BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB

Overclocking

We overclocked the BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB graphics card using Rivatuner version 2.07 to increase the clock speeds and Crysis in DirectX 10 mode to check that the card was operating stably at the enhanced clock frequencies.

We increased both the core and memory speeds in 5MHz increments until the system crashed, or there was visible artifacting on the screen. When we reached this point, we throttled the clocks back a little and then ran a two-hour stability test to check that the card was completely stable over prolonged periods of time under load.

As a quick refresher, the BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB is clocked at 675MHz core, 1,700MHz on the stream processors and 1,800MHz on the memory. The core and stream processor frequencies have been overclocked above the reference speeds by 25MHz and 75MHz respectively.

After a considerable amount of time, we got the card running perfectly fine up at 775MHz core, 1,950MHz shader and 2,124MHz memory. Both the core and shader speeds especially are nothing short of impressive and it should go a long way to giving you an idea of just how much headroom there is in the GeForce 9600 GT. As a matter of fact, I don't think we've ever seen stream processor/shader clock speeds quite as high as this before!

In terms of performance, the overclocked BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OC managed to deliver performance that was close to the GeForce 8800 GT in Crysis at 1680x1050 0xAA 0xAF in DirectX 10 mode... but it still wasn't enough to outperform Nvidia's excellent mid-range card. The average frame rate increased to just over 33 frames per second, while the minimum increased to 20 fps.

Final Thoughts...

When we first reviewed the GeForce 9600 GT, we said that our recommendation to purchase one was always going to depend on its price and the rest of the market. After all, the mainstream market is incredibly competitive with even great cards like the HIS Radeon HD 3850 IceQ 3 TurboX falling by the wayside because recent price drops have left it out in the cold.

Even the Zotac GeForce 9600 GT AMP! Edition—one of the cards we looked at and recommended on launch day—is now in a precarious position because its £125 asking price hasn’t moved in reaction to the recent GeForce 8800 GT 512MB reductions. The market is moving incredibly fast at the moment and with a standard-clocked 8800 GT 512MB available for under £140 for a full retail box. BFG Tech’s modestly-overclocked GeForce 8800 GT OC 512MB is also available for £140 on a ‘This Week Only’ offer as well, for what it’s worth.

For those on the red side of the fence, the Radeon HD 3850 512MB still looks to be the pick of the bunch, and there are some good value options available for a little over £100 including VAT. However, once you get much above £110, you’re well into GeForce 9600 GT territory and the Radeon HD 3870 doesn’t offer much of an advantage (in terms of gaming performance) over the 9600 GT, making it a less-attractive buy.

After some careful analysis of the changes, it doesn’t appear to make much sense spending any more than about £120 on a GeForce 9600 GT now, because at that point the stretch to £140 isn’t too far away. BFG Tech’s GeForce 9600 GT OC is currently sitting at around £115 including delivery (if you take advantage of Scan’s free delivery offer for regular contributors to the bit-tech community) – at that price, it’s not a bad deal but I do have some concerns.

For out-and-out gamers, I have no problem recommending BFG Tech’s GeForce 9600 GT OC 512MB graphics card – it delivers strong performance at a good price point for those that cannot afford to stretch to £140 for a GeForce 8800 GT. The ten year warranty is also a good peace of mind if you’re planning to use the card as a family (or even a personal) hand-me-down, where it makes its way into older systems as and when you upgrade your main machine.

However, if you are looking to use the card in a home theatre PC, the bundle is missing both the DVI-to-HDMI converter and S/PDIF cable, which means that you won’t be able to connect the card to your HDTV and carry audio over the HDMI cable at the same time. Of course, you can acquire the required parts elsewhere, but that’s at an extra cost that you can avoid by purchasing another GeForce 9600 GT that does come with the required connectors, as it’ll no doubt be cheaper to buy a card with them bundled than it will to buy them separately.

That ultimately prevents us from giving the card an outright recommendation, but that’s not to say there aren’t users that should lap up this card at its current asking price. Just be aware of its limitations if you were hoping to use it in an HTPC.

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