MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review

MSI expands its HAWK video card series even further with the addition of the new GeForce GTX 760 becoming part of it. Let's take a look at it.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: MSI
19 minutes & 28 seconds read time

Introduction and Package

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 02

MSI continue to produce what I feel is some of the strongest performing video cards on the market. Combing series' like the new Gaming and old favorites like the HAWK and Lightning with both AMD and NVIDIA offerings means the company does a fantastic job of standing out from the pack.

While the Lightning Series is reserved for the top single GPU offerings from both AMD and NVIDIA, the HAWK Series has always been one that caters to the masses. With mid-range cards really offering more bang for their buck than ever, the HAWK Series helps take that to another level by offering even more again.

The particular HAWK Series video card we're looking at today is based on the new and popular GTX 760 series chipset from NVIDIA, and one that has done an excellent job of impressing us since its inception. Today we take the time to look at one of the best valued mid-range GPUs on what has become one of our favorite series of video cards.

Package

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 03

Straight away the first thing we notice is the new HAWK box design. It looks fantastic and stands out. In typical MSI fashion the front of the box is fairly basic with the model number and series clearly shown. Outside of that, though, we don't have a whole lot more being shown with just the "OC Certified" logo and a few other key features including the 2GB of GDDR5, PCIe 3.0 support and lastly DirectX 11 support.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 04

Being a HAWK Series card means that we've got a bit more going on when it comes to the information side of things on the box. Opening the box up you can see some of the main features that are offered including Military Class 4 components, which include Super Ferrite Choke, Hi-C Cap and Dark Solid capacitors. You can also see some key overclocking features including the Twin BIOS, V-Check Points, Triple Overvoltage and Enhanced Power Design.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 05

Moving to the bottom half of the box you can see it's all about the Twin Frozr IV Advanced cooler which includes dual 10cm fans, improved heat pipe and heatsink design and a nickel plated copper base. Also included is the Dust Removal Technology which sees the fans spin in reverse at startup for 30 seconds to remove any dust that has built up.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 06

Finishing up with the back of the box we have some of the key features that are relative to the GTX 760 core itself. You can also see some of the main specifications along with a number of logos.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 07

Moving inside the box we've got a fairly standard setup for a HAWK card. Starting from the left we've got a Quick User Guide and driver CD, along with a DVI to VGA connectors, three V-Check cables and two 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power connectors to round off the bundle.

The Card and Specifications

The Card

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 08

The Twin Frozr has been at the front of MSI cards for years now and the latest Twin Frozr IV Advanced with its dual 10cm fans looks fantastic. Along with the massive heatsink that over hangs the top of the card, we can see a number of heat pipes coming out the bottom and the black PCB, something that always looks great on anything.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 09

Moving around you can see as we swing around to the back we have the V-Check Points. Used in conjunction with the V-Check cables that are included in the bundle, you're able to get the true voltage of the GPU, Memory and PLL. While this continues to be something most people won't use, for those of you who go down the path of more extreme overclocking, this is indeed a handy feature and is used a lot.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 10
MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 11

Moving up to the top you can see that power comes from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. This is definitely up from the standard dual 6-pin PCIe power connector setup that we've seen other companies to date offer from other GTX 760 cards. Staying across the top and moving closer to the front, you can see the standard dual SLI connectors in the event you want to run up to three of these cards together.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 12

Finishing up with the I/O department, it's a very standard affair. We've got two Dual-Link DVI connectors in the form of a DVI-D and DVI-I. Along with them we've also got a HDMI Port and a DisplayPort connector.

Specifications

Out of the box the GTX 760 HAWK from MSI carries with it quite a nice overclock. While like most companies they've chosen to leave the 2GB of GDDR5 alone at 6008MHz QDR. However, they've bumped the core up to a healthy 1111MHz, which is then boosted even higher to 1176MHz.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 01

Being a HAWK card means we of course wanted to overclock it to see just what we could get out of it ourselves.

Starting with the core we eventually ended up at 1175MHz, which is then pushed even higher to 1240MHz via Boost. As for the 2GB of GDDR5, we managed to push that up to a healthy 6608MHz QDR.

Benchmarks - Test System Setup

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 99

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

We've got a number of cards in our graphs today starting off with the older MSI GTX 660 HAWK 2GB that we loved so much. Along with that we've got the reference GTX 760 and GTX 770 from NVIDIA to round of the NVIDIA side of things.

As for the AMD side we've got the Sapphire HD 7790 1GB Dual-X OC, PowerColor PCS HD 7950 2GB overclocked to 1110MHz on the core and finally the AMD HD 7970 GHz Edition.

The FPS Numbers Explained

When we benchmark our video cards and look at the graphs, we aim to get to a certain level of FPS which we consider playable. While many may argue that the human eye can't see over 24 FPS or 30 FPS, any true gamer will tell you that as we climb higher in Frames Per Seconds (FPS), the overall gameplay feels smoother. There are three numbers we're looking out for when it comes to our benchmarks.

30 FPS - It's the minimum number we aim for when it comes to games. If you're not dropping below 30 FPS during games, you're going to have a nice and smooth gaming experience. The ideal situation is that even in a heavy fire fight, the minimum stays above 30 FPS making sure that you can continue to aim easily or turn the corner with no dramas.

60 FPS - It's the average we look for when we don't have a minimum coming at us. If we're getting an average of 60 FPS, we should have a minimum of 30 FPS or better and as mentioned above, it means we've got some smooth game play happening.

120 FPS - The new number that we've been hunting down over recent months. If you're the owner of a 120 Hz monitor, to get the most out of it you want to get around the 120 FPS mark. Moving from 60 FPS / 60 Hz to 120 FPS / 120 Hz brings with it a certain fluidity that can't really be explained, but instead has to be experienced. Of course, if you're buying a 120 Hz monitor to take advantage of 3D, an average of 120 FPS in our benchmark means that in 3D you will have an average of 60 FPS, which again means you should expect some smooth gameplay.

Why are some graphs incomplete?

Adding new game benchmarks is a long, tedious and time consuming task as every video card has to be re-tested in those new benchmarks. Because of that reason we have always just evaluated our benchmark line up every six months. To stay up to date and current with the latest benchmarks and games available, we've changed our approach to adding new benchmarks.

Our benchmark line up will progress and be updated as newer more intensive games with benchmarks comes to light. While this will mean that initially you may only see a single video card in those particular graphs, as the weeks go on and we test more and more video cards, the results will grow quickly. This will help keep our benchmark line up as up to date as possible as we introduce and remove games on a constant basis.

Benchmarks - 3DMark 11

3DMark 11

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1

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.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 20

Starting off with 3DMark 11 we can see some excellent performance.

We've got a massive jump over the reference GTX 760 2GB and you can see that we're really not all that far away from the GTX 770 2GB here.

Benchmarks - 3DMark Fire Strike

3DMark Fire Strike

Version and / or Patch Used: 1

Developer Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com

Product Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/3dmark

Buy It Here

Fire Strike is our new showcase DirectX 11 benchmark designed for high-performance gaming PCs. It is our most ambitious and technical benchmark ever, featuring real-time graphics rendered with detail and complexity far beyond what is found in other benchmarks and games today. Fire Strike will only be available in the Windows editions of 3DMark initially.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 21

While our results for 3DMark Fire Strike continue to be limited, you can see above that there's again a nice boost in performance being seen against the reference GTX 760 2GB at both presets.

Benchmarks - Unigine Heaven Benchmark

Unigine Heaven Benchmark

Version and / or Patch Used: 3

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.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 22

Moving into Heaven we can again see some very strong performance gains. Against the reference GTX 760 2GB, you can see that the gains are exceptional at both resolutions.

While it's still behind the GTX 770 2GB, you can see it's closing in.

Benchmarks - Phantasy Star Online 2

Phantasy Star Online 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.sega.com/?t=EnglishUSA

Product Homepage: http://www.pso2.com/us/html/index.html

Play Phantasy Star Online 2 and experience revolutionary combat in an action-driven, free-to-play multiplayer online RPG from SEGA. Take a journey into an immersive sci-fi fantasy narrative and explore mysterious worlds to unravel their secrets. Join fellow adventurers and fight against the legions of darkness to banish them from the galaxy.

Score explanation: Less than 2000: Please adjust your game settings because the processing load is quite heavy.

2000 through 5000: The game runs fine at the setting, if you have room, you can adjust some settings.

5001+: The game works wonderfully at this setting.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 23

PSO2 always sees strong gains with overclocking and here is no different. We're hitting into the 8000 point mark which means we're expecting some extremely smooth gameplay at even 2560 x 1600.

Benchmarks - Lost Planet 2

Lost Planet 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

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."

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 24

Lost Plant 2 numbers look great with big gains. The nicest comes at the highest resolution where we see the reference card score a solid 66 FPS. Overclocked, though, the HAWK jumps up to 80 FPS giving us some extremely smooth and worry free gaming.

Benchmarks - Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Dark Tower

Developer Homepage: http://www.eidos.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.justcause.com/

Just Cause 2 employs the Avalanche Engine 2.0, an updated version of the engine used in Just Cause. The game is set on the other side of the world from the original Just Cause, on the fictional island of Panau in Southeast Asia. Panau has varied terrain, from desert to alpine to rainforest. Rico Rodriguez returns as the protagonist, aiming to overthrow the evil dictator Pandak "Baby" Panay and confront his former mentor, Tom Sheldon.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 25

Here we see nice gains again, and just like Lost Planet 2, we see the best performance increase come at 2560 x 1600.

This time it's slightly more significant, though, as we move from 59 FPS, a number that falls below the 60 FPS we're always on the hunt for to provide a solid gaming experience.

The HAWK smashes past the 60 FPS barrier and ends up giving us a solid 74 FPS.

Benchmarks - F1 2012

F1 2012

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.codemasters.com/uk/

Product Homepage: http://www.codemasters.com

In F1 2012 players will feel the unparalleled thrill of becoming a FORMULA ONE driver with a host of new features, wide-ranging technical and gameplay advancements and extensive competitive and co-operative multiplayer components. F1 2012 will feature all of the official teams, drivers and circuits from the 2012 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, including the debut of the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX at Austin, Texas and the return of Germany's famous Hockenheim circuit to the calendar.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 26

While we already see some strong FPS out of F1 2012 at all resolutions, overclocking on the HAWK helps boost numbers further. You can see it manages to help hit the FPS wall that's present at around the 150 FPS mark at both 1680 x 1050 and 1920 x 1200.

Benchmarks - Metro Last Light

Metro Last Light

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.4a-games.com/

Product Homepage: http://enterthemetro.com/ /

Metro: Last Light takes place one year after the events of Metro 2033, proceeding from the ending where Artyom chose to call down the missile strike on the Dark Ones. The Rangers have since occupied the D6 military facility, with Artyom having become an official member of the group. Khan, the nomad mystic, arrives at D6 to inform Artyom and the Rangers that a single Dark One survived the missile strike. Khan believes the Dark One is the key to humanity's future, and wants to make peace with it, while Ranger leader Colonel Miller wants to kill the creature due to its potential threat. Miller sends Artyom to the surface with a mission to kill the Dark One; he is accompanied by Anna, Miller's sarcastic daughter and the Rangers' best sniper.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 27

Looking above you can see that we're not able to compare the MSI GTX 760 HAWK against anything else as our results continue to be quite limited under Metro Last Light. You can see, though, that we are below the 60 FPS number at all resolutions.

We do get close at 1680 x 1050 with 56 FPS, but ultimately we're below what we consider playable.

Benchmarks - Dirt Showdown

Dirt Showdown

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.codemasters.com/uk/

Product Homepage: http://www.codemasters.com/uk/dirtshowdown/360/

DiRT Showdown is the new arcade racing game from the team that brought you the award-winning DiRT series, uncaged in 2012. Pick up and play controls combine with electrifying events, frenzied crowds and stunning graphics to deliver high octane, dive in and drive thrills from event one.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 28

Dirt Showdown looks good across the board and you can see the overclock does a good job at 1920 x 1200 giving us some extra breathing room by moving from our reference card 61 FPS to a solid 69 FPS.

While we do see a nice jump at 2560 x 1600, we're below the 60 FPS number.

Benchmarks - Nexuiz

Nexuiz

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.alientrap.org/

Product Homepage: http://www.nexuiz.com/

Nexuiz is an Arena First Person shooter coming soon to consoles. Nexuiz is fast paced with extremely competitive game play. IllFonic brings Alientrap Software's Nexuiz to next-gen gaming consoles around the world while staying true to the game play refined over the years through development. IllFonic introduces a new Victorian influenced art style that is simultaneously futuristic and sophisticated. Nexuiz for consoles is powered by CryENGINE 3.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 29

While we do see a bit of movement across the board, you can see the FPS rates are just too low at all resolutions for the game to be playable with these graphics settings.

Benchmarks - Sniper Elite V2

Sniper Elite V2

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.rebellion.co.uk/

Product Homepage: http://sniperelitev2.com/us/age.html

Sniper Elite V2 features detailed sniping simulation with advanced ballistics, taking into account gravity, wind, velocity, bullet penetration, aim stability and more. Guaranteed to provide players with the most realistic simulation of military sharpshooting yet available.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 30

Sniper Elite V2 sees some great gains and at the highest resolution you see the overclocked GTX 760 HAWK give us a solid 68 FPS - an excellent improvement from the reference card's 57 FPS.

Benchmarks - Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://eu.square-enix.com/en

Product Homepage: http://www.sleepingdogs.net/

The core gameplay of Sleeping Dogs consists of giving the player an open world environment in which to move around freely. Sleeping Dogs is played as an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective action-adventure game with role-playing elements. The player controls Wei Shen, a Chinese-American police officer, as he goes undercover to infiltrate the Sun On Yee Triad organization. On foot, the player character has the ability to walk, run, jump, climb over obstacles and swim, as well as use weapons and martial arts in combat. Players also drive a variety of vehicles including cars, boats, and motorcycles.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 31

Looking above you can see some great gains from the GTX 760 HAWK which manages to actually put it ahead of the reference GTX 770 2GB at all resolutions.

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.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 32

Looking above you can see some strong gains again under Far Cry 2. You can also see that across the board we didn't really need the gains as the GTX 760 reference card manages to put out some very solid numbers at all resolutions.

Please Note: We still include Far Cry 2 in our benchmarks (we know it's old) as a way for our readers to get a general representation of how older games perform on new hardware.

Benchmarks - Hitman Absolution

Hitman Absolution

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.ioi.dk/

Product Homepage: http://hitman.com/

Hitman: Absolution is an action-adventure stealth game developed by I/O Interactive and published by Square Enix. It is the fifth entry in the Hitman game series, and runs on I/O Interactive's proprietary Glacier 2 game engine. Before release, the developers stated that Absolution would be easier to play and more accessible, while still retaining hardcore aspects of the franchise. The game was released on 20 November 2012, which is in the 47th week of the year (in reference to the protagonist, Agent 47).

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 33

Hitman Absolution numbers look good at all resolutions with a slight increase being seen across the board. The best is at the highest resolution with a 43 FPS minimum and 53 FPS average.

While we'd prefer slightly higher average, with a solid 43 FPS minimum, you should be happy with the performance.

Benchmarks - Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://www.nixxes.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.tombraider.com/us/base/agegate?refer=184&

Tomb Raider is an action-adventure platform video game. Published by Square Enix, Tomb Raider is the fifth title developed by Crystal Dynamics in the Tomb Raider franchise. As the first entry in a new Tomb Raider continuity, the game is a reboot that emphasizes the reconstructed origins of the culturally influential lead character Lara Croft. Tomb Raider was released on 5 March 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows to universal critical acclaim.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 34

Tom Raider sees some pretty good gains with the 1680 x 1050 one being the strongest helping the MSI card move to a 60 FPS average. Above that our averages and minimum are a little too low. The increases are mighty impressive, though.

Benchmarks - BioShock Infinite

BioShock Infinite

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update

Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark

Developer Homepage: http://irrationalgames.com/

Product Homepage: http://www.bioshockinfinite.com

BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter video game and the third installment in the BioShock series. Previously known as "Project Icarus", it is being developed by Irrational Games and was released worldwide on the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms on March 26, 2013. BioShock Infinite is not part of the storyline of previous BioShock games but features similar gameplay concepts and themes.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 35

Here we see nice gains again and you can see compared to the reference card we manage to move from a 59 FPS average up to a solid 68 FPS average at 1920 x 1200.

While 2560 x 1600 sees a nice increase, performance overall is still a little too low for solid gameplay.

Benchmarks - High Quality AA and AF

High Quality AA and AF

While we test all our games with maximum in-game settings, turning on Anti-Aliasing (AA) and Antistrophic Filtering (AF) helps take the intensity of our testing to another level.

Here we see video cards go from playable FPS to an unplayable FPS and the real power houses continue to help break that 60 FPS mark we always aim for to provide a smooth gaming experience.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 36

We see a bit of movement under Far Cry 2, but as you'd expect, even with AA and AF on, we saw some strong performance.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 37

While we don't have anything to compare the MSI GTX 760 HAWK against here, you can see we're way below where we need to be when it comes to actual playable numbers.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 38

We see some great gains under Just Cause 2 with our overclocked GTX 760 HAWK, but we're still a few FPS shy of 60 FPS at 2560 x 1600.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 39

We again see some nice gains, but you can also again see that performance isn't where we need it to be at both resolutions here.

Temperature Test

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.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 40

The MSI Twin Frozr IV does a fantastic job as you see the overclocked card sits toward the bottom of the massive graph here.

Sound Test

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).

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 41

Those low temperature numbers aren't coming at the cost of high noise levels either. It's sitting a decent way below the half way mark.

Power Consumption Test

Using our 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.

MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB HAWK Overclocked Video Card Review 42

Power draw numbers are good and you can see that the MSI card is sitting a decent amount under the 400 watt mark under full load.

Pricing, Availability and Final Thoughts

While not available just yet, we know from previous experience that the MSI GTX 760 2GB HAWK is going to carry a price tag that is higher than every other GTX 760 on the market. Looking at Newegg we can see that the Gaming Series of the GTX 760 from MSI comes in at $259.99, alongside two offerings from GIGABYTE. The only card that sits higher again is a Galaxy offering at $269.99.

Everything above that Galaxy card is then a 4GB variant that starts at $299.99. It would be fairly safe to assume that the MSI GTX 760 2GB HAWK is going to set you back somewhere between those two price tags. We'd probably be looking at around the $289.99 to $294.99 region. While yet to test a 4GB variant of the GTX 760, we can make an extremely educated guess and tell you that the performance difference would be between very small and none.

Even if the HAWK comes in at $299.99, we'd choose it over any of the 4GB models any day of the week. Is it worth paying $25 - $35 more than the Gaming version of the GTX 760 2GB from MSI? Again, we wouldn't hesitate. We've always been fans of the HAWK and Lightning series from MSI and they really represent the highest quality product for this model.

MSI in typical fashion don't disappoint us. They continue to produce quality video card over quality video card and probably are one of the very few companies I would happily recommend a model to without having the chance to personally test it. Not only does the company set the bar high for themselves with models like these, but they also set it extremely high for the competition.

It doesn't matter if you're a casual overclocker looking to have some fun or someone more serious. Even if you don't want to overclock, though, the 1111MHz default core clock that comes out of the box means it's also the fastest out of the box GTX 760 available at the moment. It really is a massive out of the box overclock from the reference 980MHz core clock speed that NVIDIA offers.

If you're happy to pay a bit more for a quality product, we'd recommend this GTX 760 to you every day of the week. As we said, MSI continue to not disappoint us and that's only a good thing for you, the consumer. The GTX 760 2GB HAWK is just a quality all round product from MSI and a GTX 760 that really stands out from the pack for all the right reasons.

What do TweakTown.com awards mean? Click for details!

PRICING: You can find products similar to this one for sale below.

USUnited States: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com

UKUnited Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.co.uk

AUAustralia: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.com.au

CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

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.

Newsletter Subscription
We openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here. Please contact us if you wish to respond.