NVIDIA GeForce 4 Ti 4200 Shoot-Out
September Update: Best Data & MSI...

By - Marco Chiappetta
September 8, 2002

The MSI G4 Ti 4200 - 64MB Fully Loaded..and Red!

We were immediately impressed when we opened the box to our MSI G4 Ti4200.  This is a 64MB GeForce 4 Ti4200 with 3.6ns RAM, that sells for about $128 US, which makes it the least expensive card in the shoot-out.  It's equipped with a clear topped version of the NVIDIA designed reference cooler, but lacks any sort of heatsinks on the RAM.  Inside the box, we found a wide assortment of software that adds to the overall value of this product.  Included with the MSI G4 Ti4200 were full versions of three games, No One Lives Forever, AquaNox and Sacrifice.  There were also some useful utilities like WinProducer and WinDVD, as well as a driver CD and another disk with assorted game demos.  Not only was there a plethora of software, but MSI has also provided all of the necessary cables and adapters to connect the card to a second monitor or television.  How MSI can include all of this software and still keep the price so low is anybody's guess!

The Best Data: Arcade FX GeForce 4 Ti 4200 - 64MB A New Player!

New to the video card manufacturing list is Best Data, long known for their modems and other communication products. If there was ever a safe way to enter the market, it would be by developing cards based on NVIDIA's GeForce 4 line. In fact, Best Data has jumped right in with five different GF4 cards, catering to every budget and need. The 64MB Ti4200 we looked at was attractive, with a good contrast between the dark PCB and the glossy silver heatsink. The heatsink was attached using two retention clips and a generous amount of thermal paste, which entirely covered the GPU. The 64MB of RAM was made up of 4ns Hynix modules, not covered by any heatsinks. This was all well and good, and for most people could surely be enough. But, with so many other established companies producing such cards, one would expect there to be something particular to this package to entice the buyer to try something new. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Emptying the box, all we found was a Quick Start Guide covering the basics, an installation CD, a full version of PowerDVD XP, a S-Video cable, and a product registration card.

The MSI G4 Ti 4200 - 128MB Double-Vision...

No, you're not having Deja Vu!  The 128MB MSI GeForce 4 Ti4200 looks exactly that same as is 64MB counterpart.  The only differences between this card and the 64MB version are the extra memory, and the included software.  The same three full version games are there, but a few of the game demos and Intervideo's WinProducer were missing. At $163 US, this is the least expensive 128MB card in the shoot-out though, making it one hell of a deal especially with THREE full version games included.

The Test Rig & Some Numbers...