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Affordable MSI R3650 with 512MB of GDDR3 tested

by on22 April 2008

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Review: Plays some basic games



This time around we've got a tiny, but an important card. We're saying important, because ATI and Nvidia rake in a lot of dough on low and mid-range card sales, such as Radeon HD 3650. This tiny card is good enough for casual gamers that don’t use maximum detail settings (you can forget about antialiasing) or resolutions higher than 1024x768. Its HD decoding capabilities and low power consumptions are just some features that would make us think about buying this card if we’re running at a tight budget.

MSI’s version of Radeon HD 3650 is called R3650 T2D512. The core kept reference core speeds of 725MHz and it packs 512MB of GDDR3 memory running at 800MHz (1600MHz effectively).

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MSI R3650 T2D512 is just one of the cards based on RV635 graphics chip; the same chip HD 3600 series are based on. This graphics chip is built in 55nm and it’s a step forward from RV630 (65nm). HD 3600 is here to replace HD 2600 cards (RV630), but it also brings some novelties. Now we have PCIe 2.0 x16 support, PowerPlay technology, Shader Model 4.1, DirectX 10.1 and DisplayPort (the new audio/video interface that’ll replace HDMI). Although DisplayPort is natively supported on HD 3600 cards, MSI decided not to turn it on, which is understandable since DisplayPort monitors are still not common.

Still, one of the low points of the previous chipset is still here. We’re talking about the 128-bit memory interface that’s proven to be too slow for today’s game graphics. Hardware specifications of Radeon HD 3650 are more or less identical to those on HD 2600 XT, so we see 4 ROP units and 120 stream processors. Optimization of RV635 core resulted in 12 million transistors less, so now there’re 378 million transistors in total. RV630 doesn’t get too hot so the fan is also smaller. It also consumes less power so there’s no need for an additional power connector. PowerPlay technology is also featured, and it does a good job of reducing power consumption depending on GPU workload. In idle mode, HD 3650 will noticeably consume less power than when running under a heavy load.

In case you didn’t get a chance to see how core and memory speeds are dynamically altered to suit the needs of various tasks – the picture below speaks for itself. In gaming mode (3D) the card runs at 725MHz, whereas idle mode results in speeds of only 110MHz.

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We see that the core temperature is 53 degrees Celsius. The cooler was quiet and stayed that way, even when we put it through some serious paces. The fan is 5.5cm in diameter and, together with the heatsink, it takes up most of the space on this tiny card.

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512MB of GDDR3 Qimonda memory is equally distributed on both sides of this card. The front and back feature 256MB of memory each, and the memory is not cooled because MSI decided there was no need for that. The memory runs at 800MHz, but Qimonda specifications list this memory running at 1000MHz.

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In order to see the memory better, we took the cooler’s metal part off, and found out that the cooler isn’t as large as it seems. It measures 8cm in diameter, and you couldn’t fit a bigger cooler on this tiny PCB even if you wanted to. The cooler’s fins route the air to the memory chip.

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Two CrossFire connectors say that you can use it in CrossFireX mode, but it’s too fast to be used in Hybrid CrossFire (technology that allows combining integrated graphics and some low-end cards in order to get better results). DisplayLink and HDMI connectors are supported, but the card features only two dual-link DVI outs and TV (HDTV) out.

HD 3650 has PCI Express 2.0 interface, but, naturally, it’s compatible with PCI Express 1.0. Although the card features HDMI with 5.1 sound support, you don’t get the HDMI adapter in the box, so if you need it – you’ll have to go buy it.

The card is wrapped in a simple little box with some key features written on it.

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Testbed:

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Supplied by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Supplied by Intel)

Memory:
OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Supplied by OCZ)
        during testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
OCZ Silencer 750 Quad Black ( Supplied by OCZ)

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Supplied by Seagate)

CPU-Cooler:
Freezer 7 Pro (Supplied by Artic Cooling)

Case Fans:
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 12 PWM
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 8 PWM

 



Futuremarks

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In 3DMark06, MSI R3650 scored 4874 points, which is a good result for a €50 card. Geforce 8600 GTS didn’t fare so well here, and one would think that its price of €70 is a bit too steep for the performance it gives. However, we’ll see how things go in gaming tests.


Gaming

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The tiny HD R3650 did well in Company of Heroes and we could play it at 1600x1200. However, Antialiasing took its toll and the card stumbled at 1280x1024, but it still gave a decent framerate. A closer look at the table will reveal that it’s not just HD 3650 that suffers from this problem; all Radeon cards are generally not Antialiasing-friendly.

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Crysis is “playable” at medium settings, and it’s a great result for MSI R3650 T2D512 card. 

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World in Conflict is a demanding game, and we see that at 1024x768 and maximum detail setting, MSI HD 3650 scores playable 32 fps.

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In F.E.A.R., 8600 GTS proves that it’s a better choice for gaming, but we’re quite satisfied with our “casual-gaming” card HD 3650. Bear in mind that weaker configurations (compare it to ours) will yield lower results, but all in all, 1024x768 should result in playable frame-rates with HD 365.


Conclusion

Don’t expect wonders from HD 3650. MSI kept R3650 at reference speed, and we doubt that overclocking would result in any serious performance improvements in gaming. The card packs 512MB of GDDR3 memory and it will be enough to provide a couple hours of fun gaming.

It’s a nice solid card if gaming is not your hobby. It has some nice multimedia capabilities and it’s HDMI/HDTV ready. It’s not too big; it doesn’t consume too much power and should set you back a bit over €50. 8600GT, on the other hand, is almost always faster, whereas 9600GT and 3850 are almost two times faster.

It’s money well spent for the performance you get, and you get a nice card. However, for a bit more cash you can buy yourself an 8600GT that’s, as you can see, faster. If you’re serious about gaming, we’d recommend you to save up some more and buy yourself a 3850 or 9600GT in order to get more of those precious fps.

On the other hand, if you’re a casual gamer, MSI R3650 T2D512 Radeon 3650 is a great start.





 

Last modified on 23 April 2008
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