XFX 9800 GTX Graphics Card Review

Earlier today I posted a review of the BFG 9800 GTX graphics card. NVIDIA launched the 9800 GTX cards today and we are back already with our second 9800 GTX review. This time we are checking out a stock clocked XFX 9800 GTX. Read on for all the details.

Gallery

4 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The XFX 9800 GTX shares the same features in common with the BFG 9800 GTX I also tested today. The shader clock on the XFX 9800 GTX is 1688 MHz, the core clock is 675 MHz and the memory clock is 2.2GHz. The card uses 512MB of GDDR3 memory and has a 256-bit memory bus. Like the BFG 9800 GTX, the XFX 9800 GTX is PCI Express 2.0 compliant as well. The card supports SLI and 3-way SLI out of the box.

Test Machine
The test machine I will be using for this review has the following specifications:

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

3DMark06
First up for the XFX 9800 GTX is 3DMark06. I ran the application at default settings and used default settings I the NVIDIA control panel as well. The XFX 9800 GTX scored as follows on 3DMark06:

• Total 3DMarks- 14298
• SM2.0- 5981
• HDR/SM3.0- 5856
• CPU- 4804
• Return to Proxycon- 50.151
• Firefly Forest- 49.527
• Canyon Flight- 55.408
• Deep Freeze- 61.703
• CPU1- 1.554
• CPU2- 2.376

To compare the BFG 9800 GTX I reviewed scored 14201 3DMarks, the XFX 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog scored 11720 3DMarks and the XFX 9800 GX2 scored 16227 3DMarks.

Bioshock
The first game test up for the XFX 9800 GTX is Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and all settings on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data and recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 49.947
• Max- 61 fps

Crysis
Next up was Crysis, which I ran at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 2x AA and all settings on medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data from the initial beach insertion until combat with the first enemy soldiers. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 50.488 fps
• Max- 68 fps

Quake Wars
The final game test up for the XFX 9800 GTX is Quake Wars. I ran the game at 2560 x 1600 with all setting son high and 4x AA with shaders on ultra. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player Africa Refinery map. Fraps recorded the following information:

• Min- 29 fps
• Avg- 43.650 fps
• Max- 61 fps

Final Thoughts
In the end the XFX 9800 GTX was so close in performance to the BFG 9800 GTX that it was a dead heat. This is to be expected since the cards are identical save the stickers on their heatsinks. What does set the XFX card apart from the BFG card is the fact that XFX includes a game with their offering. XFX provides the full version of Company of Heroes. Too bad the 9800 GTX doesn’t include Call of Duty 4 like the 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog does. In the end the XFX 9800 GTX is a fantastic video card at an MSRP of $349.99 with loads of performance and hands down faster than anything from ATI in the price range.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Good performance
• Full game bundled

Cons

• Almost identical in performance to other 9800 GTX cards around

The

Verdict
While the performance of the BFG 9800 GTX and XFX 9800 GTX are virtually identical, the XFX sets itself apart by offering a full video game bundled with the card. This makes the XFX 9800 GTX a better deal for a gamer, assuming you don’t already have Company of Heroes. In all the XFX 9800 GTX performs very well and is a great video card for the money.

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