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Asus 9600 GT TOP & Silent Review
[Abstract]
ASUS' Special OnesIt is a trend universally observed, that graphics cards vendors must eventually produce custom boards that are either overclocked or passively cooled. These are the two common...
[Content] PCDigitalMobileGame
Conclusion
With less than a month to the annual Computex IT trade show in Taipei, both ATI and NVIDIA are readying to unleash their next generation products to enthusiasts. ATI is expected to be quicker off the blocks this time round with its RV770 GPUs but since NVIDIA has managed to spring surprises on its rival for the past few 'rounds', it would be prudent not to rule out any such repeats before Computex. At the moment however, ATI has restored some competition to the graphics scene and though the market share still favors NVIDIA, it makes for an interesting year to come.
The hottest competition is in the mainstream segment, where the NVIDIA's new GeForce 9600 GT is engaged against ATI's Radeon HD 3800 series. With cards from both sides ranging from US$150 - 170, it's a fertile ground for heavy discounting, as numerous vendors try to attract buyers with competitive prices and custom designs or features. It is also the segment where the two special editions from ASUS reside, with the ASUS EN9600GT TOP priced at US$159 while the EN9600GT Silent is around US$155.
As seen from the benchmarks, there is no doubt that the TOP edition is as fast as it claims, with performance that equals or comes close to the fastest GeForce 9600 GT cards now. It's a simple case of increasing the clock speeds which almost always produces the intended effect and paired with a very good cooler like the Glaciator, it's hard to find fault with this card. It is quiet and cool, aided by a relatively cool GPU like the GeForce 9600 GT. And with a price that is actually competitive with rival vendors, the ASUS EN9600GT TOP gets our thumbs up for being one of the better GeForce 9600 GT cards you can get for its price.
The other GeForce 9600 GT on examination here, the ASUS EN9600GT Silent is a decent take on the passively cooled graphics card. The cooler does a competent job of keeping the core cool, though its effectiveness depended largely on the ventilation inside the chassis. This 'requirement' is however critical for these type of coolers and ASUS probably could not have done it any better. We however did not find it to be superior to the standard design in terms of temperatures. Of course, there is the silent operating aspect to consider for this card and it is probably an important factor for those shopping for them. Personally, we would be more inclined to go with a Glaciator based ASUS card like the TOP edition, as it's quiet enough not to be noticed and hence as good as 'silent', while at the same time, having better performance and lower temperatures. If complete peace of mind is required however, then the ASUS EN9600GT Silent is more than adequate for the job.
Our Final Ratings
The ASUS EN9600GT TOP. |
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The ASUS EN9600GT Silent. |
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