Accessories:
The image below shows the bundle of accessories, which include a component video adapter, a 6-pin PCI Express power adapter, a DVI to VGA adapter, a DVI to HDMI adapter, an SPDIF audio cable, a "SpeedSetUP" guide, instructions on how to use the HDMI adaptor and SPDIF cable, a user's manual on CD, and finally a CD with drivers and utilities.
Test Setup:
A system with the following components was used to test the ASUS TOP 512MB GeForce 9600GT graphics card:
» ASUS P5E64 WS Evolution X48 ATX motherboard
» Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 dual core processor (at 3.2GHz)
» G.Skill 4GB DDR3-1600 Pi Series dual channel memory kit (at 1600MHz and 7-7-7-18)
» OCZ Technology Vendetta CPU cooler
» Maxtor MaxLine III 250GB SATA 3Gbps hard drive
» TSST Super WriteMaster optical drive
» Nesteq EECS 700 Watt ultra quiet power supply
For comparison purposes the following two cards were tested head to head with the 512MB 9600GT:
» Sapphire 1024MB Radeon HD3850
» ASUS 512MB EAH3870 TOP Overclocked Radeon HD3870
In lieu of the driver's provided with the card, GeForce driver version 175.19 was used with the 9600GT, and version 8.7 of the ATI Catalyst Control Center was used with the ATI based cards. All tests were conducted in the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 with all updates current as of July 2008.
The table below summarizes the key features and specifications of the three cards to be featured in this review:
While the ASUS TOP 512MB Radeon HD3870 seems to be the best card on paper, the figures are fairly close, and testing will determine which card is truly the best.
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