVI

Dual DVI

As you can see in the image above, the MSI G4Ti4600-T2D8X ships with dual DVI connectors. Two Silicon Image Sil 164 PanelLink transmitters are used to power the cards’ two DVI outputs. It is important to note the “T2D” in T2D8X, as MSI also ships a Ti 4600-8X card with a DVI/VGA connector configuration, the G4Ti4600-TD8X. Therefore, the “2” obviously is used to designate the dual DVI connectors the card boasts. This makes MSI one of two manufacturers with a dual DVI Ti 4600 product that we’re aware of.

Unfortunately, MSI only includes one DVI-to-HD-15 adapter in our packaging, so if you planned to use two CRT monitors with the G4Ti4600-T2D8X, you’ll have to purchase an additional adapter (although the instruction manual and box state that two adapters are provided so this may have simply been an omission unique to our card).

MSI G4Ti4600-T2D8X card

The back of the card

T.O.P Tech Cooling

T.O.P. Tech Cooling is the moniker used to describe the awesome cooling unit that has been implemented on the G4Ti4600-T2D8X card. MSI starts the package off with two copper plates, one for cooling the graphics core and memory on the top of the card, and a second plate on the underside of the card for cooling the memory there. Copper is a better conductor of heat than aluminum, so by shifting from aluminum to copper, MSI has implemented a more effective solution.

T.O.P. Tech Cooling

Fins for increased surface area

Ducted fan design

To further increase performance, MSI uses one large plate to cool all the components on the top of the card, increasing the surface area of the heatsink. Essentially MSI is giving itself more room for T.O.P. Tech to work its magic, as heat is spread evenly throughout the copper plate. To further increase surface area, a folded copper sheet has been fused to the front of the copper plate. MSI then ducts the hot air off the components, and away from the graphics card. We’ve found that this solution works quite well at combating heat, but the real beauty of T.O.P. Tech is just how quietly it operates. Since the fan spins below 2,000 RPM, noise output is hardly noticeable, our Intel-supplied CPU fan was considerably louder than the G4Ti4600-T2D8X card. In fact, the G4Ti4600-T2D8X is the quietest GeForce4 Ti 4600 card we’ve ever tested.

Accessories

Besides the dual DVI connectors, one other difference between the G4Ti4600-T2D8X and the G4Ti4600-TD8X is in the TV-out/Video-in connector. The G4Ti4600-T2D8X comes with a breakout box, the G4Ti4600-TD8X doesn’t. S-Video and composite connectors are provided, so you shouldn’t have any problems connecting your peripherals to the video card. For hooking the G4Ti4600-TD8X to your TV, MSI also includes a 1.8m S-Video cable.

Video input/output provided by accessory box

In addition, MSI includes full retail versions of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Duke Nukem Manhattan Project, WinDVD 5.1, WinProducer, WinCoder, and a 7-in-1 bundle of game demos including titles such as IL-2 Sturmovik, Oni, and Serious Sam 2.