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Tags : 512Mb   9800GTX   DDR3   G92   Geforce   Inno3D   nvidia   overclock   Reviews   Video Cards  

Introduction Specifications Photos and Pictures Installation and Package Test Setup and Procedures Benchmarks: F.E.A.R. (DX9) Benchmarks: Lost Planet (DX10) Benchmarks: Call of Juarez (DX10) Benchmarks: Crysis (DX10) Benchmarks: 3DMark 2005 Benchmarks: 3DMark 2006 Verdict and Conclusion

More high-end graphic cards from Inno3D ... but is the Geforce 9800GTX Overclock what enthusiasts have been waiting for?

 

INTRODUCTION 

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Last month we reviewed the Inno3D Geforce 8800GT Accelero X1. It was a very good graphics card that produced excellent scores in all our benchmarks, and it also won our "Highly Recommended" award. If you asked me a few years ago, what I thought of Inno3D ... I would have said that they were a budget/mainstream graphics card manufacturer ... catering for the lower end of the market. But it's amazing how fast things do change. Not only are Inno3D now producing high-end graphics card now, they're also become one of Nvidia's main board partners in the past few years. Gone are the notions that Inno3D are budget graphics card manufacturers ... they've proven to us, that they have what it takes to compete against the heavy weights, such as BFG, EVGA and XFX. 

For those, especially in the US, who don't know who Inno3D are ... then read on. Inno3D specialises in multimedia products such as graphic/video cards and USB devices. Their head office is based in Hong Kong, and they have other offices around the world too. Inno3D are one of Nvidia's many partners, which mean all their graphic cards that they produce uses Nvidia's GPUs. Here's a little blurb takn frrom their website.

"InnoVISION Multimedia Limited is a pioneering developer and manufacturer of a diverse range of cutting-edge multimedia PC hardware products established in 1998 Hong Kong. Our manufacturing operations have been set up since 1990 in Shenzen, China. In this short period of time we focus on manufacturing OEM/ODM products as well as contracting out extensive production and research facilities to specialist companies. We have accomplished international recognition by PC’s top reviewers as becoming an outstanding success and one of the most fast growing companies in Asia. " 

 

 

Now, let's see what Nvidia has been upto in these fast few weeks. I've spoken to a few gamers and some enthusiasts, and I asked them what they thought of Nvidia's recent stint. To my surprise, they were a little bit disgusted in the way that Nvidia have planned they product releases. I can understand why. Let explain it quickly ... It was around December 2007, when Nvidia released their Geforce 8800GT (G92). It received rave reviews and before anyone really had the chance to buy one these cards, Nvidia decided released their new Geforce 9600GT (G94) in February. Then later in March, after Cebit 2008 ... Nvidia just couldn't resist and out came the Geforce 9800GX2. But wait, there's more ... to add the icing to cake, Nvidia thought it was a great idea to announce and release a single core Geforce 9800GTX at the end of March / early April. Perfect. Well, not quite ... looking back, Nvidia have essentially released 4 different graphics GPUs over the past 4 months. That's almost one per month. Although it gives consumers lots of choice, it is however very fustrating for the early adoptors. They are having to buy graphic cards, only to find out that their investment is obselete in a matter of months. Whether Nvidia did this intentionally or not, one can only wonder. Still, if it wasn't the way they went about it ... we wouldn't have so much choice :)

So, what's special about Nvidia's Geforce 9800GTX? Well, it's their single most powerful GPU they've introduced so far. It's based on the G92 GPU produced using 65nm technology, it still uses a 256-bit memory interface, but it's clocked much higher than their existing GPUs. In fact, the core clock, shader clock and memory clock are all increased. Using this GPU, Nvidia will have produced one of the most powerful graphics card with a single GPU to date. With such a powerful GPU, it will easily wipe any competition to the ground.

 

 

In this review, we'll be taking a look at the Inno3D Geforce 9800GTX OC. It uses Nvidia's Geforce 9800GTX (G92) GPU on a PCB board that's pretty much based on their reference design. But what's really interesting, is that Inno3D have decided to overclock the memory and GPU even higher. The GPU core now runs at 720Mhz (default is 675Mhz), while the memory is overclocked slightly to 2.3Ghz (default is 2.2Ghz). I expect the performance from such a boost is nothing short of spectaular.

One of the first things you'll notice about the card, is the extra PCIe power connector. You'll need 2 PCIe power cables to power this monster. I dread to see the total power consumption. You'll also find an extra SLI bridge connector. This is needed for 3-Way SLI configuration. Just imagine getting hold of 3 of these cards, and then linking them up in a 3-Way SLI. The reference PCB board design is pretty standard, but the stock fan does cool the card adequately. I expect hardcore enthusiasts will rip the stock cooler off and add their own custom cooling.

 

             

 

As far as performance is concerned, we've expecting top scores in all our benchmarks. No excuses! I mean it. I expect nothing less from such a powerful graphics card with both GPU and memory that's overclocked.

For our tests, we'll be benchmarking the Inno3D 9800GTX OC with several GPU intensive DX10 games ... with both 4xAA and 16xAF options enabled, as well as your usual 3D Mark 2005 and 2006 tests. Our test rig includes an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ default 2.4Ghz, Gigabyte GA-P35 DS4 motherboard, Adata DDR2-800X 2Gb Kit, PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860W PSU and a 19" Dell Ultrascan P990 monitor. All-in-all, it's a decently spec'd system for DX10 gaming.

OK, lets not waste any more time and see how well the Inno3D 9800GTX OC will perform against other graphic cards on the market.

 

    Specifications - Next >

Introduction Specifications Photos and Pictures Installation and Package Test Setup and Procedures Benchmarks: F.E.A.R. (DX9) Benchmarks: Lost Planet (DX10) Benchmarks: Call of Juarez (DX10) Benchmarks: Crysis (DX10) Benchmarks: 3DMark 2005 Benchmarks: 3DMark 2006 Verdict and Conclusion