XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 600M 1GB - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 18th Mar 2008, 18:03

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...raphics_card/1

Nvidia has launched its GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card today - we have a look at XFX's model to see whether Nvidia can make a dual-GPU card that everyone wants to own. Read on to find out whether it delivers...

Fozzy · 18th Mar 2008, 18:15

Cool I'm first. I am SOOOO Getting one of these when Danger Den comes out with a block

Faulk_Wulf · 18th Mar 2008, 18:16

(Pretend the "L" is a pound sign in all areas that apply)

L434 but $599?
If the pound is almost double that of the dollar,
that means Britains are essentially paying $868 for the same bit of kit.
Why isn't it equal or near equal? (~L300 ?)
It just seems like a screw over for anyone in Britain.

Or maybe I'm missing something, being American and all.

Mankz · 18th Mar 2008, 18:19

Very good review.

I'll still wait for a single card though.

oasked · 18th Mar 2008, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faulk_Wulf

Why isn't it equal or near equal? (~L300 ?)
It just seems like a screw over for anyone in Britain.

VAT and the fact that they can get away with it. Yes it does suck, but that is the way of the world.

I don't really see the point of this card considering the price of two 8800GT's. Why pay £400+ when you can get the same performance for £280?

wuyanxu · 18th Mar 2008, 18:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mankz.

Very good review.

I'll still wait for a single card though.

same.

those x2 cards doesn't mean anything for me.

especially considering Crysis (the only game 8800GTX cannot max) gives about the same minimal FPS as G80 Ultra. every other game sees overkill FPS for overkill price.

Tim S · 18th Mar 2008, 18:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by oasked

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faulk_Wulf

Why isn't it equal or near equal? (~L300 ?)
It just seems like a screw over for anyone in Britain.

VAT and the fact that they can get away with it. Yes it does suck, but that is the way of the world.

I don't really see the point of this card considering the price of two 8800GT's. Why pay £400+ when you can get the same performance for £280?

Yep, if it hadn't been an act of god to turn this review around in the time given, three would have been a pair of 8800 GTs thrown in for good measure.

Omnituens · 18th Mar 2008, 18:53

question is - do i get a second 8800GTX, or sell my current one and get this?

Cupboard · 18th Mar 2008, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omnituens

question is - do i get a second 8800GTX, or sell my current one and get this?

Or just wait until this is cheaper, there is some competition and your 8800 GTX is slow by comparison. The 8800 GTX isn't a huge amount slower than the 8800 Ultra, which performs pretty well in most of the titles in this review.

Does anyone else think the artwork looks like GladOS?

Compared to the launch of the 8 series (primarily the 8800 GTX) this is a bit meh. You could have had roughly this performance in 2006! I suppose it just re-affirms how good the 8800 GTX was.

p3n · 18th Mar 2008, 19:12

I regret getting the 7950gx2 but atleast that was supposed tobe the best of the generation, surely this should be comparable to two 8800 ultras not JUST beating 2xgts cards in some places ... makes me feel that much better about the PS3 + GT5 preorder I just made - PC hardware is becoming a farce.

sheninat0r · 18th Mar 2008, 19:14

Well, it certainly did better than I expected... It's good to see that it's mostly better than SLi 8800GTS 512, since pre-launch a lot of people were just saying "oh, 9800GX2 is just SLi 8800GTS and will have worse performance because of lower clocks" etc etc.

However, I'm still kind of disappointed. Looking at the ol' 8800GTX launch back in the day, this looks like just a small step up from that... and that was back in '06.

VictorianBloke · 18th Mar 2008, 19:16

Have to say I'm impressed with the LED power indicators, such a simple idea.

I think I'll reserve judgement further until the hybrid SLI features can be tested, which may be the reason to pay the extra over two 8800GT's - just thinking of the potential leccy savings.

bahgger · 18th Mar 2008, 19:25

I liked the review, and that exploded 3D model looked neat!

Brett89 · 18th Mar 2008, 19:26

Quote:

If you remember back to the GeForce 8800 GTX, the card gave off a loud shriek if you didn't plug the power connectors in correctly

That whine scared the hell out of me the first, and only time, I forgot to hook those up. Great review, decent card, I wish it was more of an improvement. Might have been lulled into a sense of amazement with the GTX though. I feel sad and eclipsed now.

bubsterboo · 18th Mar 2008, 19:44

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Tasty.

Bought one

Vash-HT · 18th Mar 2008, 19:48

I had a 7950GX2 for a while, it was great when it was working but I had a lot of driver issues. Mainly the card would force itself into single card mode quite often, giving me performance around a 7900gt. Due to this I've decided to stick with single cards from now on, I don't think I would even try SLI anymore.

Jipa · 18th Mar 2008, 19:53

I still don't warm up to this multi-GPU humbug. Come up with something new and impress me, damnit. The card itself looks sleek and all, but so what? The performance STILL is nothing special in my eyes. If I was to go multi-GPU then I'd just get 9600GT SLI...

zr_ox · 18th Mar 2008, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheninat0r

Looking at the ol' 8800GTX launch back in the day, this looks like just a small step up from that... and that was back in '06.

The lack of movement really does go to show just how great a card the 8800GTX is, I have had one happily purring along for over 1 year. The only thing to stress it is Crysis, that said it's still looks nice and plays nice at higher resolutions.

I thought about buying the BFG that they have in the OCUK sale for 275 squids, changed my mind though since I really want Hybrid SLI. Will be waiting until a single card comes along to eclipse the 8800GTX....might be waiting for a while.

mrb_no1 · 18th Mar 2008, 20:31

Nice article smalley o' mally! But i cant see me shedding out the dollar for the card. That said, I am a massive ati/amd fan and want to remain loyal but its getting harder every time i see the fps's on games between nvidia and the ati guys. As someone who looks, but no neccesarily pays full attention to what nvidia is offering i need some clarification now, in the review and in comments here 2 cards are causing a degree of abiguity in my mind.
- The GTX/Ultra, are they the same card?
- Secondly, why when i look on OCuk is there a massive dfifference in price between the GTX and GTS when, from what i recall, the GTS beats the GTX in every test on here today, but is cheaper, i feel as though i am being tricked by someone as the massively cheaper card (GTS) is the better performer but they are both from the same company? answers on a postcard please,

peace

fatman

Tim S · 18th Mar 2008, 20:40

Thanks! It's a shame that ATI was back in the game for just a few weeks and then this release throws things out all over the place again. Competition is what we all want, even if you're a die-hard fan of the winner... because competition means better prices.

Anyway, to answer your questions:

1) The 8800 GTX and Ultra are based on the same PCB. There are different coolers on them, but I wouldn't pay much over the price of a GTX for an Ultra.

2) The 8800 GTS 512 is a similar performer to the 8800 GTX - it'll win some and lose some, depending on resolution and AA settings. If you're memory bandwidth limited, the GTX wins hands down basically. However, if you're shader limited, it's quite likely that a single GTS 512 will beat (or at least match) a GTX and sometimes an Ultra. GTS 512 SLI is a more expensive proposition than a single GTX/GTS 512, but the performance aren't too far away from the 9800 GX2... and it's £100 cheaper.

Depends if you want SLI on a non-nForce mobo or not. If you do, there's a premium to pay.

18th Mar 2008, 18:03	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 600M 1GB http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...raphics_card/1 Nvidia has launched its GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card today - we have a look at XFX's model to see whether Nvidia can make a dual-GPU card that everyone wants to own. Read on to find out whether it delivers... __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

18th Mar 2008, 18:15	#2
Fozzy Ultramodder Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Olympia, WA Posts: 1,386	Cool I'm first. I am SOOOO Getting one of these when Danger Den comes out with a block __________________ Sponsors: http://www.koolance.com/images/homeimage01.jpg http://www.dangerden.com/templates/r...eader-wide.jpg http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/e...age00001-2.jpg

18th Mar 2008, 18:16	#3
Faulk_Wulf Internet Addict Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: USA Posts: 280	(Pretend the "L" is a pound sign in all areas that apply) L434 but $599? If the pound is almost double that of the dollar, that means Britains are essentially paying $868 for the same bit of kit. Why isn't it equal or near equal? (~L300 ?) It just seems like a screw over for anyone in Britain. Or maybe I'm missing something, being American and all. __________________ -- Faulken S. Wulf "Under the Willow, he sleeps and dreams, of Heaven." Attempting to post intelligently since the year 2000!

18th Mar 2008, 18:53	#8
Omnituens Supermodder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stockport Posts: 412	question is - do i get a second 8800GTX, or sell my current one and get this? __________________ Current Rig: i7 D0 2.66GHz, 6GB 1066MHz Corsair "Dominator", 285 GTX.

18th Mar 2008, 19:14	#11
sheninat0r What's a Dremel? Join Date: May 2007 Location: U.S. Posts: 547	Well, it certainly did better than I expected... It's good to see that it's mostly better than SLi 8800GTS 512, since pre-launch a lot of people were just saying "oh, 9800GX2 is just SLi 8800GTS and will have worse performance because of lower clocks" etc etc. However, I'm still kind of disappointed. Looking at the ol' 8800GTX launch back in the day, this looks like just a small step up from that... and that was back in '06. __________________ ...with a crowbar.

18th Mar 2008, 19:12	#10
p3n Hypermodder Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 737	I regret getting the 7950gx2 but atleast that was supposed tobe the best of the generation, surely this should be comparable to two 8800 ultras not JUST beating 2xgts cards in some places ... makes me feel that much better about the PS3 + GT5 preorder I just made - PC hardware is becoming a farce.

18th Mar 2008, 19:16	#12
VictorianBloke Multimodder Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 203	Have to say I'm impressed with the LED power indicators, such a simple idea. I think I'll reserve judgement further until the hybrid SLI features can be tested, which may be the reason to pay the extra over two 8800GT's - just thinking of the potential leccy savings. __________________ X2 5000+BE @3.1 \| GA-M57SLI \| 8800GTS 320 613/1500/1900 \| 2GB OCZ 4-4-4-12-1T \| Corsair HX620 \| Lian-Li PC-A16B

18th Mar 2008, 19:25	#13
bahgger Supermodder Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 585	I liked the review, and that exploded 3D model looked neat!

18th Mar 2008, 19:44	#15
bubsterboo Hypermodder Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 781	MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Tasty. Bought one __________________ DFI LANPARTY UT P35-T2R - Q6600 @ 3.4ghz - 8GB OCZ Platinum - evga 9800gx2 - 2x500gb seagate, 1x250gb hitachi, 1x320gb seagate, 1x1tb samsung - Benq FP241W

18th Mar 2008, 19:48	#16
Vash-HT Multimodder Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 193	I had a 7950GX2 for a while, it was great when it was working but I had a lot of driver issues. Mainly the card would force itself into single card mode quite often, giving me performance around a 7900gt. Due to this I've decided to stick with single cards from now on, I don't think I would even try SLI anymore.

18th Mar 2008, 19:53	#17
Jipa Licenced idiot. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Tampere, Finland Posts: 3,068	I still don't warm up to this multi-GPU humbug. Come up with something new and impress me, damnit. The card itself looks sleek and all, but so what? The performance STILL is nothing special in my eyes. If I was to go multi-GPU then I'd just get 9600GT SLI... __________________ Abit IP35 - E6750 - 8800GT 1024 MB - 2 GB 800 MHz - enough HDDs - 750 W Silverstone - CM Storm Sniper Asus P5Q-VM - Q9450 - 4 GB - 400 W Silverstone - Fortress FT01 AllTheMods - MetkuMods - LedCalc

18th Mar 2008, 20:31	#19
mrb_no1 Pie Eater Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Pyrford, England Posts: 365	Nice article smalley o' mally! But i cant see me shedding out the dollar for the card. That said, I am a massive ati/amd fan and want to remain loyal but its getting harder every time i see the fps's on games between nvidia and the ati guys. As someone who looks, but no neccesarily pays full attention to what nvidia is offering i need some clarification now, in the review and in comments here 2 cards are causing a degree of abiguity in my mind. - The GTX/Ultra, are they the same card? - Secondly, why when i look on OCuk is there a massive dfifference in price between the GTX and GTS when, from what i recall, the GTS beats the GTX in every test on here today, but is cheaper, i feel as though i am being tricked by someone as the massively cheaper card (GTS) is the better performer but they are both from the same company? answers on a postcard please, peace fatman __________________ Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3600Mhz ¦ Asus Maximus II Formula ¦ ATI Radeon 4890 (1000Mhz Core + 1200Mhz Mem OC) ¦ 2x2G Corsair Dom. PC 8500 @ 1080Mhz ¦ Aquacomputer WC ¦ Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty ¦ 150G Raptor, 2x1500 + 1x750 + 2x500 Seagate (SATA2) ¦ Pioneer DVD burner ¦ Lian Li - PC 73SL Aluminium Silent Server Case ¦ Dell 2007WFP 20" Widescreen ¦ Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speakers ¦ Sennheiser HD270

18th Mar 2008, 20:40	#20
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Thanks! It's a shame that ATI was back in the game for just a few weeks and then this release throws things out all over the place again. Competition is what we all want, even if you're a die-hard fan of the winner... because competition means better prices. Anyway, to answer your questions: 1) The 8800 GTX and Ultra are based on the same PCB. There are different coolers on them, but I wouldn't pay much over the price of a GTX for an Ultra. 2) The 8800 GTS 512 is a similar performer to the 8800 GTX - it'll win some and lose some, depending on resolution and AA settings. If you're memory bandwidth limited, the GTX wins hands down basically. However, if you're shader limited, it's quite likely that a single GTS 512 will beat (or at least match) a GTX and sometimes an Ultra. GTS 512 SLI is a more expensive proposition than a single GTX/GTS 512, but the performance aren't too far away from the 9800 GX2... and it's £100 cheaper. Depends if you want SLI on a non-nForce mobo or not. If you do, there's a premium to pay. __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)