Before starting our test, lets find out where the MSI 8600GTS OC edition stands in terms of absolute power compared with other models and SLI setups. In 3D Mark 05, we got a score of 11685 that places the card in the middle, behind the Asus 8600GTS Top. We have to remind you that Asus 8600GTS Top is clocked higher in both GPU/core so it should perform better in all tests.

Passing to 3D Mark 06, MSI 8600GTS OC performed better than the Asus 8600GTS Top, with a difference of only 48 points, which can be explained from the different Forceware driver revision.