GeForce 9800 GT Roundup (EVGA, ASUS, Gigabyte & Palit)

Palit 9800 GT Super+ 1GB (NE/9800TXT302)

Product Number: NE/9800TXT302
Manufacturer’s Product Page: Palit Microsystems Ltd.
Price: Click here to compare prices
Warranty: 2 Years




The final card we are going to be looking at is also the only 1GB 9800 GT in this roundup and it takes the form of Palit’s Super+ card. Palit has been known to go out on a limb from time to time and while there are quite a few other manufacturers out there who have introduced 1GB cards, this one was the first to reach retailers. It should be interesting to see how it does against 512MB cards at higher resolutions but we have some doubts about the core’s ability to make use of the full amount of ram. Clock speeds stay at stock values all around so other than the 1GB, this is a bone stock card.

Pricing for the Super+ 1GB is a bit on the high side at around $190 before rebates which puts it into the higher-end of the 9800 GT lineup beyond even the ASUS 9800 GT Ultimate. That is with the 2-year warranty to boot so let’s hope this card can put up some impressive performance figures.


The box for this card is the exact same as that seem on the Sonic model with a red model number sticker being the only noticeable difference. However, there is a marked difference in the accessories since the Super+ comes with the S/PDIF cable and HDMI dongle that were MIA from Palit’s other offering. Tomb Raider Anniversary, a driver CD and an installation booklet are also included.


The dual slot design of the heatsink on the Super+ is quite unique but it has the unfortunate distinction of being painted one of the ugliest colors we have ever seen on a graphics card. While it may look functional for dissipating heat, the shroud you see is made of plastic and is nothing more than a design element rather than a functional piece of engineering. To make matters somewhat worse, most of the heat produced by the core will stay within your case since the fan is not directional and pushes air in every direction through the porous shroud.

Even though it may look overly long with its heatsink, this Palit card stays at the reference design’s 9” length.


The heatsink itself has a pair of large heatpipes which lead to a number of aluminum fins which dissipate the core’s heat while the ram is covered by a black piece of aluminum. This design is functional but we wish that all of the heat would be exhausted through the back of the card instead of only some of it. There is also an S/PDIF connector on the card itself for audio pass-through to the HDMI dongle.


With 1GB of memory, Palit needed to locate the additional ICs on the back of the PCB where they are covered by their own heatsink. Just remember that this piece of aluminum gets very, very hot so if you are planning on removing the card after use, wait a few minutes before handling it.