BFG 9600 GT OCX Video Card Review

Today we are taking a look at the BFG 9600 GT OCX. This is one of the highest clocked 9600 GT cards on the market and uses a unique cooling solution to keep the card running cool despite the highly overclocked nature of the part. If you are in the market for a 9600 GT read on to find out about the BFG 9600 GT OCX.

Gallery

4 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The BFG 9600 GT OCX has a core clock speed of 725MHz, the shader clock is 1850Mhz and the memory clock is 1950MHz. The video card has 512MB of GDDR3 RAM and has a 256-bit memory interface. The card has 64 stream processors and is PCI Express 2.0 compliant. Connectivity options include a pair of DVI-I connectors and a HDTV out. The BFG 9600 GT OCX is HDCP compliant.

Test Machine
The test machine I am using has the following specs:

• OS- Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 32-bit
• PSU- Top Power 1100W
• RAM- 2GB Aeneon DDR3-16000
• CPU- Intel QX9770
• Mainboard- XFX 790i Ultra
• Display- 30-inch Dell

3DMark06
The first test up for the BFG 9600 GT OCX is 3DMark06. I ran 3DMark at default settings in the 3DMark application and in the 3DMark control panel. The BFG 9600 GT OCX scored as follows in 3DMark06:

• Total 3DMarks- 12218
• SM2.0- 5115
• HDR/SM3.0- 4759
• CPU- 4621
• Return to Proxycon- 41.474
• Firefly Forest- 43.176
• Canyon Flight- 42.865
• Deep Freeze- 52.324
• CPU1- 1.547
• CPU2- 2.208

To compare the last 9600 GT I tested was the Asus 9600 GT Silent, which scored 11190 3DMarks, the Asus EN9600GT Top scored 12263 3Dmarks, and the XFX 9600 GT Alpha Dog scored 11720 3DMarks.

Crysis
The first game test up for the BFG 9600 GT OCX was Crysis. I ran Crysis at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 2x AA and all advanced video options turned to medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data from the initial beach insertion to the battle with the first enemy soldiers. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 18 fps
• Avg- 32.878 fps
• Max- 51 fps

Quake Wars
The next game test up was Quake Wars. I used a screen resolution of 2560 x 1600 with all visual settings on high, 2x AA, ultra shaders and shadows, soft particles, and smooth foliage were on. Fraps recorded frame rate data on a single player Africa Refinery map. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 23 fps
• Avg- 37.562 fps
• Max- 55 fps

Call of Duty 4
The final game test up for the BFG 9600 GT OCX was Call of Duty 4. I ran COD4 at 1920 x 1200 with 4x AA. Shadows, specular maps, depth of field, glow, soft smoke, rag doll and bullet impacts were all turned on and the number of corpses was set to large. Fraps recorded frame rate data from the mission aboard the container ship. The BFG 9600 GT OCX scored as follows:

• Min- 23 fps
• Avg- 52.291 fps
• Max- 99 fps

Final Thoughts
In the end the BFG 9600 GT OCX performed well, though it was out performed on a couple benchmarks ever so slightly by the Asus EN9600 GT Top. Some of the cards in this price range include nice game bundles, like the XFX 9600 GT Alpha Dog while the BFG 9600 GT OCX gets nothing additional.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Performs well
• Unique cooling solution

Cons

• Lacks game bundle

Verdict
If you can live without a game bundle the highly overclocked BFG 9600 GT OCX is one of the fastest 9600 GT video cards that I have tested. The card looks good and has the performance to play today’s hottest titles at good detail settings.

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