What is the difference between MSI StarForce 831 / MSI StarForce 815??

[optimistic]

What is the difference bettween the MSI's 831 & 815 line of Geforce Pro cards?

As seen on NewEgg:

$142
MSI StarForce 831, GeForce2 Pro, 64MB DDR RAM, 5.5 ns. Heat Sink, High Quality Fan and 4 pins TV Out Cable 4X/2X AGP, bundled with 1 S-Video Cable, 1 MSI DVD & 3D Turbo 2000 Utilities, on board (S-Video) TV-out, Retail Box

$125
*** Refurbished *** MSI StarForce 815 Pro GTS , Geforce 2 Pro (NV16), 64MB 5ns DDR RAM, Heat Sink, High Quality Fan and 4 pins TV Out Cable 4X/2X AGP, bundled with 1 S-Video Cable, 1 MSI DVD & 3D Turbo 2000 Utilities, on board (S-Video) TV-out, Retail Box. - ONLY 30 Day Warranty!!


What are the risks in buying a refurbished video card from newegg? It says retail version, so all parts are included right? Why the 30day warranty? Because it has been opened and returned?

Both cards almost look idetical except for the faster memory on the MSI StarForce 815 Pro. (5ns vs. 5.5ns). Is there anything here I'm missing?

I'm in the market for a video card, obviously, and have been looking hard at the KyroII chipsets. But I decided it's not worth the risk in buying a card with no fully matured drivers yet. Also the video-out with the MSI cards are a big plus for me and it only costs $15 more(Retail vs OEM KYROII). Also I'm concerend about DVD playback quality, and not sure which card would be better at decoding my dvd's/mpegs. I know ATI's regimes supreme in DVD-playback but I can't find a simliarly priced card that cant match the peformance of the Geforce2 Pro cards. Also does anyone know if this MSI card have support for DVI?

Is the MSI StarForce 815 Pro, Geforce2 Pro, $125 the best choice for me right now?
Any input would be appreciated!

-------------------
ABIT KT7A
AMD Thunderbird 1.2GHz "AVIA" (no OC)
256 MB of Micron PC133 Cl3
Inno3D 32MB TNT2 Model64/Pro
IBM 75GXP 45.0 GB @ 7200 RPMS
PIONEER 16X DVD-105SZ
LITEON 12X10X32 CDRW
SB Live Value!
PAL6035 w/ Sunon 27CFM 34DBA
Enermax Thermo Control 2x80mm
Enermax CS-A1QX-06 Case
Enermax EG301P-VB (300W) PSU

 

[AppleTalking]

The MSI 831 card advertised there is not a GF2 Pro. It may say GF2 Pro on the box and on the card, but the 5.5ns memory is an indication that it is not a GF2 Pro. OTOH, the MSI 815 card is a true Pro card by virtue of its 5ns memory. True Pro cards are clocked at 200/400 (core/memory clock), while the "fake" cards are clocked at only 200/366. So by getting a true GF2 Pro, you get additional memory bandwidth and you can overclock your card even higher. Some have gotten their Pro cards up to Ultra levels!

I don't understand what you mean about the Kyro II not having fully matured drivers. That's ridiculous. It's works with all current games and the vast majority of old games. I've not had a single problem with it with the more than a dozen games I've tried.

Nick

 

[nj]

You know, If I had it over again, I might have picked up a Radeon or a Kyro II. But the Geforce 2 PRO is a damn fine card. (And at the time the Kyro II JUST debuted). I think the GF2 PRO is a bit more of an industry standard as opposed to the Kyro II. Which says everything about pyschology of buying components and nothing about the wonderful quality of the Kyro II. I will consider buying a Kyro III or whatever instead of the rather overpriced Nvidia product. Nonetheless, I purchased an 831 5ns pro and I'm happy as hell with it.

The difference between the 831 and the 815pro is hard to tell anymore. MSI is HORRIBLE about clearly marking their cards specs. I bought an 831 with 5ns ram, and I'm sure there are vendors out there who STILL have that. But I'm not sure how anybody would even tell now unless you got a kind vendor (like newegg) who is willing to check.

So to answer your question, the only real difference between the models is that the 815pro is at 5ns for sure, and the 831 could either be 5ns or 5.5ns memory. I think the 815pro refurb at 130.00 shipped is a great card at a great price. Just hope it doesn't break on you, cuz MSI tech sucks.

 

[KurtD]

I don't think the 815 has the true Nvidia "PRO" chipset - the 831 does. I think the 815 Pro is just an 815 GTS with 64mb of 5ns memory, but not the "pro" chipset? My 831 has the 5ns ddr and defaults at 200/400 as the pro should. Both cards will likely perform about the same. I would only purchase a refurb from a reputable supplier with a good warranty.

 

[nj]

They are all just Geforce GTS's with different ram timings. The ULTRA has an overclocked core at 250, but it's still the same basic chipset.

I think I have "PRO Chipset" written on my 831 card and box too. It really doesn't make my card any faster or different then a 815pro though

 

[Avatar26]

Both cards, contrary to the info on Newegg.com, are TRUE Pro cards. They both use 5ns DDR memory, which is the only distinction between a Pro card and a GTS. I have an 815 Pro in my main system now, and am ordering an 831 for my secondary system. Great cards!

 

[NightTrain]

The 815 is discontinued and replaced by the 831.

That's it.

 

[Banana]

Apple: I have an MSI 8831 from NewEgg--it is a true GF2Pro with 5 ns memory. It's OC'd to 220/440 currently.

1YP

 

[nj]

Are you all sure that newegg.com is incorrect? Are they going off of the box specs or the numbers off the card?

I have the MSI 831 and it is indeed 5ns, but I wouldn't put it past MSI to use the cheaper 5.5ns ram. Back when I was trying to find out about the MSI 820, there were people reportedly talking to MSI techs who said that MSI has a policy of using whatever ram is cheaper in their cards, at any time. I briefly had a GTS with 6ns ram despite a box that proclaimed it had 5ns ram.

Just food for thought before somebody blows ~$150 and gets a substandard card.

 

[tea217]

Sorry....this is an irrelevant question..

Does newegg ship their products to places in Canada...??