MSI GeForce GTX 560 Twin Frozr II OC Video Card Review

MSI give the new GTX 560 the Twin Frozr II treatment. We check out the latest NVIDIA release from MSI.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: MSI
11 minutes & 37 seconds read time

Introduction and Package


Introduction

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Yesterday we looked at the Palit GTX 560 Sonic Platinum and was impressed with what both NVIDIA and Palit was able to bring to the table. Today we check out what MSI are able to do with NVIDIAs new model in the form of the Twin Frozr II series.

The highlight of the model we're looking at today is of course going to be that Twin Frozr II cooler that we know and love. Before we take a closer look at the card itself, though, we've first got to see what's going on in the package.

Once that's done we'll take a closer look at the card itself, the specifications this particular OC version carries and then we'll get into the fun stuff and see what kind of performance the MSI offering brings to the table.


Package

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Checking out the spread MSI is offering, there's nothing too out of the ordinary. We've got a manual, quick user guide and Driver CD. In the cable department we've got two dual Molex to 6-Pin PCI-E power connectors, DVI to VGA connector and a mini HDMI to HDMI connector.

Card and Specifications


The Card

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Like the Palit GTX 560 and probably a lot of other GTX 560s, the MSI version doesn't look too different to mid-range offerings we've seen from the company in the past. This is mainly due to the fact that the Twin Frozr II cooler isn't new to us and really it takes up a majority of the PCB, leaving very little to look at outside of the cooler itself.

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As for the rest of the card, we've got two 6-Pin PCI-E power connectors at the back, a single SLI connector across the top and closer to the front and connectivity comes in the form of two Dual-Link DVI connectors and a single mini HDMI port.


Specifications

The MSI GTX 560 Twin Frozr II we're looking at today is an OC one which means it of course comes overclocked out of the box. Looking below at GPU-Z, we can see that our core comes in at 870MHz which means our Shader clock is 1740MHz. As for the 1GB of GDDR5 memory, that comes in at 4080MHz QDR.

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These clocks are a little lower than the Palit offering which came in with a 900 / 1800 / 4200MHz QDR setup. It will be interesting to see how the slightly lower clocked GTX 560 goes against the HD 6870.

Test System Setup and 3DMark 11


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We would like to thank the following companies for supplying and supporting us with our test system hardware and equipment: Intel, ASRock, Kingston, Mittoni, Noctua and Corsair.

We'll be comparing the MSI GTX 560 Twin Frozr II OC against the same line-up of cards we compared the Palit offering to. That means the MSI GTX 560 Ti and MSI GTX 550 Ti from NVIDIA and the HD 6790, HD 6850 and HD 6870 from AMD.

Let's get started!


3DMark 11

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.0
Developer Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com
Product Homepage: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/
Buy It Here




3DMark 11 is the latest version of the world's most popular benchmark. Designed to measure your PC's gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to consistently and reliably test DirectX 11 under game-like loads.

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Under 3DMark 11 we see some very good performance from the GTX 560 Twin Frozr II.

3DMark Vantage




Version and / or Patch Used: 1.0.1
Developer Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com
Product Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com/products/3dmarkvantage/
Buy It Here




3DMark Vantage is the new industry standard PC gaming performance benchmark from Futuremark, newly designed for Windows Vista and DirectX10. It includes two new graphics tests, two new CPU tests, several new feature tests, and support for the latest hardware.

3DMark Vantage is based on a completely new rendering engine, developed specifically to take full advantage of DirectX10, the new graphics API from Microsoft.

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Getting into Vantage, we can see that the GTX 560 has no problem fending off the HD 6870. Of course, NVIDIA has the PhysX advantage here.

Unigine Heaven Benchmark




Version and / or Patch Used: 2
Developer Homepage: http://www.unigine.com
Product Homepage: http://unigine.com/press-releases/091022-heaven_benchmark//



New benchmark grants the power to unleash the DirectX 11 potential in the gift wrapping of impressively towering graphics capabilities. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. With the interactive mode emerging experience of exploring the intricate world is ensured within reach. Through its advanced renderer, Unigine is one of the first to set precedence in showcasing the art assets with tessellation, bringing compelling visual finesse, utilizing the technology to the full extend and exhibiting the possibilities of enriching 3D gaming.

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Getting into the tessellation heavy Heaven benchmark, we again see that the GTX 560 Twin Frozr II has no problems taking on the HD 6870.

Benchmarks - Resident Evil 5


Resident Evil 5

Version and / or Patch Used: Demo Benchmark
Developer Homepage: www.residentevil.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.residentevil.com/




Resident Evil 5 is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on September 18. Resident Evil 5 revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they investigate a terrorist threat in Kijuju, a fictional town in Africa.

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Moving on to some real world games, nothing changes with again the GTX 560 offering strong performance against the AMD HD 6870.

Benchmarks - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.2

Version and / or Patch Used: Benchmark Demo
Timedemo or Level Used: Built-in Test
Developer Homepage: http://www.ubi.com/UK/default.aspx
Product Homepage: http://www.hawxgame.com/




Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is an arcade-style flight action game developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft. The game is the sequel to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., released in 2009.

The game begins with Colonel David Crenshaw participating in a routine patrol mission in the Middle East. After halting an insurgent attack, a volley of missiles is fired at the Air Force base that Crenshaw was stationed at, with one of the missiles disabling Crenshaw's aircraft, resulting Crenshaw being in enemy captivity. A joint strike force composed of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and a Ghost Recon squad executes an operation to rescue Crenshaw. In Scotland, Royal Navy Pilot Colin Munro encounters an unidentified passenger aircraft that explodes from an on-board bomb when undergoing training exercise. In Russia, an air force squadron led by Colonel Denisov and Captain Dmitri Sokov engages separatist aircraft but is ordered to retreat from the region after numerous Russian military installations have been attacked.

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HAWX 2 of course favors the NVIDIA offerings, but we again see that the model has no problems outperforming the HD 6870.

Benchmarks - Mafia II


Mafia II

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.2kczech.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.mafia2game.com/
Buy It Here




Mafia II is a third-person action-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games. The game is set from 1943 to 1951 in Empire Bay (the name is a reference to New York's state nickname "The Empire State"), a fictional city based on San Francisco and New York City, with influences from Chicago and Detroit. The game features a completely open-ended game map of 10 square miles. No restrictions are included from the start of the game. There are around 50 vehicles in the game, as well as licensed music from the era.

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Looking at Mafia II, we've got some strong performance with an average above 60 FPS at both resolutions. Again, compared to the AMD HD 6870 it manages to pull out a win.

Benchmarks - Lost Planet 2


Lost Planet 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Benchmark Demo
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark - Test A Scene 1
Developer Homepage: http://www.capcom.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.lostplanet2game.com/




Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition which is also made by Capcom, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same fictional planet. The story takes place back on E.D.N. III 10 years after the events of the first game. The snow has melted to reveal jungles and more tropical areas that have taken the place of more frozen regions. The plot begins with Mercenaries fighting against Jungle Pirates. After destroying a mine, the Mercenaries continue on to evacuate the area, in which a Category-G Akrid appears and attacks them. After being rescued, they find out their evacuation point (Where the Category-G appeared) was a set-up and no pick up team awaited them. The last words imply possible DLC additions to the game, "There's nothing to be gained by wiping out snow pirates... unless you had some kind of grudge."

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Lost Planet 2 performance is good compared to the competition and GTX 550 Ti, but unfortunately we're not at the 60 FPS average we want to achieve. A detail drop to medium, though, should bring the FPS up to a nice playable level.

Benchmarks - Aliens vs. Predator


Aliens vs. Predator

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.rebellion.co.uk/
Product Homepage: http://www.sega.com/games/aliens-vs-predator/




Aliens vs. Predator is a science fiction first-person shooter video game, developed by Rebellion Developments, the team behind the 1999 original PC game, and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The game is based on the Alien vs. Predator franchise, a combination of the characters and creatures of the Alien franchise and the Predator franchise. There are three campaigns in the game, one for each race/faction (the Predators, the Aliens and the Colonial Marines), that, while separate in terms of individual plot and gameplay, form one overarching storyline.

Following the storyline of the campaign modes comes the multiplayer aspect of the game. In this Multiplayer section of the game, players face off in various different gametypes in various different ways.

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Aliens vs. Predator is the first time we've seen the GTX 560 Twin Frozr II fall behind the HD 6870. It's worth noting, though, that neither card manages to break the 60 FPS mark we aim for when gaming.

Benchmarks - Street Fighter IV


Street Fighter IV

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.capcom.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.streetfighter.com/




While Street Fighter IV features models and backgrounds rendered in 3D, the gameplay remains on a traditional 2D plane, with the camera having freedom to move in 3D at certain times during fights, for dramatic effect. Producer Yoshinori Ono has stated that he wanted to keep the game closer to Street Fighter II. A new system called "Focus Attacks" ("Saving Attack" for the Japanese version) has been introduced, as well as Ultra moves. The traditional six-button control scheme returns, with new features and special moves integrated into the input system, mixing classic gameplay with additional innovations.

All the characters and environments in Street Fighter IV are rendered as 3D models with polygons, similar to the Street Fighter EX sub-series Capcom produced with Arika. However, there are a couple of key differences. Art director and character designer Daigo Ikeno, who previously worked on Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, opted for non-photorealistic rendering to give them a hand-drawn look, with visual effects accented in calligraphic strokes, ink smudges and ink sprays during the fights.

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No surprises under SF IV with some strong performance that again sees the GTX 560 outperforming the AMD HD 6870.

Benchmarks - Far Cry 2


Far Cry 2

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.01
Timedemo or Level Used: Ranch Long
Developer Homepage: http://www.ubi.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.farcry2.com/
Buy It Here




The Dunia Engine was built specifically for Far Cry 2 by the award-winning Ubisoft Montreal development team. It delivers the most realistic destructible environments, amazing special effects such as dynamic fire propagation and storm effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music system, non-scripted enemy A.I. and so much more.

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Looking at Far Cry 2, we see the same trend with strong performance at both resolutions that represent very playable numbers.

Benchmarks - Batman Arkham Asylum


Batman Arkham Asylum

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1
Timedemo or Level Used: Built-in Test
Developer Homepage: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/





Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum - Gotham's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum.

Using a wide range of Batman's gadgets and abilities, players will become the invisible predator and attempt to foil The Joker's demented scheme.
Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner Paul Dini, whose credits include Lost season one and Batman: The Animated Series.

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Strong numbers under Batman AA and we again see that the MSI GTX 560 is able to outperform the HD 6870.

Temperature Test


Temperature Tests



The temperature of the core is pulled from MSI Afterburner with the max reading used after a completed run off 3DMark Vantage and the Performance preset.

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The Twin Frozr II cooler is one of the best that MSI offer and you can see it does a fantastic job of keeping the card nice and cool.

Sound Test


Sound Tests



Pulling out the TES 1350A Sound Level Meter we find ourselves quickly yelling into the top of it to see how loud we can be.

After five minutes of that we get a bit more serious and place the device two CM away from the fan on the card to find the maximum noise level of the card when idle (2D mode) and in load (3D mode).

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Noise levels are also very good with the card clearly sitting at the bottom half of the pack here.

Power Consumption Tests






Using our new PROVA Power Analyzer WM-01 or "Power Thingy" as it has become quickly known as to our readers, we are now able to find out what kind of power is being used by our test system and the associated graphics cards installed. Keep in mind; it tests the complete system (minus LCD monitor, which is plugged directly into AC wall socket).

There are a few important notes to remember though; while our maximum power is taken in 3DMark06 at the same exact point, we have seen in particular tests the power being drawn as much as 10% more. We test at the exact same stage every time; therefore tests should be very consistent and accurate.

The other thing to remember is that our test system is bare minimum - only a SSD hard drive is used with a single CD ROM and minimal cooling fans.

So while the system might draw 400 watts in our test system, placing it into your own PC with a number of other items, the draw is going to be higher.

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At just over the 350 Watt mark under load there's no surprises when it comes to measuring the power draw of the card.

Final Thoughts




It comes as no surprise to us that MSI have been able to put together another really strong performing card. While they haven't been as aggressive as some other companies when it comes to the out of the box overclock, there's still enough performance there that we see the card continue to outperform the stock clocked HD 6870.

The Twin Frozr II cooler as always does a fantastic job and it's even better on these mid-range cards that don't generate the same heat as some of the higher end offerings. It means that we're able to get a card that not only runs quietly, but also extremely cool. Just over 50c at load is a fantastic number to be at when it comes to heat.

The MSI offering is indeed an attractive option and while it will no doubt cost slightly more than the set $199 MSRP that NVIDIA have put in place, it shouldn't be much more, and considering the quality and the performance of the card you shouldn't have any problems justifying the price.

It almost seems a little pointless having a model that performs so close to the GTX 560 Ti, but is still a good chunk of change cheaper. No one's going to complain, though, as the real winner out of this is you, the consumer.

NVIDIA have put together a good model in the GTX 560. MSI, though, as always, have put their own style in the card to make sure it stands out from the competition.

Everything we need is included and the Twin Frozr II cooler is, as always, fantastic. If you're a fan of the Twin Frozr II series you'll love this card, even more so due to the price it's coming in at.

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Shawn takes care of all of our video card reviews. From 2009, Shawn is also taking care of our memory reviews, and from May 2011, Shawn also takes care of our CPU, chipset and motherboard reviews. As of December 2011, Shawn is based out of Taipei, Taiwan.

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