Closer Look: MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC

When I got home and saw the box for the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC waiting for me, I got pretty excited. The box looks fantastic. The Gaming G Series logo on the front and the dragon highlight that this card is made for gamers without overdoing it with half-naked characters or battle scenes. The front of the box hints at some of the MSI specific features that come with the N760 TF 2GD5/OC. You can clearly see that this card with use the Twin Frozr cooling design, and the OC edition sticker in the bottom left corner offers some insight.

The back of the box is quite a bit busier. Here we get all the details about the features of the N760 TF 2GD5/OC and what specifically sets it apart from the competition. A couple of things shown on the back that we will discuss a little later include the Twin Frozr IV thermal design and the Military Class components.

From the front of the N760 TF 2GD5/OC you can clearly see that this GTX 760 video card follows in the Twin Frozr legacy that MSI has built. The Twin Frozr Advanced Thermal Design is now in its 4th iteration, but the not much has changed. MSI claims to have started the dual-fan trend and the Twin Frozr IV sticks with the original dual-fan, dual-slot design. The Twin Frozr IV design uses two large fans on top of some huge heatsinks that cover the components. The Twin Frozr design uses five heatpipes to transfer heat from the components to the heatsinks, where they are cooled by the fans.

From the rear of the N760 TF 2GD5/OC you can see what I mean by a huge heatsink. It’s raised slightly off the PCB which should allow for nice airflow over the components that are not directly plated.

The top of the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC shows that the shroud and piping of the Twin Frozr IV design actually extend beyond the limits of the PCB itself, so the card is actually a little larger than some other GTX 760 designs might be. The shroud hides the four smaller heatpipes and only the larger, longer heatpipe is visible. The top view here also shows the extra PCI-E connector’s you are going to need from your PSU to support the N760 TF 2GD5/OC. As you can see, you’ll need a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector.

Unfortunately, the N760 TF 2GD5/OC only includes one MOLEX to 6-pin PCI-E adapter, so check your PSU before you get home and realize that the card won’t work with your system. Besides the adapter, the only other accessories that the N760 TF 2GD/OC came with is a user’s guide, an installation disc, and a DVI to VGA adapter.

What is particularly interesting about the lack of accessories is the box inside the video box that the accessories came packaged in. If you noticed that the disc case was a little bent up, this is why. Inside the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC box is another box for the accessories. It is huge. The four items that were in that secondary box just slid around any time the box was moved. Honestly, I think it’s a huge waste of packaging and totally unnecessary. If they included a poster, like some manufacturers do, or a decal, or something else, that box might come in handy.

The back of the MSI N760 TF 2GD5/OC really shows how the heatpipe and the shroud overlap the PCB. Unfortunately, that same shroud hides the other heatpipes. I am a fan of the visible heatpipes, so this knocks the N760 down a point in visual appeal for me.

Further inspection of the back of the MSI N760 TF 2GD/OC shows the excellent build quality of this GTX 760 video card. The most concentrated section of the card is very neatly organized with no left over solder or staining.

Now in the next section, let’s explore some of the other features MSI had added into the N760 TF 2GD5/OC.