ASUS EN9600GT Top Video Card Review

Yesterday we checked out the Foxconn 9600 GT OC and today we are back with some more overclocked 9600 GT action. We are taking a look at the ASUS EN9600GT Top today. The card is factory overclocked and has a custom Glaciator fansink exclusive to ASUS. Read the full ASUS EN9600GT Top review for all the details.

Gallery

4 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The ASUS EN9600GT Top has a core clock of 650MHz, a shader clock of 1625 MHz, and a memory clock of 1.8GHz. The card features 512MB of GDDR3 memory and a 256-bit memory interface.

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 Top is 3Dmark06. I ran 3Dmark at default settings in the application control panel and default settings in the NVIDIA control panel. The ASUS EN9600GT Top scored as follows on 3DMArk06:

• Total 3DMarks- 12263
• SM2.0- 5120
• HDR/SM3.0- 4760
• CPU- 4717
• Return to Proxycon- 41.208
• Firefly Forest- 44.122
• Canyon Flight- 42.634
• Deep Freeze- 52.566
• CPU1- 1.518
• CPU2- 2.345

To compare scores a bit the Foxconn 9600 GT that I reviewed yesterday scored 11362, the ASUS 9800 GX2 scored 16936, the XFX 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog scored 11720, and the XFX 9800 GTX scored 14298.

Crysis
The first gaming test up was with 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 game starting at the initial beach insertion and stopping after the battle with the first enemy soldiers. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 16 fps
• Avg- 35.965 fps
• Max- 55 fps

Bioshock
The next gaming test was with Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high and all setting turned on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on the map where you have to unlock the medical area. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 16 fps
• Avg- 37.622 fps
• Max- 64 fps

Quake Wars
The final game test up was Quake Wars. I ran Quake Wars at 2560 x 1600 with all settings on high and shaders on ultra. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player Africa refinery map. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 17 fps
• Avg- 31.804 fps
• Max- 47 fps

Final Thoughts
The ASUS EN9600GT Top performed well, though it was bested by the XFX 9600 GT Alpha Dog XXX in benchmarks. The only real sore point for me with the ASUS EN9600GT Top is that the custom heatsink makes the card very thick. You can still run the ASUS EN9600GT Top in SLI mode, but you are likely going to give up the slot right below where you put the ASUS EN9600GT Top. This is really too bad, the compact single slot design is one of the biggest selling points of the 9600 GT line for me. ASUS also doesn’t provide a game with the ASUS EN9600GT Top.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Performs well
• Low cost

Cons

• Custom heatsink is bulky
• No game bundle

Verdict
Despite the extra thick heatsink, the ASUS EN9600GT Top is still a good card. Those looking for the highest performance 9600 GT can get faster cards than the ASUS EN9600GT Top though. In all the ASUS EN9600GT Top is a good card with slightly less performance than competitors. At least ASUS makes it easy to overclock the cad more yourself.

What Others Say about This

Digital textbooks bill gets support in Senate

PIERRE -- South Dakota's Senate wants to include digital materials in its definition of nonsectarian textbooks loaned by school boards to students ages 5-19. Senators voted Monday in favor of a bill that updates the meaning of public and non-public schoo ...
Full article at: Rapid City Journal  More like this  3 hours ago

NEWS FROM THE FUTURE – Biological Computers Encrypt and Decipher Images

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in California and the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology have developed a “biological computer” made entirely from biomolecules that is capable of deciphering images encrypted on DNA chips. Although DNA h ...
Full article at: MAKE: Blog  More like this  8 hours ago, 5:28pm CST

Demystifying Tech: Making sense of the tech world's alphabet soup

Technology is everywhere, and so is its jargon. But all those three-letter words in an endless alphabet soup doesn't have to be an intimidating thing! In fact, once you know a bit about the technology behind the terms, everything starts to make sense, an ...
Full article at: Tecca.com  More like this  9 hours ago, 4:44pm CST

Don't miss ...

• More Computer Hardware Stories
• I4U News Homepage