Temps:

During the tests, the GPU temps and fan noise was recorded. There really isn't a great deal of surprise in the temps between all the cards. Fortunately, all the cards that I have on hand for testing all have improved GPU card coolers. I would have liked to compare the extreme temps from an 8800 GTX, but there are very, very few around locally these days.

AMD Entertainment Booth

All of the improved coolers all do quite well, but it shows users with extremely hot graphics cards what to expect when they upgrade. Personally, I can't see any other reason to buy a stock card when you can spend a little extra and get the improved revisions which almost always run cooler and quieter.

How much power do we need to feed the 9800 GTX? It consumes less power than the 8800 GTX and much, much less than the 8800 Ultra. The 9800 GTX doesn't need much more than the 9800 GT (G92) cards since they have the same GPUs. I would say the G92 has proven to be a pretty efficient card which benefits the 9800 GTX by only consuming about 210 Watts under load.

The best way to really make sure you're getting receiving the most efficient use out of your components is to use a decent power supply and quality motherboard. The Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P has been an excellent and efficient platform. You'll see more on this board very, very soon. It does quite well handling the power hungry tasks and the ASUS EN9800GTX seems to really benefit from it.

Conclusion:

The most obvious things that have been improved in the new 9800 graphics card line are the GPU thermal properties, noise, and overall weight. Under normal operations, all of the test cards were all equally quiet with the 9800 GTX generating just a little bit less noise. Even though the card is long enough to hang past the edge of the full sized ATX motherboard, the card is lighter than the 8800 GTS, but not quite as light as the 8800 GT and HD 3870.

We Need Another for SLI!

When it comes to GPU heat, the EN9800GTX is a relatively cool running card. The average desktop temps while working is around 50 C and tops out around 60 C at it's highest point. The 8800 GTS averaged 55 C and topped out around 68 C which isn't bad either. Now compare the EN9800GTX to the 8800GTX in terms of temps. The 8800GTX has easily reached 80 to 90+ C at full load for quite a few users.

Prices for the 9800GTX range $300 to $350 for the stock frequency cards and the overclocked editions starting about $350 and up. The 8800 GTX are comparably priced with the limited Ultras pulling a $500 premium. That's a lot of money to get a few extra frames when the 9800GX2 is evenly priced with the Ultra.

The bottom line here is that the ASUS EN9800GTX is a much cooler graphics card that's capable of replacing the 8800 GTX in ASUS' line up. Should you run out and replace that 8800 GTX you already have? Not really. Performance between these two GTXs is a pretty even battle with the newer 9800 winning out a little. Those looking for the newest performance card that offers the best bang for buck are going to find the ASUS EN9800GTX to be a good option. The only thing that would make it an even better choice would be a lower price tag and a decently bundled video game. It's ASUS, so anything is possible.

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