BFG 9800GTX OCX Graphics Card Review

Conclusion

The BFG 9800GTX OCX is one hell of a card since it offers jaw-dropping performance in a package which is both compact and quite efficient. The 65nm manufacturing process has been exceedingly kind to Nvidia since they have been able to refine and respin the ever-present G92 core into the 9800GTX which is the current single-GPU flagship of the Nvidia lineup. What BFG has done is take this already great-performing card and massaged it so it offers even greater performance potential in some of today’s most popular games. To some of you a 10% increase over the stock 9800GTX will be something you will turn your noses up at but you have to consider the overclock on this card is completely covered by BGF’s Lifetime Warranty. So, for people who don’t want to go into the trials (no matter how trivial they may be to seasoned veterans) of overclocking this BFG card will offer the perfect opportunity to get a smoother gaming experience without having to look at the $600 9800 GX2.

Reviewing a pre-overclocked graphics card is never easy because there are always tradeoffs to be made in the never ending competition to produce the fastest possible product. Usually one of the major tradeoffs is the cost of admittance and the BFG 9800GTX OCX is no different since its price is slightly inflated over that of a stock card. With a price of nearly $400 the premium it carries over a bone-stock GTX, many potential customers will probably gravitate to the cheaper option than pay the extra money for a somewhat slight difference. However, while we can discuss performance versus price until we are blue in the face what really needs to be touched upon is the accessory package included with this card. I’m not sure about what the rest of you think but I don’t want to have to buy an overclocked card to have access to the “optional” HDMI and SPDIF connectors. While it may be that there are not many people who will actually use these connectors, I find myself wishing that BFG would follow many other manufacturers and include these connectors with their stock cards.

In the end what we have here is a more expensive 9800GTX which offer some amazing performance while being backed up by one of the industry’s best warranties. You get all the bangs and whistles with the HDMI and SPDIF connectors and even have the potential of higher overclocks with a fan profile which keeps the card a bit cooler than stock. What more is there to ask for? Well, the price is higher and the card itself is a bit louder but that doesn’t stop this card from being highly recommended for those of you who want a great PC gaming experience.


Pros:

- Great performance
- Included HDMI and SPDIF connectors
- Runs cooler than stock
- Lifetime warranty
- Trade-up program


Cons:

- Price
- Availability
- Slightly louder than stock card
- Increased power consumption