Asus EN9600GT Silent Video Card Review

Today we are going to check out a new NVIDIA 9600 GT from Asus called the Asus EN9600GT Silent. The Asus EN9600GT Silent is passively cooled and produces no noise during operation. If you are looking for a powerful video card for use in a HTPC machine or other environment the Asus EN9600GT Silent is definitely worth a look. Read on for all the details on the Asus EN9600GT Silent.

Gallery

5 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The Asus EN9600GT Silent is a PCI Express 2.0 compliant card that has 512MB of GDDR3 memory onboard. The core clock speed is 650MHz, the shader clock is 1625MHz and the memory clock is 1.8GHz. the memory interface for the card is 256-bit and it will support resolutions up to 2560 x 1600. Outputs on the card are dual DVI-D and a D-Sub VGA adapter is included as well. HDMI output is also supported via a DVI to HDMI adapter that is included. The card also supports HDCP for protected HD content.

Test Machine
My test machine has the following specifications:

• OS- Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 32-bit
• PSU- Top Power 1100W
• RAM- 2GB Aeneon DDR3-16000
• CPU- Intel QX9770
• Display- 30-inch Dell

3DMark06
The first test up for the Asus EN9600GT Silent is 3DMark06. I ran the application at default settings in the NVIDIA control panel and in the 3DMark application. The Asus EN9600GT Silent scored as follows on 3DMark06:

• Total 3DMarks- 11190
• SM2.0- 4602
• HDR/SM3.0- 4270
• CPU- 4716
• Return to Proxycon- 37.007
• Firefly Forest- 36.689
• Canyon Flight- 38.166
• Deep Freeze- 47.241
• CPU1- 1.537
• CPU2- 2.315

To compare scores the Asus EN9600GT Top I reviewed scored 12263 3DMarks, the XFX 9600 GT Alpha Dog scored 11720 and the Foxconn 9600GT OC scored 11362. That puts the Asus EN9600GT Silent right in there with most of the actively cooled cards even if they are overclocked.

Crysis
The first game test up was Crysis, which I ran at 1920 x 1200 with 2x AA and all settings on medium. Fraps recorded frame rate data on a single player map starting from the initial beach insertion. Fraps recorded the following data:

• Min- 13 fps
• Avg- 29.536 fps
• Max- 51 fps

Quake Wars
The next game test was Quake Wars ran at 2560 x 1600 with all settings on high and shaders on ultra with 4x AA. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data on the single player Africa refinery map:

• Min- 7 fps
• Avg- 29.043 fps
• Max- 44 fps

Bioshock
The final game test up was Bioshock ran at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and all settings turned on. Fraps recorded frame rate data on the level where you unlock the medical bay. Fraps recorded the following frame rates:

• Min- 20 fps
• Avg- 33.541
• Max- 61 fps

Passive Problems
The worst thing about the exclusive V-cool heatsink (really the only bad thing) is that to get enough surface area for the passive cooling to be effective the normally single slot 9600GT becomes a dual slot design. I also found that the back edge of the passive heatsink blocked the retention clip for the six-pin power connector the card requires. I had to lift gently on the fins of the heatsink to get the clearance needed for seating the power plug.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Silent
• Good performance

Cons

• Dual slot design
• Heatsink blocks power port a bit

Verdict
The Asus EN9600GT Silent performed very well and easily stood up to the actively cooled 9600 GT cards on the market. If you have the space to give up a second PCI slot and want to build a silent gaming machine the Asus EN9600GT Silent is the perfect card for you.

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