MSI sent along not one, not two 7800 GTX cards to review, but a pair of 7800 GTX cards and an nForce4 SLI motherboard, just to show that they offer a total SLI solution. MSI can do this because they are a very big Taiwanese manufacturing firm with a strong presence in the motherboard market. If you're nervous about getting your SLI cards from one company and your SLI motherboard from another, MSI may have the setup for you.

Here's a look at the MSI cards themselves. My first reaction was to think that the art on the sticker was kind of lame, but a buddy of mine pointed out that MSI's artwork has the unique distinction among video card graphic art of being decidedly non-Satanic-looking. I have to give them that, and besides, such things are a matter of taste. If you are looking to build the ultimate rainbow pony mod, I suppose a pair of MSI angels would fit in pretty well.

Above is a picture of MSI's K8N Neo4/SLI motherboard, a Socket 939 affair that has a full suite of enthusiast-class features. We're not reviewing this board here today, but look for a full review of this puppy in the not-too-distant future. I'm especially interested to see how its onboard Creative audio performs.

The NX7800GTX isn't overclocked by default, but MSI includes a feature it calls D.O.T., or Dynamic Overclocking Technology, with the card. In order to access it, unfortunately, you have to install an MSI-modified version of NVIDIA's graphics drivers, so keeping up with the latest releases will depend on how frequently MSI updates its drivers. With the MSI drivers installed, there's an additional control panel tab that looks like so:

From here, one can set clock speeds manually or choose different levels of aggressiveness for MSI's dynamic overclocking mechanism, somewhat cheesily named for military ranks.

D.O.T. is a curious thing, because NVIDIA already has support for manual and automatic, dynamic overclocking built into its graphics drivers, accessible via the Coolbits registry hack. D.O.T. is a little bit easier to find if you install the MSI drivers included on the CD in the box, but it's not like Coolbits is exactly a secret.

MSI bundles all of the expected accessories with the NX7800GTX, including a single video splitter that allows for S-Video in and out, composite in and out, and component out. There's also a nice, long (over six feet) S-Video cable and a (puffy) MSI case badge. The included quick-install guide is augmented by a more generic VGA card installation guide printed in several languages.

The big news in MSI's bundle, of course, is a copy of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. I'm not big on game bundles, but if you don't yet have a copy of this game, you should get one. This is a fantastic game, and graphically, it may be the best thing on the PC—a perfect showcase for a GeForce 7800 GTX. I've seen this game on store shelves for a while now at $19.99, so getting a copy with the NX7800GTX could save you about 20 bucks.

MSI's driver CD includes a host of PC utilities that could best be described as shovelware. Many of the installer files have dates from 2002, and I wouldn't care to try them on a brand-new PC. The lone exception is probably Norton Internet Security 2005, a current product with useful antivirus, anti-spam, and security features. Missing from MSI's bundled software is a DVD player or any type of video editing software.

The NX7800GTX comes with a three-year warranty for parts and two years for labor. Since the extent of my own tech support needs would almost always consist of an RMA replacement in the event of a hardware failure, I'd probably consider this a three-year warranty, more or less. MSI offers U.S.-based technical support for its North American customers, with operating hours confined largely to the standard 40-hour workday in the Pacific time zone. You will, however, have to pay for any long-distance fees, because the support number is not a toll-free call. Fortunately, you might save a few dimes by checking your case online with MSI's web-based RMA tracking tool.