Our Impressions of the 9800 GT
This roundup has proven to be quite interesting since we got to take a look at more cards than we normally do over the course of a few months. During this review we have come to an intimate understanding of the 9800 GT and for the most part our first impression is a good one but there are a few caveats we will get to a bit later. At this time Nvidia and their partners are busy phasing out the 8800 GT which is why we have seen its prices taking a hearty tumble in the last few weeks. This suits us just fine since the G92 core still has quite a bit of life left in it and with an eventual move to 55nm, it will only get better in our eyes. Unfortunately, none of the cards we received for this review used this smaller, more efficient manufacturing process (contrary to what some of our reps led us to believe) but they should be arriving sometime in mid September. When that happens we will hopefully see lower pricing for the 9800 GT which in addition to the optional HybridPower and HDMI features should make it a very tempting option for HTPC buyers and budget gamers alike.
From where we stand, there are several redeeming aspects about adding the 9800 GT to the Nvidia lineup. While there will be an unfortunate overlap as the 8800GT is phased out, the murky waters of the Nvidia lineup will clear up quite quickly. The GTX 280 and 260 will remain at the top with the 9800GTX+ and 9800 GT carrying the mid-range while the 9600GT will hit the lower-end price point. Another good thing about these cards is that Nvidia seems to be giving their board partners free reign when it comes to defining exactly what a 9800 GT is all about. We saw that ASUS took the step of designing a 9800 GT based off the 8800GTS 512MB rather than the 8800GT. This resulted in some pretty interesting scores and really drives home one thing: when it comes time to liquidate “old” cores, there are more than a few opportunities where customers stand to benefit. Not only that but when overall performance of even a stock 9800 GT is considered, you really do get a lot of gaming horsepower for your money.
Now that we are done with the good, let’s get down and dirty. The inclusion of HybridPower and HDMI output into the 9800 GT repertoire seems like nothing more than window dressing which is trying to make consumers feel better about Nvidia’s insistence that the 8800 GT should now be called the 9800 GT. Indeed, it seems to us like Nvidia is trying to right the wrong they did by unceremoniously including the 8800 GT and 8800 GTS 512MB into the 8-series in the first place. Now all they are managing to do is confuse the market even further with yet another 9-series card which is based off of an 8-series core. To be honest with you, at this point we see no point in buying a more expensive stock 9800 GT over one of the discounted 8800GT cards. Once 8800GT stocks are depleted and the 9800 GT falls in price, things will surely be different but right now those of you considering a 9800 GT have to question if HybridPower and perhaps the HDMI option warrants the price premium. As you can probably tell by now, we don't think the price difference is waranted at all, especially when the current crop of HybridPower-supported motherboards is so limited.
To confuse matters even more, we have been told by nearly every manufacturer represented here today that when the 55nm cores are released in mid-September, there may be no indication of the in the product numbers or on the packaging. Since I am sure you are all cringing right now, we have also been told that the more efficient manufacturing process will be transitioned into very slowly. This means that even though 55nm cards should start appearing in mid September, it could be months before all 9800 GT cards carry the revised core or at least we will see them when 65nm stocks die out.
All in all, the 9800 GT has promising new features which means it holds some allure over the 8800 GT but we can’t shake the feeling we have seen this all before. Sure Nvidia gave their AIBs the option to include technologies like HybridPower but honestly, dressing a horse up in a suit makes it a well dressed horse, not another animal. This is all simply being done to clear out stocks of 65nm cores in any way possible and for this reason alone, the whole "9800" naming of these cards doesn't sit well with us at all. That being said, there are some diamonds in the rough so let’s take a look at each card individually on the next page.
Impressions of the 9800 GT
This roundup has proven to be quite interesting since we got to take a look at more cards than we normally do over the course of a few months. During this review we have come to an intimate understanding of the 9800 GT and for the most part our first impression is a good one but there are a few caveats we will get to a bit later. At this time Nvidia and their partners are busy phasing out the 8800 GT which is why we have seen its prices taking a hearty tumble in the last few weeks. This suits us just fine since the G92 core still has quite a bit of life left in it and with an eventual move to 55nm, it will only get better in our eyes. Unfortunately, none of the cards we received for this review used this smaller, more efficient manufacturing process (contrary to what some of our reps led us to believe) but they should be arriving sometime in mid September. When that happens we will hopefully see lower pricing for the 9800 GT which in addition to the optional HybridPower and HDMI features should make it a very tempting option for HTPC buyers and budget gamers alike.
From where we stand, there are several redeeming aspects about adding the 9800 GT to the Nvidia lineup. While there will be an unfortunate overlap as the 8800GT is phased out, the murky waters of the Nvidia lineup will clear up quite quickly. The GTX 280 and 260 will remain at the top with the 9800GTX+ and 9800 GT carrying the mid-range while the 9600GT will hit the lower-end price point. Another good thing about these cards is that Nvidia seems to be giving their board partners free reign when it comes to defining exactly what a 9800 GT is all about. We saw that ASUS took the step of designing a 9800 GT based off the 8800GTS 512MB rather than the 8800GT. This resulted in some pretty interesting scores and really drives home one thing: when it comes time to liquidate “old” cores, there are more than a few opportunities where customers stand to benefit. Not only that but when overall performance of even a stock 9800 GT is considered, you really do get a lot of gaming horsepower for your money.
Now that we are done with the good, let’s get down and dirty. The inclusion of HybridPower and HDMI output into the 9800 GT repertoire seems like nothing more than window dressing which is trying to make consumers feel better about Nvidia’s insistence that the 8800 GT should now be called the 9800 GT. Indeed, it seems to us like Nvidia is trying to right the wrong they did by unceremoniously including the 8800 GT and 8800 GTS 512MB into the 8-series in the first place. Now all they are managing to do is confuse the market even further with yet another 9-series card which is based off of an 8-series core. To be honest with you, at this point we see no point in buying a more expensive stock 9800 GT over one of the discounted 8800GT cards. Once 8800GT stocks are depleted and the 9800 GT falls in price, things will surely be different but right now those of you considering a 9800 GT have to question if HybridPower and perhaps the HDMI option warrants the price premium. As you can probably tell by now, we don't think the price difference is waranted at all, especially when the current crop of HybridPower-supported motherboards is so limited.
To confuse matters even more, we have been told by nearly every manufacturer represented here today that when the 55nm cores are released in mid-September, there may be no indication of the in the product numbers or on the packaging. Since I am sure you are all cringing right now, we have also been told that the more efficient manufacturing process will be transitioned into very slowly. This means that even though 55nm cards should start appearing in mid September, it could be months before all 9800 GT cards carry the revised core or at least we will see them when 65nm stocks die out.
All in all, the 9800 GT has promising new features which means it holds some allure over the 8800 GT but we can’t shake the feeling we have seen this all before. Sure Nvidia gave their AIBs the option to include technologies like HybridPower but honestly, dressing a horse up in a suit makes it a well dressed horse, not another animal. This is all simply being done to clear out stocks of 65nm cores in any way possible and for this reason alone, the whole "9800" naming of these cards doesn't sit well with us at all. That being said, there are some diamonds in the rough so let’s take a look at each card individually on the next page.
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