MSI's new NVIDIA 9600GT card includes "turbo" button for overclocking

Whatever you do, don't push the red button. MSI has pimped out its new GeForce 9600 GT Diamond graphics card with dual DVI, dual HDMI, optical audio and a shiny red button. The button bumps the clock speed of the graphics core and the memory, as well as increasing voltage to world-destroying levels. Unfortunately you'll have to reach around the back of your dusty machine to click it, but we're sure 30 minutes and a soldering iron can re-route the button to this little doomsday-inspired puppy.

[ChuChu @ May 27th 2008 11:29AM]

Now all they need is a sweeping LED array on the front and a soothing robotic voice that answers to "KITT".

[Shadowise @ May 27th 2008 11:37AM]

Just to get this noticed (sorry).
It's not dual HDMI, one of those is DisplayPort, hence the bigger size.

On another note, I used to have an old Pentium with a turbo button, it when from 60MHz to 90MHz when I pressed it. Instant 50% overclocking.

[Flashpoint @ May 27th 2008 11:59AM]

until you push the button - Crysis is completely unplayable.

[freakguy54321 @ May 27th 2008 12:09PM]

The need put, "Go Baby Go" on that red button!

[Karl Hackswell @ May 27th 2008 12:27PM]

@Shadowwise

The turbo button actually "slowed" PCs down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo_button

So what button are you talking about?

[Reid @ May 27th 2008 1:29PM]

ChuChu,

Like many RAID cards? :)

[biggerx @ May 27th 2008 1:37PM]

@ Hackswell. I bet you looked that up just to be a douche.

[Ender Wiggin @ May 27th 2008 3:39PM]

@Shadowise

You're went that fast? Mine jumped from 16MHz to 33MHz when I pressed the turbo button. Maybe that's why my friend found that computer in his neighbor's trash....

[andres @ May 27th 2008 4:16PM]

needs to be labeled
SHOOP DA WHOOP!

[Trip @ May 28th 2008 11:39AM]

If you read the wikipedia entry correctly, you'll notice that ...

"Of course, calling it a "turbo" button when its function slows the system down can be a bit misleading, but the button was usually set up so the system would be at full speed when the button was "on"."

According to that, most systems did in fact increase clock speed when the turbo button was pressed, even though the turbo feature was actually to lower the clock speed.

[Jack @ May 28th 2008 5:58AM]

my old 486 had one, it seemed to make all my dos games unplayable when pressed! :p

[Leva @ May 27th 2008 11:29AM]

Two gigs with this GPU!? Seems like a waste, but that will sell it.

[Slick @ May 27th 2008 11:32AM]

OOooo Shiny Red Button

[Andy TGD @ May 27th 2008 11:45AM]

Damn, why are shiny red buttons so incredibly tempting to press!!! Must... resist... urge to poke screen....

[tom @ May 27th 2008 11:56AM]

My 486 always had turbo mode on. I paid for it, I will leave it on regardless. I am not going to THINK about turning off.

[Nihility @ May 27th 2008 12:46PM]

@tom
you didn't have a turbo button, you had a slow-down button. Some programs weren't coded properly to handle faster CPUs so the option to slow it down was added (mostly digger).

[rutsy5 @ May 27th 2008 9:11PM]

Curse you Andy, I was completely fine until I read your post. Then I had to scroll up and actually poke it =_=

Its satisfying though, you should give it a go

[Peter @ May 27th 2008 11:32AM]

That is just sweet. I wonder how much of an overclock it provides you with, though. Also, I haven't seen very many dual-slot 9600GTs at all, so this must have better cooling to let you overclock when you want. It just shows me the hypocrisy, having a card that the factory says can run at X-speed, but they only give it to you at Y-speed, and charge more for one running at X. If it can handle the higher clock, why waste time with the lower clockspeed at all?

[Paul @ May 27th 2008 12:45PM]

Its because when Nvidia makes a batch of chips, a certain percentage of each batch has a certain amount of defective transistors on it. They then get seperated out by the number of defects on each chip.

That is why you have the 8800 GTX, GTS, GT, and GS. The 8800 GTX are the chips that had the fewest number of defects, and therefore can tolerate the higher clock rate.

[stardash @ May 27th 2008 11:32AM]

So they made a button with the same function as coolbits.reg? Kinda pointless if you ask me.

[midiwall @ May 27th 2008 11:33AM]

Anyone else remember the video cards for the IBM PC-AT with the switch on the back? Or was it one of the 80-column cards for the Apple ][?

[cxcitizen @ May 27th 2008 11:34AM]

Where is the NOS button??

[madeforidiots @ May 27th 2008 12:00PM]

That is the NOS button. For the graphics card anyway.

[andres @ May 27th 2008 4:21PM]

in the car

[Slick @ May 27th 2008 11:34AM]

So dual HDMI and dual DVI.. does this mean I could crank 4 displays at once?

[Jonathan Keim @ May 27th 2008 11:36AM]

usually, yes

[Nihility @ May 27th 2008 12:46PM]

That's one hell of a bonus feature, can anyone confirm this card runs four displays?

[w00t @ May 27th 2008 1:26PM]

Only if you push the red button really hard! :)

[Peter @ May 27th 2008 11:36AM]

Only one of those ports is HDMI, the other is DisplayPort.

Says so in the link too.

[Boosh! @ May 27th 2008 1:41PM]

is it me or do the Engadget bloggers just keep getting lazier and lazier. I mean they don't even check the fraking source articles to find out if their info is right anymore.

[Darkest Daze @ May 28th 2008 2:30AM]

I think they rely on the fact that 90% of the people coming here don't actually read the links either.

[Das Boot @ May 27th 2008 11:37AM]

I love red buttons. . . not sure why i would need a card like this though. also what if u press the button and it sets off a bomb that implodes the earth? i rather not risk it and stick to my pny 8500gt.

[huh @ May 27th 2008 11:42AM]

shows that I am actually getting old.. all the early PCs from the early clones to the late 286s had "Turbo" buttons. The earliest would go from 4.77mhz to 8mhz, the Turbo button was partially because early games were all clocked to the 4.77mhz chip, and when played in a "turbo" system, ran too fast. Ancient Art of War was a classic example.

[Matthew Hilario @ May 27th 2008 12:30PM]

that turbo button allowed me to play space quest: roger wilco something!

[Jonathan @ May 27th 2008 11:44AM]

Why not permanently run at the faster speed instead requiring the user to press a button to make it faster, its like saying my car goes 100mph but if i push a red button in the boot, it goes 120mph

[PDoc @ May 27th 2008 11:55AM]

Well, probably because it'll sound like a dust-buster when overclocked. Not ideal when all yer doing is watching a DVD or interwebbing. So to go back to your car analogy, imagine that with the boost on, your fuel usage doubles... You wouldn't want it switched on all the time in that case.

[whatishalo? @ May 27th 2008 12:08PM]

It's kind of like saying "it goes to 11"

[Vic the One @ May 27th 2008 12:12PM]

Overclocking increases the wear and tear on the card considerably. If one were to keep it overclocked all the time instead of just using the power when it is needed, the lifespan of the card would noticeably decrease. I think "turbo" buttons are a great idea.

[Jake @ May 27th 2008 11:44AM]

So you have to give the card a reach around to hit it's button?

[Vic the One @ May 27th 2008 12:19PM]

For this comment, you are hereby promoted to Vice President of the interwebs. Here are your 3000 internets. *hands 'em over*

[Low Ranked @ May 27th 2008 1:50PM]

Who are you to promote him to VP? Are you the actual President of the 'interwebs'?

And if so, how do you apply for that position?

[phanbouy @ May 27th 2008 2:13PM]

i'm Secretary of the Inferior

[Peter @ May 27th 2008 11:46AM]

30 mins soldering? bleh, 5 mins tops... 4 of those minutes are for my iron to heat up.

[Bakari @ May 27th 2008 11:52AM]

^^Nerd.

[BradVT @ May 27th 2008 2:18PM]

Thats what she said

[engadget @ May 27th 2008 11:50AM]

The shiny, candy-like button ...

[Frankenstein Black @ May 27th 2008 11:51AM]

Another "toaster" configuration to heat bread and keep you warm in the winter (or summer). Question: HOW DOES THIS DESIGN VENT HOT AIR OUT OF THE BACK OF THE CASE?

[sinai @ May 27th 2008 11:52AM]

this reminds me of the old days. did anyone run their computers with the turbo button off?

didn't think so.

nifty gimmick though.

[phanbouy @ May 27th 2008 2:45PM]

some of those Sierra games scrolled too fast with turbo on

[sinai @ May 27th 2008 4:00PM]

i had a boss who worked at a navy base. this was way back, 20 years ago. they said "make this computer go faster," so he did.

that night, military police shows up at his hotel room with mp5s pointed at him. they questioned him on why the clocks were 12 hours ahead.