Four GeForce 9600 GT Cards Compared
Power Consumption, Noise Level, And Temperature
The power consumption in watts always refers to the entire test platform. The 2D value is for the common Windows desktop without load or the Aero interface (minimum value). The 3D value is measured when CPU and graphics card run at full load (peak value). The start-up screen of Mass Effect (UT3 Engine) at 1920x1200 without AA is used, which causes the CPU to reach 100% load.
Power consumption in Watts | 2D (Vista Desktop) | 3D (Mass Effect) |
---|---|---|
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 111 | 336 |
GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 126 | 264 |
GeForce 9600 GT SLI (1024 MB) | 182 | 302 |
GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 102 | 187 |
Asus GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 106 | 208 |
MSI GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 105 | 192 |
Palit GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 112 | 215 |
Sparkle GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 104 | 204 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 126 | 269 |
GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 115 | 239 |
GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 146 | 296 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 138 | 256 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 127 | 240 |
Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 147 | 288 |
Radeon HD 4850 CF (512 MB) | 177 | 367 |
Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 122 | 237 |
Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 95 | 216 |
Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 88 | 192 |
Noise Level (1m) | 2D dB(A) | 3D dB(A) |
---|---|---|
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 38.1-44.2 | 53.5-54.0 |
GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 36.2 | 44.7-45.7 |
GeForce 9600 GT SLI (1024 MB) | 37.7 | 46.4-47.0 |
GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 36.9 | 42.6-43.3 |
Asus GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
MSI GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 0/40.7 | 40.7 |
Palit GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 37.1 | 37.7 |
Sparkle GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 36.3 | 36.3 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 36.2 | 40.1-40.5 |
GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 35.8 | 42.2-42.7 |
GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 36.8 | 47.8-48.4 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 36.9 | 39.7-40.2 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 36.3 | 38.2-38.7 |
Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 35.5 | 45.5-46.0 |
Radeon HD 4850 CF (512 MB) | 36.3 | 46.0 |
Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 36.3 | 41.2 |
Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 36.5 | 38.7-39.4 |
Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 36.2 | 37.5 |
We have given several values for SLI, which refer to the individual graphics chips. For CrossFire, the table contains the value for the primary (warmer) GPU.
Temperature in Degrees Celsius | 2D (Vista Desktop) | 3D (Mass Effect) |
---|---|---|
GeForce GTX 260 (896 MB) | 45-49 | 105 |
GeForce 9800 GTX (512 MB) | 60 | 75 |
GeForce 9600 GT SLI (1024 MB) | 38/53 | 56/77 |
GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 45 | 70 |
Asus GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 64 | 103 |
MSI GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 39-79 | 53 |
Palit GeForce 9600 GT (1024 MB) | 43 | 63 |
Sparkle GeForce 9600 GT (512 MB) | 44 | 66 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (512 MB) | 60 | 86 |
GeForce 8800 GT (512 MB) | 63 | 97 |
GeForce 8800 GTX (768 MB) | 60 | 82 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (640 MB) | 60 | 82 |
GeForce 8800 GTS (320 MB) | 53 | 84 |
Radeon HD 4870 (512 MB) | 76 | 83-85 |
Radeon HD 4850 CF (512 MB) | 80 | 83-85 |
Radeon HD 4850 (512 MB) | 78 | 83-85 |
Radeon HD 3870 (512 MB) | 53 | 90 |
Radeon HD 3850 (256 MB) | 49 | 90 |
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Prev Page Overall Performance Comparison Next Page 3D Power Sorted By Resolution And Anti-aliasing Settings-
JAYDEEJOHN So it beats the GTX eh? And you can find brand new nVidia drivers, but no ATI ones? And wheres the 4670? Got halfway thru, decided to skip the restReply -
jaragon13 What about the HD 4850? It costs less than the "last 8800 GTS 512's"Reply
Asus sells them for what? 170 dollars,free shipping on Newegg?
Maybe I even saw one @ 160... -
Sus-penders Why would anyone get an 8800GTS for $179 when you can buy a better performing HD 4850, for LESS money??? ATI still exists, you know...Reply -
Ryun No offense, as the article and tests run were good (I especially like the overall FPS charts), but this information would have been more pertinent, like, 6 months ago.Reply -
Niva Uh, I don't get what the people about are upset for. It's a good article, I enjoyed reading and seeing where these cards fit into the scheme of things. I know ATI has made a comeback with their recent cards but until their drivers are completely open and stable I'll stick with nVidia myself so I especially enjoyed this article. Thanks Toms!Reply -
L1qu1d Waste of 3 mins, it makes very little sense, the 9600 GTs in sli are around the 280 GTX in performance, yet it manages to get destroyed by the 4870.Reply
This article would've meant something around the time the cards came out...now I'd much rather like to see the 4850 cards compared or 260s or w.e else that is this gen. -
MooseMuffin NivaUh, I don't get what the people about are upset for. It's a good article, I enjoyed reading and seeing where these cards fit into the scheme of things. I know ATI has made a comeback with their recent cards but until their drivers are completely open and stable I'll stick with nVidia myself so I especially enjoyed this article. Thanks Toms!Reply
Exactly what is open about nvidia's drivers? -
warezme warms my heart to see the old 8800GTX included in this test list.Reply
It's amazing this ancient cards at default speed still sit in the middle of the pack and quickly rise to the top when you turn up AA and texture quality up, beating most every other card cept for 260GTX and SLI and CF rigs.
It also explains why a pair of old 8800GTX's in SLI OC'ed to at least Ultra speeds on a fast rig are still very hard to out perform by any single card (period) -
There is a reason to get the 9600GT over the 8800GT, power consumption. Look at the numbers, the 9600GT has 1/2 the number of shaders (hence a smaller die). I know the shader clock runs a little faster but a good quality stock PSU with 300W (real, like antec, corsair, etc) should be fine for running it.Reply