Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX OC

NVIDIA usually pleases the enthusiast community with their product launches, and no launch has been more memorable lately than the GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS graphic card launch more than eighteen months ago. So when the 9800 GTX product line launched on April 1st, 2008 there was a lot of commotion surrounding the new crown prince. With such a successful debut of the 8800 GTX back in 2006, the level of enthusiast skepticism surrounding the new 9800 GTX was unquestionably high. First came the lower mid-level 9600 GT, and then the ultra-high level GeForce 9800 GX2 which utilized two G92 GPU cores. Yet title of fastest single-GPU video card remains the honor of NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 GTX. Benchmark Reviews has already helped launch this product, and now we're back to test the performance of Foxconn's new GeForce 9800 GTX OC Edition 512MB video card 9800GTX-512N.

Since several of the former heavyweight products are now threatened with replacement by the new GeForce 9800 GTX, there seems to be a lot of concern as to how well it performs against the older 8800 GTX and Ultra which it supersedes. Gamers want to know if the GX2 is worth the money, or if they should wait. Making this decision a little more difficult is yet another change to the upcoming graphics market.

Powered by the NVIDIA G92 graphics processor originally introduced with the GeForce 8800 GT series, the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card takes the GeForce family one step higher. The new PCI Express 2.0 interface sends data at rates up to 5.0 GBps, which then uses the memory bus to build a 512 MB video frame buffer for smoother performance and realistic textures in PC games. The 1100 MHz GDDR3 video memory on the GTX communicates with the 685 MHz G92 graphics processor through a 256-bit memory interface. For an extra performance boost during intense gaming situations, NVIDIA has designed the GTX to offer 128 stream processors operating at 1713 MHz.

Compared to the older PCI Express x16 bus which it replaces, the new PCI Express 2.0 interface delivers 5.0 GBps of graphical bandwidth which amounts to twice the data throughput over the previous generation. In the new generation of PCI Express 2.0 compatible motherboards, such as the Gigabyte's GA-X48T-DQ6 which we used for testing, this new technology delivers bleeding edge graphics while remaining backwards compatible with older PCI Express x16 motherboards.

In the past, Benchmark Reviews has compared GeForce 8800 Graphics Performance: GT vs GTS vs GTX. In that article, it was shown that a more affordable 8800 GT could easily beat a heavily-overclocked 8800 GTS and close the gap with far more expensive 8800 GTX. Not much later we tested the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition HDMI video card which in many tests performed very near to the more expensive 8800 GTX. But now that the 9800 series has its third product offering it seems as though the 8800 series is so... last generation. But don't think that the new name will somehow convince us that it will be an inherently better product; we still plan to test just how the new 9800 GTX fits into all of this.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I bought my first discrete graphics card to outfit an overclocked Cyrix M2-300 6x86MX-based computer. Back in those Windows 98 (first edition) days of 1998 the term GeForce wasn't even in existence yet, and NVIDIA was called referred to as nVidia. So when I bought my first computer late that year, I would have never thought Quake II played on my RIVA TNT2 AGP video card would mark the last time I would spend money in an arcade. This was nearly ten years ago and since that time NVIDIA has developed several successful GeForce product lines, including the newly launched 9th generation.

Many hardware enthusiasts have already read the early leaked reviews surrounding the 9800 GTX, and have been asking some important questions about NVIDIA's newest product. Because the list of improvements is not exactly a major step up from previous products, gamers are wondering why they should make the move. Here's NVIDIA's answer to that question:

• Unprecedented performance at the $299-$349 price point.
• NVIDIA 3-way SLI Technology for the ultimate performance in DirectX 9, DirectX 10 and OpenGL games.
• NVIDIA HybridPower technology - users can switch off the graphics card while not playing intense 3D games, saving power.
• NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology - enjoy all your HD movies with smooth playback, high image quality, and advanced post processing.

Benchmark Reviews will test the new Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition 512MB video card 9800GTX-512N against the most widely used NVIDIA products it competes against.

About the Company: FOXCONN (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd)

Foxconn is the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of advanced computer, communications, and consumer electronics components. Hon Hai Precision Industry may be the biggest electronics company you never heard of, more commonly known by its trade name: Foxconn, is one of the world's largest contract electronics manufacturers. It manufactures computer, consumer electronics, and communications products, including connectors, cable assemblies, enclosures, flat-panel displays, game consoles, motherboards, and servers. Hon Hai also provides design engineering and mechanical tooling services. The company's customers include Apple, Cisco, Dell, Nokia, and Sony. CEO Terry Gou founded Hon Hai in 1974 to make plastic switches for televisions. With over three decades of demonstrated manufacturing excellence, Hon Hai sets the standard in the industry for product quality and reliability, customer support, and value. In 2005 Hon Hai had sales of $25 billion (USD).

The Channel Service Division (CSD), part of the PCE Business Group of Hon Hai, is Hon Hai's worldwide organization for servicing channel customers. Guided by the mantra "The Art of More", CSD is dedicated to making it simpler and more affordable for its customers to offer superior information systems to their consumer and enterprise customers. CSD serves a network of distributors and OEM customers in Asia, EMEA, and the Americas.

Foxconn's Channel Innovation & Service Group (CISG) is committed to providing reliable, high-quality products to all its customers - large and small. We understand how the channel has evolved - its impact on consumers and the people who work in the computer industry. Consequently, we are aggressively innovating to deliver solid, honest products that promote simplicity and ease of use, while at the same time appreciating the natural and human environment through the entire product life cycle. Through this philosophy of connecting people and technologies, Foxconn CISG is enabling a vast range of PC assemblers, retailers and end-users the freedom to create their own computing solutions.

Guided by a belief that the electronics products would be an integral part of everyday life in every office and in every home, Terry Gou founded Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd., the anchor company of Foxconn Technology Group in 1974 with US$7,500, a devotion in integrating expertise for mechanical and electrical parts and an uncommon concept to provide the lowest "total cost" solution to increase the affordability of electronics products for all mankind.

Today, Foxconn Technology Group is the foremost provider of joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services to global Computer, Communication and Consumer-electronics ("3C") leaders. Aided by its legendary execution, uncompromising customer devotion and its award-winning proprietary business model, eCMMS, Foxconn Group is not only the largest, but also the fastest growing multinationals manufacturing services provider (including CEM, EMS, ODM and CMMS) in the world.

Focusing on fields of nanotechnology, heat transfer, wireless connectivity, material sciences, and green manufacturing process, Foxconn's over 15,000 patents granted worldwide by 2005 made it a recognized leader of innovation and technical know-how in rankings such as MIT's patent scorecard.

Foxconn's commitment to continual education, investing in its people long term and localization globally not only leads to the deep collaborating relationships with leading institutions of higher learning, but also helps to make this Fortune Global 500 company's global operations including the largest exporter in Greater China and the second largest exporter in Czech Republic, and also allows it to be the only company consistently ranked among top ten in the Business Week IT100 since 2002.

GeForce 9800 GTX Features

Backed by NVIDIA'sLumenex Engine, the GeForce 9800 GTX delivers true 128-bit floating point high dynamic range (referred to as HDR), lighting capabilities with up to 16x full-screen anti-aliasing. Second-generation NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology with HDCP compliance delivers the ultimate high-definition video viewing experience to the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card 9800GTX-512N.

With hardware decoding for Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, PureVideo HD technology lowers CPU utilization when watching high-definition video formats by decoding the entire video stream in the graphics processor, freeing up the processor for other tasks. In addition to low CPU utilization, PureVideo HD enhances standard definition video content withde-interlacing and other post-processing algorithms to ensure standard DVD movies look their best on the PC screen and high-definition television sets. High definition content protection, or HDCP, technology ensures a secure connection between the GeForce 9800 GTX graphics card and an HDCP capable monitor for viewing protected content such as high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD movies.

Coupled withPureVideo HD technology, the 9800 GTX deliver the ultimate multimedia experience. HDMI technology allows users to connect PCs to high-definition television sets with a single cable, delivering high-definition surround sound audio and video with resolutions up to 1080p. PureVideo HD technology scales video in the highest quality up to resolutions of 2560x1600 - from standard and high-definition file formats - while preserving the details of the original content. PureVideo HD technology also accelerates high-definition video decode, freeing up CPU cycles while watching high-definition Blu-ray and HD DVD movies or other VC-1 and H.264 encoded file formats.

NVIDIA Unified Architecture

• Unified shader architecture
• GigaThread^TM technology
• Full support for Microsoft DirectX 10
• Geometry shaders
• Geometry instancing
• Streamed output
• Shader Model 4.0
• Full 128-bit floating point precision through the entire rendering pipeline

NVIDIA Lumenex Engine

• 16x full screen anti-aliasing
• Transparent multisampling and transparent supersampling
• 16x angle independent anisotropic filtering
• 128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting with anti-aliasing
• 32-bit per component floating point texture filtering and blending
• Advanced lossless compression algorithms for color, texture, and z-data
• Support for normal map compression
• Z-cull
• Early-Z

NVIDIA Quantum Effects Technology

• Advanced shader processors architecture for physics computation
• Simulate and render physics effects on the graphics processor

NVIDIA Triple-SLI Technology

• Patented hardware and software technology allows threeGeForce-based graphics cards to run in parallel to scale performance and enhance image quality on today's top titles.

NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology

Along with world-class video acceleration, PureVideo HD has been at the forefront of advanced video post-processing. With the R174 series driver, we are introducing new features for PureVideo HD for GeForce 9800 GTX. These new features, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement and Dynamic Blue, Green, and Skin Tone Enhancements, are extremely computationally intensive and not found on even the most high-end Blu-ray or HD DVD players. But by tapping into the enormous pool of computational power offered by our processor cores, we can now enable post-processing techniques that have yet to be realized in fixed-function video processors.

• Dedicated on-chip video processor
• High-definition H.264, VC-1, MPEG2 and WMV9 decode acceleration
• Advanced spatial-temporal de-interlacing
• HDCP capable3
• Spatial-Temporal De-Interlacing
• Noise Reduction
• Edge Enhancement
• Bad Edit Correction
• Inverse telecine (2:2 and 3:2 pull-down correction)
• High-quality scaling
• Video color correction
• Microsoft Video Mixing Renderer (VMR) support

Advanced Display Functionality

• Two dual-link DVI outputs for digital flat panel display resolutions up to 2560x1600
• One dual-link DVI outputs for digital flat panel display resolutions up to 2560x16004
• Dual integrated 400MHz RAMDACs for analog display resolutions up to and including 2048x1536 at 85Hz
• Integrated HDTV encoder provides analog TV-output (Component/Composite/S-Video) up to 1080i resolution
• NVIDIA nView multi-display technology capability
• 10-bit display processing

Dynamic Color Enhancement

By analyzing the color components of each frame, we can also isolate and improve the appearance of blue, green, and skin tones, which the human eye is particularly sensitive to. Unlike televisions which have built-in image processors, PC monitors typically display the input picture without any processing, which can result in comparatively dull images. Dynamic blue, green, and skin tone enhancement alleviates this problem by applying correction curves on these sensitive colors. The result is improved total balance and clarity, without over saturation.

Built for Microsoft Windows Vista

• Full DirectX 10 support
• Dedicated graphics processor powers the new Windows Vista Aero 3D user interface
• VMR-based video architecture

High Speed Interfaces

• Designed for PCI Express x16
• Designed for high-speed GDDR3 and DDR3 memory

Operating Systems

• Built for Microsoft Windows Vista
• Windows XP/Windows XP 64
• Linux

API Support

• Complete DirectX support, including Microsoft DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0
• Full OpenGL support, including OpenGL 2.0

NVIDIA Hybrid SLI Technology

Benchmark Reviews learned of Hybrid SLI during our time with NVIDIA at the 2008 International CES. I thought that seeing the Stereoscopic 3D Gaming demonstration would be the highlight of NVIDIA's offerings, but then the following morning they proved to have at least one more trick up their sleeve. At CES we were privileged to see Hybrid SLI make it's formal release.

NVIDIA announced the industry's first hybrid technology for PC platforms-Hybrid SLI^TM-that addresses two critical issues: increasing graphics performance and reducing power consumption. NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology will be incorporated into a wide variety of graphics and motherboard desktop and notebook products that the Company is rolling out for both AMD and Intel desktop and notebook computing platforms throughout 2008.

"From the introduction of programmable GPU's to the rapid adoption of our multi-GPU SLI technology, NVIDIA has repeatedly pioneered and innovated to solve difficult problems for the industry. We believe Hybrid SLI technology is one of the most important innovations we've come up with to date," said Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of NVIDIA. "Hybrid SLI delivers new multi-GPU technology to a large segment of the PC market, delivering consumers a level of PC graphics performance and power efficiency never before seen."

First disclosed in June 2007, NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology is based on the Company's market-leading GeForce graphics processor units (GPUs) and SLI multi-GPU technology. Hybrid SLI enables NVIDIA motherboard GPUs (mGPUs) to work cooperatively with discrete NVIDIA GPUs (dGPUs) when paired in the same PC platform. Hybrid SLI provides two new technologies- GeForce Boost and HybridPower^TM-that allow the PC to deliver graphics performance for today's applications and games when 3D graphics horsepower is required, or transition to a lower-powered operating state when not.

NVIDIA HybridPower Technology

For lower energy consumption and quieter PC operation, HybridPower allows the PC to switch processing from a single GPU or multiple GPUs in SLI configuration to the onboard motherboard GPU. HybridPower is most useful in situations where graphics horsepower is not required, such as high definition movie playback on a notebook platform or simple e-mail or Internet browsing on a desktop. It is also beneficial for those users who want a quiet operating state with reduced thermals and noise. For notebooks, HybridPower can also dramatically extend battery life by up to 3 hours. When a game or application is started that requires the additional 3D horsepower, the PC can automatically transition back to the discrete graphics cards and power up the 3D capabilities all transparent to the end user.

In applications where 3D performance is required, GeForce Boost turbo-charges 3D operation by combining the processing power of the traditional NVIDIA GeForce-based graphics card with that of the second GPU integrated into the motherboard core logic. In media-rich applications, bothGPUs work in tandem to render the combined images with the end user benefiting from the increase in performance and frame rate. For typical games and 3D applications, GeForce Boost can kick in automatically resulting in a greatly enhanced consumer experience.

When coupled with a HybridPower-enabled motherboard, the GeForce 9800 GTX can be power down completely. For everyday computing and watching HD movies, the motherboard GPU is used and the GeForce 9800 GTX can be turned off, consuming no power at all. When an intensive 3D application is engaged, users can turn on the GeForce 9800 GTX for maximum performance. HybridPower works by sending the output of the discrete GPU through the output connector on the motherboard. This allows the system to use bothGPUs as it sees fit without physically changing the connector.

NVIDIA is the recognized market leader for GPU desktop and notebook solutions for both Intel and AMD platforms and has a full lineup of Hybrid SLI-capable graphics and motherboard products planned for 2008. New Hybrid SLI-capable products include the upcoming NVIDIA nForce 780a SLI, nForce 750a SLI, and nForce 730a media and communication processors (MCPs) for AMD CPUs, which will be released next month, as well as the new GeForce 8200-the industry's first micro-ATX motherboard solution with an onboard Microsoft DirectX 10-compliant motherboard GPU. NVIDIA Hybrid SLI notebooks as well as desktop products designed for Intel CPUs will be available next quarter. Look for Hybrid SLI to make its way into everything NVIDIA produces from this point forward.

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9800GTX-512N Specifications

Coupled withPureVideo HD technology, the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card 9800GTX-512N delivers an astounding multimedia experience. The GeForce 9800 GTX features two dual-link, HDCP-enabled DVI-I outputs for connection to analog and digital PC monitors and HDTVs, a 7-pin analog video-out port that supports S-Video directly, plus composite and component (YPrPb) outputs via an optional (and included) dongle.

• Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition SKU: 9800GTX-512N
• S/PDIF Digital audio cable included
• HDMI resolutions: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p
• PCI Express 2.0 interface
• 128 Total stream processors
• Dual card-slot active cooling solution
• 512 MB Total GDDR3 memory
• 256-bit memory interface
• PureVideo HD technology with hardware decoding of high-definition video formats
• Dual dual-link DVI - up to 2560x1600
• DVI HDTV output: 480p/720p/1080i

Bus Support

• PCI Express 2.0
• PCI Express x16 Backwards Compatible

3D Acceleration

• Microsoft DirectX10 support
• Unified Shader Model 4.0
• OpenGL 2.1

Others

• HDTV Ready
• Vista Ready
• SLI Ready
• HDCP Ready
• DVI Audio
• Dual Link Dual DVI
• RoHS Compliant

Dual-Stream Decode

Recently, studios have begun taking advantage of the additional space high-definition media such as Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs provide by adding dual-stream picture-in-picture functionality to movies. Often the PiP content is coupled with advanced BD-J (Java) or HDi (XML) features, so taking the processing burden off of the CPU is even more important for titles with these advanced features. The latest PureVideo HD engine now supports dual-stream hardware acceleration which takes the workload off of the CPU and gives it to the more powerful GPU.

G92 Graphics Processing Unit

• NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX 685 MHz Graphics Engine
• 128 Stream Processors
• 1713 MHz Shader clock
• 400 MHz RamDAC
• Max. Resolution @ 2560 x 1600
• True 128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting with 16x full- screen anti-aliasing

Memory

• 512MB GDDR3 vRAM
• 1100 MHz memory clock (2200 MHz realized)
• 256-bit memory bus
• Mem Type: 16Mx32-1.0 GDDR3
• Memory pieces: 8
• Memory package: uBGA

HDCP over dual-link allows video enthusiasts to enjoy high-definition movies on extreme high-resolution panels such as the 30" Dell 3007WFP at 2560 x 1600 withno black borders. The GeForce 9800 GTX also provides native support for HDMI output, using a certified DVI-to-HDMI adaptor in conjunction with the built-in SPDIF audio connector.

Aero with HD DVD and Blu-ray Playback

Until now, users have been unable to take advantage of the Aero user interface in Windows Vista while playing HD video. When this was attempted, Vista would revert back to a basic theme and Aero would be disabled.

PureVideo HD now supports HD movie playback in Aero mode. This creates a more seamless user experience by eliminating the pop-up message notifying that Vista has switched to basic mode. As you can see in the screenshot below, Aero windows are enabled in conjunction with HD movie playback.

With HDMI support the 9800 GTX-based graphics solution is among the fastest graphics card available, and when paired with a 7 Series NVIDIA nForce motherboard, creates the latest in a line of powerful NVIDIA gaming platforms. Be blown away by scorching frame rates, true-to-life extreme HD gaming, and picture-perfect Blu-ray and HD DVD movies.

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GeForce 9800 GTX Closer Look

The Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition uses a dual-slot design with improved clearance around the fan for optimal cooling and airflow. The board is cooled with an exceptionally quiet on-board "smart" fan; even when playing the most graphics-intensive 3D games, the GeForce 9800 GTX remained whisper quiet. Since I'm sure you just closely read through the myriad of features and specifications then you already know that you can use the 9800 GTX for something other than playing video games. The HDMI functionality is a new direction for NVIDIA graphic cards, and paired with the smart fan design and external exhausting ventilation the GeForce 9800 GTX will find itself at home in HTPC environments too.

The Foxconn 9800 GTX comes in one color: black. I blame this on NVIDIA, which hasn't given their add-in card partners (AIC's) the engineering information necessary to create working modifications. So keeping in mind that this little gem was tough to photograph, please don't be too upset with my images. In contrast to the equally dark Gigabyte 9800 GX2 we just tested, the new 9800 GTX looks a whole lot more exciting. It replaces the 8800 GTX (and 8800 Ultra), and measures exactly as long those video cards. The key differences surround the blower fan region, which is contoured to enhance airflow and reduce obstructions.

Similar to the NVIDIA reference design, Foxconn has sculpted their version of the GeForce 9800 GTX with the same overall appearance. Utilizing a glossy piano-black shell to encase the G92 GTX GPU, the delicate electronics inside are kept safe from accidental impact damage. I still feel the sting of a past incident where an accidental snag loosened a critical electronic component from the PCB of our older GeForce 8800 GTX in-between tests, which resulted in skewed results and some nasty fan mail. Thanks to the new well-conceived design those worries are all behind us now.

The Foxconn 9800GTX-512N graphics card is a performance optimized high-end card on every level. Power is taken from the PCI Express host bus as well as from two 6-pin PCI Express power connectors. Without any auxiliary power provided to the GeForce 9800 GTX graphics card, an LED on the bracket will shine red and the graphics card will not boot. In addition, the connector that is not adequately powered will turn red. Together this new functionality offers immediate feedback for enthusiasts concerned about providing adequate power to the GPU. In the past, low/no auxiliary power situations sounded a piezo buzzer which was so loud you could often mis-located the origin of the alarm.

Because the HDMI audio functionality is controlled at a hardware level, there is no need for additional drivers or software. Much like the SPDIF connection on the back of a motherboard, the video cards audio out function is plug-n-play. The P/SPDIF cable included with the kit connects between a small two-pin port on the power-connection side of the unit (near the green GeForce chevrons) and the HT Omega Claro Plus+ AD8620BR Op Amp sound card we used for testing. Your setup may be different, so the cable may connect between the 9800 GTX and either your motherboard or sound card digital input pins. Not all motherboards and sound cards support this option, so make sure it's available before you make your purchase. The 9800 GTX, unlike previous generation NVIDIA cards, is equipped with the PureVideo 2 engine for GPU assisted decoding of the H.264 and VC-1 CODEC's.

A few months back we reviewed ZOTAC's GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition HDMI video card, which used a DVI-to-HDMI adapter and S/PDIF audio input cable to stream full HDMI audio and video output for the first time in any NVIDIA product. Then just weeks ago the GeForce 9800 GX2 was launched with the same HDMI functionality and features. HDMI is back again (although not with a native interface) in the GeForce 9800 GTX.

In the image above you would be keen to notice twoSLI connections. NVIDIA has designed the GeForce 9800 GTX to operate in a 3-way SLI configuration, which they have tested to be faster than a pair of GeForce 9800 GX2 cards in Quad SLI in certain applications and resolutions For some applications, the GeForce 9800 GTX placed into a 3-way SLI set will be faster than a set of Quad SLI GeForce 9800 GX2's. The big question gamers and hardware enthusiasts will need answer for themselves is if their configuration is will support this functionality in terms of power supply, case, and cooling.

At this first stages of early product release, AIC's didn't offer any real difference from the NVIDIA reference design and their own products. Even now, partners have had to settle on making BIOS adjustments (for overclocking) and bundle games in order to add value, because in all actuality they offer virtually identical products with many similar GPU, GDDR-3, and shader clock specifications. Aside from the Foxconn decal on the top of the 9800 GTX, this card and the reference version are nearly one in the same.

One of the primary problems encountered with the 8800 GTX and Ultra was the tight confinement it created inside the case which often times led to poor cooling. NVIDIA has redesigned the tail end of the 9800 GTX using contours to help open up air channels. The opening at the rear of the card is hollowed to allow supplemental cooling-air intake, resembling a jets intake manifold.

Please continue on to the next section where Benchmark Reviews takes a detailed look at the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card 9800GTX-512N.

Foxconn 9800 GTX Detailed Features

In our last section, we skimmed over the outer skin of the new GeForce 9800 GTX. With a basic understanding of what you'll get on the outside, we're ready to get inside the product and dissect the technology. This information will be very helpful for those hardware enthusiasts and overclockers willing to void their warranty and potentially ruin this expensive product in order to tweak it's electronics. This information is for entertainment purposes only, and not a recommendation to disassemble your product or perform modifications.

As I prepared to disassemble the shiny new Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition, I made note of the similarities between this PCB and the 8800 GT. Aside from the dual SLI expansion slots, the design appeared very close to the last generation; if anything there was very little PCB redesign needed on NVIDIA's part.

Once I had carefully removed fourteen spring-loaded screws, three rearward set screws, and two plastic screws on the header panel, the GeForce 9800 GTX came apart with a light pull. The very first think I noticed was the absurdly large over-application of Thermal Interface Material. Since I am unsure of who builds these components for Foxconn, I can't place blame. It has recently become common practice for AIC's to simply ship the branding logo to the NVIDIA assembly plant for drop shipments.

On a different note, the heatsink design is remarkably similar to the sandwiched version inside the GeForce 9800 GX2. With a slightly lower profile and identical impressions, it doesn't take much imagination to envision a PCB secured to each side of this cooling unit.

Once the PCB received a good cleaning, the 9800 GTX began to look a lot more respectable. Solid state capacitors and ferrite core chokes were surface mounted in the same fashion as we see Gigabyte tout in their Ultra Durable 2 design. If you're adventurous and decide to open up your own graphics card, which we do not recommend, then you should be careful around these capacitors. They may offer a longer product lifetime over standard capacitors, but they are also very easy to break away from the printed circuit board.

The Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX (G92) GPU is manufactured using 65nm technology, employing a total of 754 million transistors, making it the most complex GPU ever created. Featuring 128 processors cores operating at 1713 MHz, the GPU pushes an astounding 432 GigaFLOPs. Each processor core is capable of being dynamically allocated to vertex, pixel, and geometry operations for the utmost efficiency in GPU resource allocation, and maximum flexibility in load balancing shader programs.

Working alongside the processors cores are 64 texturing processors (eight texture processors per shader block) each capable of one addressing and filtering operation per clock. With a peak bilinear fill rate of 43.2 gigatexels, it offers unprecedented texturing performance for any GPU.

The G92 chip features sixteen render back-end units (ROP) with full support for 128-bit high-dynamic-range rendering and NVIDIA's exclusive 16x Coverage Sampling Antialiasing (CSAA) algorithm. The ROP compression system has also been enhanced to improve performance at extreme resolutions such as 2560 x 1600. The enhanced compression will help keep memory usage in check and improve performance in high resolution, antialiased scenarios.

Cleaning up the mess of Thermal Interface Material required the use of Arctic Silver's ArctiClean solution, and a whole lot of it. Once the G92 was "uncovered", I could get a few decent pictures. If anyone's keeping track of NVIDIA manufacturing code, here's the GPU inside the GeForce 9800 GTX which bares a G92-420-A2 identification.

754 Million transistors are etched through a 65nm process and all live inside the small one-inch square G92 GPU. A 256-bit memory bus allows the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX to offer 512 MB of video frame buffer to the G92 GPU, and gamers understand the importance of a fast video frame buffer. A total of eight Samsung GDDR3 modules line the outer perimeter of the printed circuit board, bearing the Samsung 807 K4J52324QE-BJ08 part number. Hardware enthusiasts should note that these samevRAM modules were also used on late-edition GeForce 8800 Ultra's.

This concludes our in-depth look into the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition 512MB Video Card 9800GTX-512N, which has revealed several interesting discoveries about the hardware and the assembly process. The 9800 GTX is a good-looking graphics card, but from here on out this product will have to put up some impressive results or be put down. In our next section, Benchmark Reviews begins testing on the GeForce 9800 GTX video card, but only after we spend some time explain how it's all done here in our lab.

Video Card Testing Methodology

We're getting closer! Benchmark Reviews has high hopes that one day we will be so giant and world famous that every combination of the graphic card available will be on-hand for our product testing. I envy the review sites (all three of them) that have twenty other video cards tested in stand-alone, SLI, and CrossFireX arrays for each and every review. Readers can help us grow to that size as they spread the word, but for now we'll have to make due with what our budget can afford. In this article, Benchmark Reviews is going to test and compare the Palit NE/960TSX0202 GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic graphics card against several other closely-ranked products from within the GeForce family.

At the start of all tests, the previous display adapter driver is uninstalled and trace components are removed using Driver Cleaner Pro. We then restart the computer system to establish our display settings and define the monitor. Once the hardware is prepared, we begin our testing. The synthetic benchmark tests in 3DMark06 will utilize shader models 2.0 and 3.0. Every test is conducted at the following resolutions: 1600x1200 (20.1/21" Standard LCD's), 1280x1024 (19" Standard LCD), and 1024x768 (17" Standard LCD). Each test programs will run after a system restart, and the very first benchmark for every test will be ignored since it often only caches the test. This process proved extremely important in the World in Conflict and Supreme Commander benchmarks, as the first run served to cache maps allowing subsequent tests to perform much better than the first. Each test is completed five times, with the average results displayed in our article.

Our website statistics indicate that the over 90% of our visitors use their PC for playing video games, and nearly 70% of you are using one of the screen resolutions mentioned above. Since all of the benchmarks we use for testing represent different game engine technology and graphic rendering processes, I feel that this battery of tests will provide a diverse range of results for you to gauge performance on your own computer system. Since most gamers and enthusiasts are still using Windows XP, it was decided that DirectX9 would be used for all tests until demand and software support improve for Windows Vista.

Test System

• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 (Intel X48 Chipset) with version F4 BIOS
• Processor: Intel E8200 Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz (Overclocked to 3.6 GHz)
• System Memory: Corsair PC3-14400 DDR3 1800MHz
• Audio: HT Omega Claro Plus+ AD8620BR Op Amp Sound Card
• Disk Drive 1: OCZ SATA-II 32GB 2.5-Inch SSD OCZSSD2-1S32G
• Disk Drive 2: (Paging File) MemoRight GT MR25.2-064S 2.5-Inch 64GB SATA SSD
• Optical Drive: ASUS BC-1205PT SATA Blu-ray Disc Optical Drive
• Enclosure: Lian Li PC-B25B Black Aluminum Mid-Tower ATX Case
• PSU: ePower Technology EP-1200P10 xScale 1200W PSU
• Monitor: Honeywell 22-Inch LCD Monitor MT-SY-HWLM2216
• Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP-3 (optimized to 16 processes at idle)

Benchmark Applications

• 3DMark06 v1.1.0 (8x Anti Aliasing & 16x Anisotropic Filtering)
• Crysis v1.21 Benchmark (High Settings, No Anti Aliasing)
• Lightsmark 2007 v1.3
• Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (Fidelity High: 8x AA)
• World in Conflict v1.0.0.8 Performance Test (Very High Setting: 4x AA/4x AF)

Test Products

• FOXCONN GeForce 8800 GTS FV-N88SMBD2-OD (600 MHz GPU/1200/1030 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic NE/960TSX0202 (700 MHz GPU/1750/1000 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition ZT-88TES3P-FCP (700 MHz GPU/1700/1000 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD (610 MHz GPU/1350/1000 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB ZT-98XES2P-FSP (700 MHz GPU/1700 Shader/1000 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• FOXCONN GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition 9800GTX-512N (685 MHz GPU/1713 Shader/1100 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX AMP! Edition ZT-98XES2P-FCP (756 MHz GPU/1890/1150 RAM - Forceware v175.16)
• Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GX2 GV-NX98X1GHI-B (600 MHz GPU x2/1500/1000 RAM - Forceware v175.16)

Using the latest GPU-Z utility available for free from our affiliate at techPowerUp!, we verify manufacturer specifications with the actual internal specifications. In regard to this GeForce 9800 GTX product, it appears that all specifications match those stated by FOXCONN for the 9800GTX-512N product SKU.

Benchmark Reviews will test the FOXCONN GeForce 9800 GTX 9800GTX-512N graphics card against the most widely used NVIDIA products which it competes against in the following sections.

3DMark06 Benchmark Results

3DMark is a computer benchmark by Futuremark (formerly Mad Onion) to determine the DirectX performance of 3D game performance with graphics cards. 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests.

3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today.

Here at Benchmark Reviews, we believe that synthetic benchmark tools are just as valuable as video games, but only so long as you're comparing apples to apples. Since the same test is applied in the same controlled method with each test run, I believe 3DMark is a very reliable tool for comparing graphic cards against one-another.

Using a 1024x768 resolution as a starting point, the maximum settings were applied which for these tests includes 8x Anti-Aliasing and 16x Anisotropic Filtering. Without question the GeForce 9800 GX2 outperforms every other competitor by a great margin of difference, as it should for a video card housing two G92 GPU's. But let's focus on the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition 512MB video card, since it costs a fraction of the price. At the lowest resolution of 1024x768, the Foxconn 9800GTX-512N just barely keeps pace with the older MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC, and falls into the middle of our test group for performance.

Low-resolution testing allows the graphics processor to plateau maximum output performance, which thereby shifts demand onto the system components. At the lower resolutions 3DMark will reflect the GPU's top-end speed in the composite score, indicating full-throttle performance with little load. This makes for a less GPU-dependant test environment, is helpful in measuring the maximum output performance in the test results.

Bumping the GPU strain up a notch with 1280x1024 resolutions the scores remain relatively comparable in terms of performance ratio. Once again, the GeForce 9800 GX2 completely annihilates the competition with major-GPU muscle, but the rest of the pack still manages to keep up the pace with decent results.

The SM 2.0 score of 3552 was noticeably better than the highly-overclocked Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic NE/960TSX0202, and just a few points higher than the grossly-overclocked ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition. Still, the factory-overclocked Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX and ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX AMP! Edition were both outperformed by the older MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD in the HDR/SM3 tests with a score of 4109.

While the entire G90-series GPU family is PCI Express 2.0 compatible, there doesn't seem to be any immediate advantage shown in our tests using the Gigabyte GA-X48T-DQ6 motherboard.

Finishing up the series of synthetic benchmark tests under heavy load, the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition finally out-paces MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC in the SM 2 tests, but both 9800 GTX's are put to shame by this old card in the HDR/SM3 tests. Ignoring this for a moment, the overclocked Foxconn 9800 GTX offered a meager 3% improvement over the ZOTAC 8800 GT AMP! Edition video card in the Shader Model 2.0 tests, and improved up to 5% in SM 3.0 tests. In these 1600x1200 tests the overclocked Foxconn 9800 GTX just couldn't match the power of an mildly-overclocked 8800 GTX.

If you were hoping to see the newer 9800 GTX product line outperform the older 8800 GTX series, I was hoping for it too. Take the 3DMark06 tests at face value and two different 9800 GTX's with a factory overclock just barely match the performance of their predecessor. Since the 8800 GT we use for testing is outrageously overclocked, it stands to reason that the 9800 GTX family is not all that different under the skin. But in our next section we begin real-world testing on a cadre of popular video games known for taxing the graphics processor, and this lineup might change. Our first up is Crysis, so please continue on...

Crysis Benchmark Results

Crysis uses a new graphics engine: the CryENGINE2, which is the successor to Far Cry's CryENGINE. CryENGINE2 is among the first engines to use the Direct3D 10 (DirectX10) framework of Windows Vista, but can also run using DirectX9, both on Vista and Windows XP.

Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA, has spoken on the subject of the engine's complexity, stating that Crysis has over a million lines of code, 1GB of texture data, and 85,000 shaders. To get the most out of modern multicore processor architectures, CPU intensive subsystems of CryENGINE 2 such as physics, networking and sound, have been re-written to support multi-threading.

Crysis offers an in-game benchmark tool, which is similar to World in Conflict. This short test does place some high amounts of stress on a graphics card, since there are so many landscape features rendered. For benchmarking purposes, Crysis can mean trouble as it places a high demand on both GPU and CPU resources.

The very first thing we discovered in the low-resolution tests was how seemingly poor the Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GX2 GV-NX98X1GHI-B performed, since each overclocked G92 9800 GTX was able to outperform the two G92 GPU's that refused to shine bright in this low-resolution test. Even without Anti-Aliasing turned on, Crysis keeps the entire field of G92 competitors around 60 FPS. It's clear that the CryENGINE2 is a heavy hitter, as the insanely overclocked ZOTAC 8800 GT AMP! Edition outperforms the older MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD by almost 3%. But without a real strain on the GPU, these products all compare relatively well across the field.

Low-resolution testing allows the graphics processor to plateau maximum output performance, which thereby shifts demand onto the system components. At the lower resolutions 3DMark will reflect the GPU's top-end speed in the composite score, indicating full-throttle performance with little load. This makes for a less GPU-dependant test environment, is helpful in measuring the maximum output performance in the test results.

At the 1280x1024 resolution our results mirror what gamers using a 19" LCD monitor would experience, and the performance is beginning to slip into the less-desirable 30 FPS threshold for acceptable performance. In terms of general performance, all of these products maintain the same performance ratio as before, except for the 9800 GX2 which seems to hold its ground.

Thanks to the AA optimizations in the G90-series GPU, all of the products based on this chip with easily outperform both of the older G80 GPU's by a significant margin as the resolution is raised and bandwidth demands are increased. It's obvious that the new 65nm G90 core architecture is to be credited, and perhaps the new PCI Express 2.0 interface which allows twice as much graphics data bandwidth also played its part. Either way, our benchmarks below certainly indicate that the older technology doesn't even come close to the level of performance in a high-pressure Crysis regardless of clock speeds or vRAM. Let's see how they compare at 1600x1200 resolution...

With a full gigabyte of vRAM available to its frame buffer, the Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic showed some improvement as the demands increased, practically matching the ZOTAC 8800 GT AMP! Edition which has consistently outperformed it thus far.

Surprisingly, each and every single video card offered the same ratio of performance as they did throughout all Crysis benchmark tests.

CORRECTION: The score for the GeForce 8800 GTX in the chart above should be 32.35 and not 16.23.

While the overclocked Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX clearly outperformed the AMP!'ed 8800 GT by nearly 11 frames per second on average, it still trailed behind the ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GTX AMP! Edition ZT-98XES2P-FCP. At the end of our Crysis testing, the Foxconn 9800GTX-512N certainly showed that newer video games may be slightly more playable with 9800 GTX series.

In our next section, Benchmark Reviews switches to video-output only benchmarking, and uses Lightsmark for an apples-to-apples comparison of performance in the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition.

Lightsmark Frame Rates

Stepan Hrbek is the mastermind behind Lightmark 2007, a program that allows you to benchmark real-time global illumination. Natural lighting makes artificial graphics life-like and real. Computers get faster, but rendering more polygons doesn't add value if lighting still looks faked, so insiders know that the next big thing is proper lighting; aka Realtime Global Illumination.

Typical workloads in real-time rendering will shift, and Lightsmark simulates it. Global Illumination renders often take hours, so is your computer fast enough for real-time?

Before Lightsmark, real-time global illumination was limited to small scenes, small resolutions, small speeds, specially crafted scenes with handmade optimizations. Lightsmark breaks all limits at once, running in reasonably sized scene (220000 triangles) in high resolutions at excellent speed.

At the ultra-low resolution of 1024x768, Lightsmark allows each GPU to open up performance full-throttle. Not surprisingly, both video cards with a 1 GB video frame buffer (9600 GT and 9800 GX2) suffer from an extended memory address in this speed-critical test.

Lighting is computed fully automatically in an original unmodified scene from 2007 game World of Padman. This benchmark is not tweaked for Lightsmark, and contains all sorts of geometrical difficulties with extra rooms hidden below the floor.

This scene places medium to low demands on a graphics card processor and tests the maximum speed with which the scene can be properly displayed at each resolution. At the lower resolution, the large frame buffer does not come to offer the same benefits. A larger video memory means a longer round-trip for information, and when the resolution is low that trip needs to be completed very quickly.

This is our first evidence that matching the video card to the rest of your hardware is just as important as matching it to the task. Notice from this test that Lightsmark doesn't favor the goliath Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GX2, or the Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic graphic card. In fact, our GeForce 9800 GX2 was outperformed in every single Lightsmark test by the snappy AMP!'ed 8800, as well as the featured Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition.

With Crysis tested at 1600x1200, the frame buffer was not as critical as raw processing power. It helped, but obviously it didn't make a margin of difference. In Lightsmark, information is passed through the buffer and called on very quickly, and the only thing which was going to benefit this test was the appropriate ratio of Stream Processors to vRAM to keep up with demands. In terms of performance, this test offers very short but taxing graphics, and only the most nimble products with capable muscle can take advantage. This translates into trouble for anyone using new graphics hardware to render older (OpenGL) video games such as Doom 3 or Quake 4.

After all of the Lightsmark tests were complete, I'm sure these results aren't going to indicate anything particular to most readers. As I mentioned before, the frame buffer has a whole lot to do with the speed of rendering. The larger the frame buffer, the longer it will take to complete the strobe of information. Lightsmark is meant to represent that collection of older games, which some of you might still be playing. So keep this in mind as you're shopping for a new video card.

In the next section we change gears and test to compare our group of video cards in Supreme Commander.

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance Results

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is a standalone real-time strategy computer game expansion to Supreme Commander, developed by Gas Powered Games and published by THQ. Because it is a standalone expansion, it is possible to play without owning Supreme Commander. Forged Alliance adds new game play features to the game, several new units for the three preexisting factions, and is further optimized for increased performance beyond that of the original game.

Supreme Commander makes extensive use of two technologies relatively unused in video games prior to its release, namely multi core processing and multi monitor displays. When detecting a multi-core processor, the game assigns a specific task, such as AI calculations, to each core, splitting the load between them. Supreme Commander is one of the first games to specifically support dual and quad core processors in the game.

In the chart depicted below, Supreme Commander calculates a SupComMark score for the video rendering. The exact formula is a mystery, and since the scores are all comprised of very high numbers the information begins to look very similar. Despite this, there are some differences worth noticing if you pay attention to the numbers. I could have probably subtracted about 7000 points from this test, so that the chart would look more useful, but then I would probably get complaints about the inaccurate scores. At any rate, the lowest man in the test group is none other than our featured product. This puts a strain on my ability to recommend this product, but it could still be too early to tell.

Unlike the other games we test, Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance does not use a short in-game benchmark to determine a score. In these tests, Supreme Commander plays an entire round of the game from start to finish and generates composite scores based on this lengthy test. This composite score is based on two factors: sim and render.

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance may not offer the first-person shooter experience that many gamers prefer, but the graphics are among the most demanding possible because of the large world-scape. Even so, there begins to be a trend showing that places high demand on the graphics card, as evidenced by mutually low average frame rates shown below.

Once the average frame rate scores were calculated, there seemed to be three distinct levels of performance, as shown in the chart above. The Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic represented the mid-level graphic card, while the nearest-neighbor AMP!'ed 8800 GT rubbed elbows with the 8800 GTX and both overclocked 9800 GTX's. In fact, the old MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD actually matched performance of the FOXCONN GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition 9800GTX-512N in Supreme Commander. At the very top of the food-chain was the only real stand-out: the Gigabyte GeForce 9800 GX2 GV-NX98X1GHI-B, which rendered the majority of frames much faster than the others.

Supreme Commander proved to be a harsh gaming engine for video cards, and Crysis certainly applied some heavy pressure, but let's see how World in Conflict holds up against our performance testing in the next section.

World in Conflict Benchmark Results

The latest version of Massive's proprietary Masstech engine utilizes DX10 technology and features advanced lighting and physics effects, and allows for a full 360 degree range of camera control. Massive's MassTech engine scales down to accommodate a wide range of PC specifications, if you've played a modern PC game within the last two years, you'll be able to play World in Conflict.

World in Conflict's FPS-like control scheme and 360-degree camera make its action-strategy game play accessible to strategy fans and fans of other genres... if you love strategy, you'll love World in Conflict. If you've never played strategy, World in Conflict is the strategy game to try.

World in Conflict offers an in-game benchmark; which records the minimum, average, and maximum frame rates during the test. Very recently another hardware review website made the assertion that these tests are worthless, but we couldn't disagree more. When used to compare video cards which are dependant on the same driver and use the same GPU architecture, the in-game benchmark works very well and comparisons are apples-to-apples.

First tested was the 1024x768 resolution in WiC, which relates to gamers using a 17" LCD monitor. Based on the test results charted below it's clear that WiC doesn't place a limit on the maximum frame rate (to conserve wasted power) which is good for full-spectrum benchmarks like ours, but bad for electricity bills. The critically important minimum frame rate results indicate a shared lead between the 8800 GT AMP! Edition, ZOTAC 9800 GTX AMP! Edition, and GeForce 9800 GX2 video cards, which also carried over to higher average frame rates as well. To my surprise however, the Palit 9600 GT actually showed a prevailing strength against the overclocked MSI GeForce 8800 GTX, matching it in minimum frame rate and coming very close in the average.

A cautionary word about maximum frame rates is necessary, however. Although these readings are worth noting, the maximum frame rate is nearly worthless in determining GPU power. The reason for this is simple: those maximum frame rates are collected from scenes with little to no movement and practically no graphical processing demand. Obviously this shifts the importance over to the minimum frame rate, which will indicate how smooth the performance will remain under heavy demand.

With a balanced demand for CPU and GPU power, the 1280x1024 resolution proved to be the turning point for performance. Notice how the GeForce 9800 GX2 posts minimum frame rates not very much higher than the an overclocked 8800 GT and barely above the 30 FPS mark, which proves that even under moderate demand World in Conflict is still incredibly demanding.

In all of our previous benchmark results, the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition graphics card has only shown itself superior in the newest video game titles. This seems to include World in Conflict, because the factory-overclocked MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD we used for testing could not keep up with the newer 9800 GTX video cards.

Set to the highest graphics quality settings the Masstech engine allows, World in Conflict begins to really strain all of the GeForce products. At the 1600x1200 resolution, not even the crown-jewel GeForce video cards can deliver a 30 FPS minimum frame rates, which is a little discouraging considering the price tag they wear. Taking a broader look at the average frame rate, the overclocked Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX still proves that it really isn't much stronger than a very-overclocked GeForce 9600 GT, while the MSI GeForce 8800 GTX OC beats it out in the minimum and average frame rates.

It's been a long run of tests for the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card, and I can't really see the major advantage over the previous 8800 GTX unless I look to games like Crysis or other titles which push hard but require a small video frame buffer (such as first person shooter). Ultimately game performance is not going to be the only place to see the Foxconn 9800GTX-512N shine, since it doesn't cost much more than some of the other G92-based products.

As if a factory overclocked BIOS wasn't enough in the GeForce 9800 GTX, Foxconn includes the Foxware overclocking utility to take your GPU to the next level of performance. Benchmark Reviews briefly discusses this software overclocking tool in the next section.

Foxware Overclocking Utility

It's always nice to get more for your money, which is why overclocking has gotten to be a very popular activity for enthusiasts. Foxconn has not really strained the G92 GPU inside their GeForce 9800 GTX video card by very much, since the Standard Overclock Edition comes clocked only 10 MHz faster than the stock reference design. Foxconn offers two other versions of the GeForce 9800 GTX (9800GTX-512N OC740/2280 and 9800GTX-512N Extreme), but why not make this version into one of those?

The Foxware overclocking utility is very similar to the Riva Tuner and ATITool applications available to enthusiasts, with a little more information added and sharper graphical user interface. Beginners should consider the Foxware utility to guarantee optimal performance, stability and reliability, without the risk of voiding a warranty. Once the end-user has a better understanding of the products limitations, then more permanent means of overclocking can be applied from our guide on How To Overclock the NVIDIA GeForce Series.

The Foxware overclocking utility allows for 1 MHz changes to the GPU core clock, and 1 MHz changes to the GDDR3 vRAM. Also with the Foxware utility, you can also set pre-defined temperatures for either an alarm function or a complete system shut-down.

With very little room for engineering changes to NVIDIA's reference design, it becomes necessary for AIC partners to value-add applications like Foxware. Hardcore enthusiasts and overclockers will already know what tools they plan to use for any project, but those who are new to overclocking can get an instant foot in the door with the included Foxconn utility. Without much effort, you can squeeze a few more FPS out of the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card.

GeForce 9800 GTX Temperatures

This section is probably the most popular for me, as a reviewer. Benchmark tests are always nice, so long as you care about comparing one product to another. But when you're an overclocker, or merely a hardware enthusiast who likes to tweak things on occasion, there's no substitute for good information.

Benchmark Reviews has a very popular guide written on How To Overclock the NVIDIA GeForce Series video card, but it was published shortly after the 8th generation of GeForce products was launched. Currently we are preparing for a more updated article, with additional information on shader overclocking and temperature control as the newest 9th generation GeForce products are made available. Once published you can expect more detailed information than what is shown below, as for now the temperatures depicted are GPU core temperatures at idle and under load.

To begin my testing, I used ATITool v0.26 to record GPU temperatures at idle and again at high-power 3D mode. The ambient room temperature was a comfortable 19.0°C and the inner-case temperature hovered around 32°C. The ZOTAC ZT-98XES2P-FSP GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB video card recorded 60°C in idle 2D mode, and increased to only 69°C in full 3D mode. Overall, this increase is negligible and it actually leaves a lot of room for potential overclocks.

The most favored feature to the newly contoured design is the one-direction heat exhaust. Heated air recirculating around inside the computer case is no longer an issue like it is with the 8800 GT or 9800 GX2 because it gets exhausted away outside. While 69°C isn't terribly hot under full load, there's always room to make it operate cooler. But here's a little fact you probably didn't know (and won't read elsewhere): the G92 GPU is designed operate safely up to its 105°C thermal threshold. What happens after that? Believe it or not, if the GPU exceeds this temperature the clock speed will automatically be dialed down. This "speed stepping" technology ties into our discussion on power consumption which follows below.

9800 GTX Power Consumption

Planet Earth is needs our help, badly. With forests becoming barren of vegetation and snow capped poles quickly turning brown, the technology industry has a new attitude towards becoming "green". I'll spare you the marketing hype that I get to sift through from the various manufacturers, and get right to the point: your CPU does a lot more to save the planet than your GPU is doing, but NVIDIA is working to change that problem. While current Intel central processing units are using a power-efficient 24nm die process size, the graphics processor is a bit slower to catch the technology curve and presently only shrinks to 65nmin the G92. NVIDIA states that the maximum TDP board power consumption for the GeForce 9800 GTX is 160 watts. Below is a chart with the isolated video card Watts consumed by each specified test product:

In regard to power requirements, the GeForce 9800 GTX has the same hunger that haunted the older 8800 GTX and requires two 6-pin PCI-Express power connections for proper operation. However, NVIDIA has designed the G92 graphics processor to be an efficient cornerstone to the 9th Generation of GeForce products, and thereby reduces the power consumption at both idle and load. The newly improved design inherently gives the G92 an efficiency advantage, but we are slow to hear of such proactive features such speed step scaling for the GPU.

This technology exists in the architecture of the G92, and it may be a while before we can tell if NVIDIA's Enthusiast System Architecture can control this function. ESA is the NVIDIA's first open-standard PC monitoring and control protocol for real-time communication and control of system thermal, electrical, acoustic and operating characteristics. Ideally it would also be a nice idea to have Gigabyte's Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) functionality on a graphics card, so that performance was not interrupted when it was actually needed.

Compared to MSI's factory overclocked 8800 GTX, it should please you to learn that the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition graphics card consumes 56 watts less power under high-power full 3D load. In fact, compared to our (extremely) overclocked G80-based GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB, the GeForce 9800 GTX still consumes 8 watts less power under full load. At the other end of the spectrum, the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX uses only 25 watts less than the 9800 GX2 at full load. This means that either the 9800 GTX isn't as energy efficient as it could be, or the 9800 GX2 is very efficient.

Please continue to the review conclusion in the next section, where I share my thoughts on the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card 9800GTX-512N and give my opinion of the new high-level offering.

GeForce 9800 GTX Final Thoughts

As of 1 April 2008 NVIDIA lists their top-to-bottom GeForce product line-up as follows below. Since the next GeForce architecture uses the GTX 200 GPU, you can expect that the 9800 GTX will remain in the second highest SKU in the current product roadmap for at least a short while longer. It really surprises me to see some of the older items still clinging to the list such as the 7300 GS, but every step in the ladder serves a purpose. This brings us back to comparing the 8800 GTX against the new GeForce 9800 GTX.

So is the GeForce 9800 GTX worth the investment? Since the actual launch price starts around $299, the motivation isn't all that hard to muster up. The ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB AMP! Edition video card that we have repeatedly mentioned in this article wasn't by mistake; since it presently lists at NewEgg for $184.99 ($154.99 after rebate) the price to performance ratio is almost the same as Foxconn's 9800 GTX. The primary reasons to justify the 9800 GTX isn't the speed, especially since we've already proven that it's right on par with older predecessor, but instead it's the additional functionality that makes a difference:

• HDMI Audio and Video Output
• Expanded bandwidth of PCI Express 2.0
• Performance potential in 3-way SLI mode using AFR technology
• Optimal power management with NVIDIA HybridPower technology
• PureVideo HD hardware acceleration of high-definition movies
• Dual-stream picture-in-picture streaming content
• Full High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) support

Which leaves us with one final question to answer: is the 9800 GTX better than the version it replaces? This really depends on your needs and the hardware you already have, but in many cases the answer might still be "yes". Presuming that the bulleted list above offers functions you'll actually use, there are still specific lessons to be learned from the G92 architecture; especially when compared to the older G80. The primary reason to support my answer has already proven itself a reality; just take a look back at the Crysis benchmarks which represents the workload of future video games.

If you're the low-demand gamer who doesn't use high resolution displays or enable post process effects such as anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering, then the 9800 series is probably not your best investment and a product like the Palit GeForce 9600 GT 1GB Sonic NE/960TSX0202 might better suit you. But if you'll notice from the tests, whenever post process effects were included at high resolution the 9800 GTX (and GX2) performed well ahead of the competition. NVIDIA's 9800 series products are squarely aimed at the upper high-end segment of performance gamers, and to most hard core enthusiasts there is more than enough value to realistically afford three units for a triple-SLI array.

Beyond this, you'll may also be unprepared for that day in the near future when DirectX 10.1 (or the upcoming DX11) resides on your operating system. Finally, there's the potential for using this HDMI-ready solution for something other than video games - such as a home theater PC. There's a longer list of reasons to support the justification in replacing an older G80 video card with the 9800 GTX; even beyond using it inside an HTPC for your home theater.

Since the days of Battlefield 2 there haven't been very many games to seriously stress mid and high-performance video cards. The Battlefield 2142 was more of a lukewarm please-all with nearly no landscape to speak of, and until EA and Crytek GmbH came along withCrysis there hadn't been any major milestones to speak of for almost three years. Company of Heroes was (and to some players it still is) one of the most popular games of 2006, but its scalable Havok game engine allowed just about anyone with a personal computer to play the game. World in Conflict could very well be characterized as the CoH for 2007, especially since CoH: Opposing Fronts offered almost nothing new to gamers in regards to performance. WiC is equally scalable, but the large world-scape can have a greater impact on frame rate. In 2008 it appears that the Quake 3-based gaming engine in Call of Duty 4 is making headlines with superior game play and graphical delivery. When it comes down to PC video games, there are only a handful of titles that stand out more than those which I have tested here in this review. The important message is that the GeForce 9800 GTX can handle them all very well and delivers high frame rates across the board, right in step with its predecessor. If you're using a GeForce 8-series or older video card you may not prepared for the future of PC video games, which is already into DirectX 10.1 and quickly tuning the mechanics of DirectX 11.

Foxconn 9800GTX-512N Conclusion

I might be a little too easy to please when it comes to retail packaging and graphics. I like color, but at the same time I want excitement. Since package looks alone are not enough to win me over, Foxconn is also very good at keeping the consumer informed by adding important product details and specifications on the packaging. The retail box offers an inviting design and attractive layout, along with some product data on the back. Like the other Foxconn products we have reviewed here at Benchmark Reviews, there is an underlying sense that they are in tune with the visual attraction a consumer has with products.

When Benchmark Reviews tested the GeForce 9800 GX2, the box-like NVIDIA reference design was not incredibly appealing to me. Apparently I just needed to wait for the 9800 GTX design before I would see curves influence the product appearance. While I never really considered the entire pre-G92 GeForce 8800 series to be very attractive as a whole, primarily because of the awkward half-covered products, the 9800 GTX has finished what was started. Unlike the past generation of products, this GeForce video card does not offer LED lights as accents because they are included as a functional indication of hardware status.

In the not so distant past I have had to replace my GeForce 8800 GTX because of an errant SATA cable swiped off one of the capacitors. At that moment, I felt that NVIDIA definitely should have done something more to protect the electronics on their product. Unlike the higher-end 8800 series GeForce products, the 9800 GTX does not expose any electronic components. NVIDIA has engineered the GeForce 9800 GTX to sustain above-average abuse, and since there are no exposed electronic components (with except to the back side of the PCB) there is very little chance that you'll have to RMA this product because it falls apart on you. The plastic shell covering the 9800 GTX will work very well in cramped environments where the video card will be in contact with cables and components, so long as it can fit.

In regards to performance and functionality, Foxconn's GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card really does deserve its #2 position in NVIDIA's video card product lineup. The core, shader, and memory clocks have been tweaked slightly higher in this Standard Overclock Edition, and post process compression truly does optimize the 512 MB of video frame buffer for high-resolution gaming. It doesn't come as a huge surprise that the GeForce 9800 GTX outperforms the older 8800 GTX in 1600x1200 Crysis even before AA, since the G92 was built for intense gaming effects. If that wasn't enough, this video card comes ready to support full HDMI audio and video output for your high definition copyright protected material.

For a company a huge as Foxconn, it surprises me that their products aren't more readily available to the North American market. You'll be hard-pressed to find the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX Standard OC Edition video card 9800GTX-512N listed for sale at any of the major online retailers, but considering the suggested retail price of $299-$319 there isn't much difficulty in finding the value..

In conclusion, I feel that the Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX has a lot more to offer gamers and enthusiast than we might first expect. For most video cards functionality is measured in only one application: video games. However, in rare cases (this being one of them) the 9800 GTX can be suited for more than just one purpose. The Foxconn GeForce 9800 GTX includes native HDMI video output and offers digital audio output through the attached S/PDIF audio cable, making this the closest thing to fully-functional native HDMI that NVIDIA presently offers. Collectively rated, the G92 graphics processor offers full HDMI audio and video output, decent performance improvement in Crysis and World in Conflict over an already-overclocked 8800 GTX, excellent cooling improvements, and triple-SLI functionality. I won't dispute that the results we recorded in most benchmarks were right in line with those of the 8800 GTX when lower post processing effects were used, but then again we are just now seeing high-demand video games reach the market with newly developed core gaming engines. While value is a relative subject, the performance and functionality appear to have some credence in relation to the product cost. If you're a gamer on a very tight budget, than the 8800 GT may be the best solution for you. But if you're considering DirectX 10 game play or you plan to use post processing effects like anti aliasing, the Foxconn 9800 GTX is a great future-ready solution.

Pros:

+ Great AA/AF performance for hard core gamers
+ Supports DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0
+ 685 MHz GPU / 1100 MHz GDDR3 vRAM
+ Features NVIDIA PureVideo HD Technology
+ HDMI Audio and Video supported for HDCP output
+ Extremely quiet fan under normal operation
+ Enables NVIDIA HybridPower technology
+ Contoured enclosure offers improved airflow
+ 16x Coverage Sampling Antialiasing (CSAA) algorithm
+ Supports triple-SLI functionality
+ Power efficient 65nm G92 GPU
+ 5 GBps PCI Express 2.0 graphics interface

Cons:

Ratings:

• Presentation: 9.00
• Appearance: 9.00
• Construction: 9.25
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 8.00

Final Score: 8.85 out of 10.

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