Thread: The GPU

The 9600 GT chip is codenamed G94, putting it in the same class as the G92 that powers the recently-released GeForce 8800 GT and refreshed GTS 512 parts. These GPUs incorporate a number of improvements at the silicone level, as compared to the first generation of stream processors in earlier GeForce 8-series GPUs. Nvidia is touting a 20 percent improvement in overall performance, thus allowing fewer stream processors to run at a higher clock speed and still drastically improve performance. The GeForce 9600 GT uses 64 second-generation stream processors running at 1625 MHz, supported by 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM on a 256-bit bus.

The significant feature here is the fact that Nvidia has upgraded its mid-range cards to 512 MB, up from the 256 MB that the last few generations have shipped with as standard. This is a reflection of the changing times, and more specifically the fact that gamers with mid-range budgets now expect to be able to play games at high resolutions with high quality settings.

Apart from this, the 9600 GT also supports Nvidia PureVideo HD, for high-definition video decode acceleration Improvements to this technology include Dynamic Contrast Adjustment which claims to analyze each individual frame of a movie clip (up to 30 fps) and adjust the contrast on the fly if the exposure needs it. Dynamic Color Enhancement claims to isolate and improve skin tones in frames, and Dual-Stream Decode allows the GPU to decode two simultaneous HD video streams. These three features aren't exclusive to the 9600 GT though; owners of 8800 GT and GTS 512 cards will see these options enabled on their cards with a driver update this month.

Inexplicably, there's no support for DirectX 10.1, a feature that AMD's been trumpeting in its 3xxx series cards. This new standard doesn't offer much more than incremental updates, but it might be a feature you miss in the future when newer games start taking advantage of it.

The GPU supports analog, dual-link DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort output. It's up to individual brands and vendors to decide which ports their graphics cards will support, so be careful if you're buying one, since versions of this card with different outputs will be available. High Definition Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is incorporated, for full-quality playback of protected HD content on Blu-ray or HD-DVD media.

Our XFX 9600 GT sample card sticks to Nvidia's reference design, with two DVI ports, an analog TV out, and the standard single-slot cooler. The cooler is a smooth black enclosure that covers the entire surface of the card. It's almost exactly like that of the 8800 GT, except for a more curved rear and a much larger fan. There's a 6-pin PCle power connector pokes out of the heatsink, and a single SLI connector finger in its usual place near the backplate. A rather bland-looking XFX sticker is the sole differentiating feature on this card. The retail package includes a driver CD,
a couple of pamphlets on installing and cooling the card, and an amusing hotel style "I'm Gaming, Do Not Disturb" door hanger. For connectivity, XFX includes
a 6-pin PCle power adapter, an S-video cable, YPbPr component video dongle, and a single DVI to VGA adapter There's no sign of an HDMI adapter or any bundled games-not dealbreakers, but XFX should have included these

Test results
We benchmarked the 9600 GT using an Intel Core 2 Extreme OX9650 on an ASUS Maximus Formula X38-chipset based motherboard. We used 2 GB of DDR3 RAM running at 1066 MHz, with two 10,000 RPM Western Digital Raptor 740GDs in RAID 0 This kind of a configuration will completely eliminate all bottlenecks, squeezing an insane amount of power out of the GPU

Throughout our tests, the card ran superbly cool and quiet throughout
our tests. Even overclocked, the core temperature barely went above 46 degrees C, and the fan was nowhere near as loud as some of the dustbusters we've seen in the past



Benchmark results at stock speeds were just about where we expected them to be. In a nutshell, the card outclasses the 8600GTS by a massive margin, but still trails slightly behind the 8800 GT It's great to see games playable on a mid¬range card with the AA and image quality settings pumped up a bit This is exactly the positioning Nvidia wants, having first raised the bar at the bottom of the high-end and now matching it at the top of the mid-range. It's also exactly where there used to be a pretty large gap in their product lineup which AM D has recently managed to exploit with its 3850 and 3870 cards.

The 8600 GTS will live on for some time, moving into a lower price bracket (it's already selling for around Rs 8,000 and that will probably go down further) The 8800 GT will be the next step up, at around Rs 14,000 AMD's offerings can't quite match the 9600 GT in terms of price or performance. Our XFX card comes with an MRP of Rs 13,990 which is quite unattractive compared to the 8800 GT, but we're expecting it to sell for a street price of around Rs 1 O,OOO-which would be a very, very sweet spot indeed. Nvidia has stuck another decisive blow, and we can't wait to see what the high-end cards in the 9-series will be capable of when we get our hands on them in the next few months.