The Package

The first thing to look at is the front of the box, this is of course pretty standard for an MSI graphics card. We have the big MSI branding and logo running down the left side with some kind of armour wearing character. This image generally seems to change from card to card.

Across the bottom we have the giant text which lets us know the card is an 8600GTS and in this case the Diamond Plus version.

The right side of the box has some of the main features listed such as 256MB of DDR3, HDMI, HDCP, Dual-DVI (which it actually doesn't have strangely enough), PCI-Express, HDTV ready and more. We also have a sticker on the front which lets us know that a full version copy of Company of Heroes comes with the card.

Turning the box over we have an explanation on some of the key features like Dual-Link DVI and DOT II technology. We also have a list of some more features that the core offers along with some of the standard logos displayed.

Moving inside the package and checking out the cables, we have one of the best packages we have seen for a mid-range card. Not only do we have the standard cables like HDTV Out, S-Video Out and a DVI-to-VGA connector, we also have the audio loop-back cables to make use of the audio features which HDMI offers, and the icing on the cake, a HDMI cable.

With the cables out the way we also see the standard driver CD and manuals as well as a full version copy of Company of Heroes.

This is really one of the best packages we have seen; the inclusion of the HDMI cable is great, but the added bonus of Company of Heroes sweetens the deal even more.