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Not so long ago, the letters A, T and I were rarely uttered by the people at Asus - its entire range of graphics cards was based on Nvidia chipsets. However, like many other previously Nvidia only manufacturers, Asus has now decided that the 9800 XT is far too big a fish to ignore.
What makes this 9800 XT different from the others is that Asus has decided to alter the cooling system. Instead of the heatsinkplus- one-fan arrangement that you'll see on a standard 9800 XT, Asus has designed its own cooling mechanism. It's still made of copper like the rest, but you'll see Asus has installed two small fans instead one large fan, which aids cooling.
What's more, it also features a Rage Theater chip and is therefore the only 9800 XT in this test to support video-in.
Asus has also included a bundle of utilities, one of which will allow you to monitor temperatures and fan speeds - definitely something those interested in quiet PCs would enjoy using.
As far as games go, you get a voucher from ATI for Half-Life 2 (when it finally arrives on the scene), the sci-fi game Battle Engine Aquila, and the now rather dated Gun Metal.Where Asus really excels is with its utility bundle. Along with Asus' own software DVD player, you also get titles such as the graphics creation package Cool 3D and the photo editor Photo Express, both from Ulead. Asus has also included two titles from Cyberlink, namely the presentation creator Media Show and Power Director Pro, which allows you to edit your videos. All in all, it's a pretty impressive software bundle.
Considering the amount of games and utilities you get, it's not surprising the price tag is quite high compared to the other cards in this test. Nevertheless, three others prevent it from being the most expensive.
Contact: Asus 01908 518 000
www.asus.com
See also:
This graphics card comes with lots of extras but are they of any use? 30 Jul 2004
All Graphics Cards
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