GIGABYTE 9800GX2

Josh Collins does his darndest to find a diamond in the rough.

Last month we had a first squiz at the 9800GX2. The sample on show was from the folks at XFX but what we were checking out in detail was the technology behind the 9800GX2 and how it compares to other products in the NVIDIA family tree.
For those of you who read it, you’ll know that we weren’t too impressed by the 9800GX2 and frankly, we still aren’t. Though prices have dropped, there isn’t the necessary spark to light the fire of burning desire that makes us yearn for one of these two-core graphics processing behemoths.

As much as the 9800GX2 has become cheaper since then, so too has the 8800GTS 512MB. What this means is that for an average of $330 you can acquire one of these compellingly high-value bang-for-your-buck cards. And if you’re truly wanting the pure pixel-pushing power of the 9800GX2, two can be fetched for $660 – putting 60-70 odd dollars back in your hip pocket. This is, of course, dependent on the fact you’ll require an SLI-capable motherboard to use the power of the two cards in tandem.

Now, we don’t want to sound like we’re bitching and moaning but unless you’re looking to SLI two 9800GX2s to run your equally flamboyant dual 30in LCDs – Bah! Make that triple 30in displays – then you really aren’t in the mood to care about value.

With value being such a sore point with these cards, one way to win fans in the market is to create a top quality bundle – preferably a decent game of some sort. Unfortunately, it appears the GIGABYTE crew missed the memo and what you see in the corner up there is what you get. Oh, and some of the usual accessories like DVI to D-SUB converters.

Hit and miss? Well, given that our SLI GTS rig can actually outperform the GX2 on offer here, and for less, this one’s a miss.