The GeForce 9800 GTX+ Video Card

Just looking the front and rear of the two GeForce 9800 GTX+ graphics cards not too much looks different from an ordinary GeForce 9800 GTX. Don't be fooled though as this card is really a GeForce 9800 GTX+, which is a card that NVIDIA claims will be the only card that offers fantastic 3D performance, high-fidelity physics, and world class GPU computing for value conscious gamers. That is a big claim to make, but we will see how it holds up during testing.

The GeForce 9800 GTX uses a dual-slot design that requires two 6-pin PCIe power connectors for proper usage. If power is not properly hooked up to the GeForce 9800 GTX the video card will sound an alarm and you will definitely hear it. When it comes to power supplies a single GeForce 9800 GTX, needs at least a 450-watt power supply unit for proper operation.

The GeForce 9800 GTX also provides native support for HDMI output, using a certified DVI-to-HDMI adaptor in conjunction with the built-in SPDIF audio connector. This solution differs from ATI by the fact is requires an audio connection from the motherboard or sound card to the video card. Both ATI and NVIDIA solutions have the outgoing audio going through the HDMI cable to the TV or receiver, but only NVIDIA needs internal connections to make this happen. The SPDIF audio connector can be seen just above the LR watermark in the above image

The Test System

The Test System

The test system was running Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit with all available Microsoft updates including the hotfixes required for enthusiast video cards to run correctly. ATI CATALYST 8.5 driverswas used on the Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card and ATI CATALYST 8.6 drivers were used on the nw Radeon HD 4850 graphics card. NVIDIA Forceware 175.16 WHQL drivers were used on all GeForce graphics cards except for the GeForce GTX 280 series cards as they used Forceware 177.34 drivers and the GeForce 9800 GTX+ that used Forceware 177.39 graphics drivers. All results shown in the charts are averages of at least three runs from each game or application used.

The Video Cards:

• Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 (625MHz/1986MHz GDDR3)
• NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ (738MHz/2200MHz GDDR3)
• EVGA GeForce GTX 280 Hydro Copper 16 (670MHz/2430MHz)
• PNY GeForce GTX 280 (602MHz/2214MHz)
• XFX GeForce 9800 GX2 (600MHz/2000MHz)
• XFX GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB
• DiamondRadeon HD 3870 X2 - 1GB (825MHz/1.800GHz GDDR3)

All of the video cards were tested on our Intel X38 Express Test platform, which is loaded with the latest and greatest hardware. The Intel Core 2 Quad QX9770 'Yorkfield' processor was used for testing as it proved to be the best desktop processor when it comes to game performance. The test system was also loaded with 4GB of memory and water cooled to ensure throttling of the processor or memory wouldn't cause any issues. The Corsair PC2-9136C5 memory kit was run at 1066MHz with 5-5-5-15 2T memory timings.

Intel Test Platform
Component	Brand/Model	Live Pricing
Processor	Intel Core 2 Quad QX9770	Click Here
Motherboard	Gigabyte X38-DQ6	Click Here
Memory	4GB Corsair PC2-9136C5	Click Here
Video Cards	See Above	Click Here
Hard Drive	Western Digital SATA RaptorX	Click Here
Cooling	Corsair Nautilus 500	Click Here
Power Supply	Corsair HX620W	Click Here
Operating System	Windows Vista Ultimate	Click Her

Now that we know exactly what the test system is, we can move along to performance numbers. It should be noted that since both Palit and XFX use the same PCB, BIOS, Memory IC's, Clock Speeds and cooling solutions we put the cards at the same data point. There is no performance difference between the two cards.

The reference design features 128 processors cores operating at 1688 MHz, which produces an astounding 432 GigaFLOPs of processing power. Each processor core is capable of being dynamically allocated to vertex, pixel, and geometry operations for the utmost efficiency in GPU resource allocation, and maximum flexibility in load balancing shader programs. Working alongside the processors cores are 64 texturing processors (eight texture processors per shader block) each capable of one addressing and filtering operation per clock. With a peak bilinear fillrate of 43.2 gigatexels, it offers unprecedented texturing performance for any GPU. The chip features sixteen render back-end units (ROP) with full support for 128-bit high-dynamic-range rendering and NVIDIA’s exclusive 16x Coverage Sampling Antialiasing (CSAA) algorithm. The ROP compression system has also been enhanced to improve performance at extreme resolutions such as 2560 x 1600. The enhanced compression will help keep memory usage in check and help performance in high resolution, antialiased scenarios.

NVIDIA Introduces The GeForce 9800

NVIDIA Introduces The GeForce 9800

Video cards are launching left and right these days and it’s been a confusing time for many consumers. Trying to tell people that many of the latest GeForce 8 series cards have the same core as the GeForce 9 series isn’t an easy thing to do. To complicate things even more, NVIDIA has been reducing the frame buffer size on the latest video cards. This is not only confusing to consumers, but the media as well. Today is no different, so sit back and we will try to walk you through what is going on.

The video card that is being launched today is the GeForce 9800 GTX, which has 754 million transistors that are manufactured on the 65nm process. This will be the direct replacement of the GeForce 8800 GTX, which has been the high-end work horse for NVIIDA since 2006. The GeForce 9800 GTX sounds like it isn’t too much of an upgrade over the GeForce 8800 GTX, but NVIDIA claims that this GPU is this is the most complex GPU ever created and the specifications can be seen below. The GeForce 8800 GTX has a 768MB frame buffer with a 384-bit bus and the just released GeForce 9800 GTX just a 512MB frame buffer on a 256-bit bus. On paper this doesn’t seem to be an improvement, but NVIDIA says they have optimized the G92 core so much that it doesn’t need a larger frame buffer. NVIDIA atually said that internal lab testing has showed that a larger frame buffer doesn't significantly improve performance.

nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 graphics card

nvidia geforce 9800 gx2 graphics card
nnVidia’s 8800 Ultra card is the fastest video card on the market, bar none. According to HardOCP, nVidia aims to raise the bar again in the spring with their next-gen card, the 9800 GX2. With a reputed speed boost of 30% and support for Quad-SLI, the 9800gx2 may be the card that puts the nail in ATI’s high-end coffin.Update: They say the expected price: around $449 US and the release date: February 14, 2008.

NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX triple-SLI rig benched

Looks like the first NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX cards have made their way out in the world -- officially announced or not -- and TweakTown's got the benches. Performance gains seem marginal in triple-SLI over dual, but hey, those drivers probably aren't finished and these cards aren't official, so we recommend withholding judgment until it's all legit.

NVIDIA's high-end GeForce 9800 GX2 graphics card has been pretty well received on its own, but it looks to be decidedly more of a mixed bag when it comes to a Quad SLI configuration, at least according to a pair of early reviews. Least impressed with the setup was PC Perspective, which described the system's performance as "uninspiring" and "frustrating more often than it was fun to play on." The site did see some potential in the system, however, saying that it's very possible that NVIDIA will be able to address many of the problems in upcoming driver releases. Slightly more positive about the config were the folks at HotHardware, who were pleased with the performance, and seem to have been more satisfied with the setup's ability to scale with various applications than PC Perspective was. On the downside, they did admit that the system didn't scale well for everything, and there is of course the little matter of price (about $1,200), which will likely be pretty hard for even the most die-hard performance junkie to justify.