TheTechLounge - Recent Reviews: Hardware

ZOTAC GeForce 9800 GT 512MB AMP Video Card

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:23:22 -0600

One of the greatest things about fabrication processes is that they can be shrunk. Assuming that your architecture is forward-thinking enough, and it navigates issues with power plane-mapping and transistor leakage and all that, you can take your design, make it smaller, run it faster, and use less power. ATI has reaped great successes going from 65nm to 55nm, and NVIDIA is going the same way with their G92 parts. This process will take their 8800 GT, an excellent performer at the time of its release, rename it 9800 GT, and reap away. I mean, that would be the way to do it if you wanted to make any sense whatsoever. Because this is a regular ol' 65nm part. This naming debacle, as frustrating as it is, belies some real amazing progress. And I'm not talking about the addition of HybridSLI to the 8800GT, and certainly not triple-GPU SLI (because you can't do it with this excellent card, and if I knew who's brilliant idea that was, I'd tell you now) or any of the other subtle advantages 98 has over 88. The progress is this: when the 8800 GT was released, it cost about three hundred dollars. One year later, games aren't more demanding, but it can be had for close to a Benjamin. But Zotac doesn't stop there, they take a well-binned example of G92 prowess, overclock it, and give you a copy of XIII Century: Death or Glory for your trouble! Did I mention it only costs $120?

SmoothCreations LanShark Pro Customized Gaming System

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:12:56 -0600

Now, personally, I don't go in for the metal sinew-and-eyeballs theme, but I tip my hat to the Giger-inspired paint-monkey that delivered it with so much polish, and the fact is that you can ask for any paintjob you desire - for free. From concept to product, the unsubtle layering of silver grotesquerie wraps around the hardware and showcases it and only it, with a slick internal bezel that conceals cable mess and power wiring. There's more to the design than just looks, with top-notch engineering (and maybe some trial-and-error) that leave no doubts about the quality of construction. Perhaps most surprising, this custom-built, hand-crafted little wonder essentially costs less than the sum of its parts.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB TOXIC Video Card

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 15:55:07 -0600

I think it's worth everyone's wait for Toxic. As far as brandings go, anyway. But Sapphire puts so much effort into general improvements over the stock designs--which they have no small hand in--that I have to wonder if they hold back just to make certain that their Toxic will be that much better. Maybe I'm giving too much away for an intro. Let's get back to boring stuff, like how HD 4000 changed every possible standard for pricing, and slammed into NVIDIA's market share so hard that they knocked stock out of 'em. People walking past their offices in California were picking it up on the streets as souvenirs, "I was there when HD 4000 was released!" HD 4870, the flagship, wasn't a hundred percent, though. It uses a lot of power, and makes a lot of noise. I don't expect the efficiency to change, but I, and silence enthusiasts everywhere, have been rubbing their hands in wait for Sapphire to throw in their characteristic blue into the equation. I wish I were saying that the wait was over, but I can't find these for sale anywhere. But when they're released, no doubt with an analogous price bump, that they will have been worth the wait.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 512MB Video Card

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:17:17 -0500

I have always had problems endorsing the sub-hundred dollar video card. Usually, for an amount less than the video game you intend to play, you can get a card that can actually play said game, unless you really don't care about turning the detail setting up--which, as far as I'm concerned, is the way the developers intended it. They come with lots of RAM and no hardware to drive it, inadequate, bottom-dollar cooling, and disappointment. But I'm about to tell you that the HD 4670 isn't a complete waste. I know, weird, right? Now, it's just one of many options, which I'll get to here in a minute. But for the first time since ever, eighty bucks'll let you play the Orange Box, Unreal Tournament 3, and yes, Crysis. Well, Crysis, admittedly, not on High. But everything else maxed out, with anti-aliasing, and at your display's native resolution.

Leadtek GeForce 9600 GSO 384MB Extreme Video Card

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:51:16 -0500

It shouldn't take too long to guess that this is the same card as an 8800 GS, right? I mean, same clock speeds, same memory bus, same wonky 384MB of RAM. Yep, it's just a re-badged GS. There aren't any updates or added features, either, not a hint of HybridSLI; it's an attempt by NVIDIA to consolidate their three different video card series[plural?]. Can you hear my head shaking? It totally is. Given that this is an old, cut down card, can it be worth it? First, yeah, 'course someone's going to like it, and it's one of the cheaper GSOs, too. And Leadtek's is special, with its factory overclock and stylin' custom cooler. But it's results are the real interesting bit: for a budget card, it's future-proof.

PNY GeForce 9800 GTX 512MB XLR8 Video Card

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 18:44:12 -0500

It's an unfortunate thing that the 9800 GTX doesn't quite live up to a souped-up, though no longer available, 8800 GTX. I mean, it's definitely a better card in most respects. It consumes less power, is much better at video playback, and though it's relatively louder, the 9800 GTX costs one third today what the 8800 GTX cost yesterday. So for the same kind of dough, you can go SLI (with its inherent drawbacks of power and motherboard costs). Which isn't clearly an advantage with Intel CrossFire boards being as ubiquitous as they are. Nobody's saying it's a bad card, it just hasn't lived up to its expectations. As a card by itself, it's not bad, and if you're limited to one card, it's really the way to go. And while it does beat an HD 4850, it does cost more--I'd say they're equal on that front. If not for the massive difference in power consumption, choosing a 9800 GTX over an HD 4850 would just be a matter of preference. Adding the GTX+ to the equation further weighs against this card, as it'll improve on the performance quite a bit--although the plus is reported to use just as much power and it will definitely cost more. If you're looking for the next amazing card that will last two years and still look its successor in the eye, you'll have to turn to the GTX 200-series.

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB Toxic Video Card

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:31:46 -0500

This is the ATI counter-point to the 9800 GTX+: Sapphire's Toxic HD 4850. It may be alone, and it may not be more power-friendly, but it's, ahem, wickedly fast. The icing is that it doesn't really cost more than other HD 4850s--sure, it's on the high side, but it's still cheaper than a 4850 and a Zalman heatsink. The astounding thing is how closely the Toxic keeps up with an HD 4870, cards that cost close to a hundred dollars more.

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB FTW Video Card

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:29:51 -0500

The GTX 260 is exceptionally powerful, quiet, even power-miserly. It too has dropped in price--you can find them for around $200 (!) with a rebate, anyway--although EVGA's FTW is... more. However, I believe that the price premium is totally fair with the Step-Up Program, warranty, and ridiculous overclocking potential. If the 280 is a heavyweight, then the 260 is a ninja. And everyone knows that ninjas are cooler.

VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Video Card

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:06:55 -0500

I'm reserving any real conclusions for the 4870 X2 until I can benchmark it with retail drivers. There were just too many weird results here to make any concrete proclamations. I will say this: the card has a boatload of potential and if the only thing that stands between this card being great and it being the very best is some software to download then it will be the gamer's choice, or at least dream card, instantly. If ATI pulls this off, they're going to do something that only exists in PowerPoint heaven: have a performance leader at every price point. If they don't, well...

BFG GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB Video Card

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 17:06:04 -0500

It would be very, very hard not to covet this video card. I know I recently said that the 9800 GTX was the sexy card, but this one might actually look nicer, eye of the beholder and all. And it's not just skin-deep, this card is faaaast, and because of that, we can overlook its frightening heat production and power consumption. But it isn't a bargain. Thanks to price warring, it's in the 'you gotta be crazy' and not the 'price is no question' bracket, and because of that, it'll get more attention than it might deserve. It's compelling, after all--especially the idea of quad SLI. Not that I'd turn one down, but the people for whom it makes sense are fewer than the people that can afford it. That is to say, it's a great piece of hardware, but it's only a good idea in the strictest of circumstances.

Palit Radeon HD 4870 512MB Video Card

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:13:14 -0500

The real win is having a $300 card: NVIDIA made a lot of money with the 9800 GTX before the 4850 forced them to sell it for $200. Now that bracket belongs to ATI, who, for the first time in years, is dictating hardware costs, not following prices set by NVIDIA. We'll have to wait for board partners to add innovation. So yes, the card isn't perfect, but like they say, it's lonely at the top.

VisionTek Radeon HD 4870 512MB Video Card

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:18:51 -0500

Picking out a video card should be a little more exciting than finding the cheapest one on the, er, "shelf" and going about your build. Unfortunately for now, the available 4870s are all stock. Performance and profiles being identical, you gotta check out boring stuff like warranties. VisionTek goes farther than other ATI partners with a limited lifetime warranty, but they really like the limited section.

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 280 1GB AMP Video Card

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:02:42 -0500

Some of the glimmer has blown away; this is the fastest single-GPU card of all time, but HD 4000 is a whirlwind. It's all value, though, and the best has and will always require a price premium. NVIDIA people won't be dissuaded, and the GTX 280, despite competitive pressure, is selling well. A lot of work went into making this a new card, not a streamlined or overclocked G80 part. It's beastly, costly, and if you've any doubts about buying this card, they're warranted. Fortunately, you can know this: it's powerful, and there probably won't be anything like it for some time to come. ZOTAC has overclocked it, slapped their sticker on this card, and the rest goes like this:

PowerColor Radeon HD 4850 512MB Video Card

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:45:51 -0500

Interestingly, there seem to be few, if any drastic, architecture changes for HD 4000. It's all scale down, add more. PowerColor, a long-time board partner, shows just how well this strategy pays out for the HD 4850.Even side-by-side, this card looks just like a 3850. That's really superb, because not only was its predecessor small, clean, and fast, it was also quiet. The sticker's adornment is a busty, armored model in Viking chic. But it's a stock card, with the same design that you'd get with any 4850 currently available.

Diamond Radeon HD 4870 512MB Video Card

Fri, 4 Jul 2008 15:29:46 -0500

The 4870 is an excellent card, but for now, all the models are functionally identical, and there are yet to be factory-overclocked cards, let alone custom-cooled models. Variation ranges from changing the sticker to adding spiffy adapters. If you buy Diamond, you're not buying a different card, you're buying better service, only they're not charging extra.