14 DAY TRIAL // Although we?re not too sure what to make of ASUS' claims of having provided the world's first overclocked 9500GT-based graphics card, fact of the matter is that it has just launched two such cards. Both of them equip an overclocked 9500GT graphics processor and are designed to present entry-level users with a decent graphics performance.
NVIDIA officially launched the GeForce 9500GT and 9800GT graphics cards this Tuesday, along with the 55nm GeForce 9800GTX+. All three will be targeted at the entry-level and mid-range users, and will offer a good price/quality ratio. ASUS also announced the release of two OCed 9500GT-based cards on Tuesday.
The EN9500GT TOP/DI/512M and the EN9500GT OC/DI/512M provide the same amount of graphics memory, 512MB of GDDR3, with both cards being equipped with the same Glaciator Fansink cooling solution. ASUS claims that this new generation Glaciator can lower GPU temperatures by 13 degrees C in comparison to reference design boards. Also, the Glaciator Fansink is said to provide a low-noise operating environment, at only 25dB.
The TOP version has been set to work at 700MHz, with the Shader Clock overclocked at 1750MHz, while memory has been set at 2GHz. According to ASUS, the TOP 9500GT-based card makes possible a 103% boost in performance, when compared with the standard 9500GT cards. The OC model brings a slightly lower clocked GPU, with only 600MHz of power, while the Shaders and memory have been set at 1500MHz and 1.8GHz.
Besides the different clock rates, there is not that much to set the cards apart, since both equip a blue PCB and provide a DVI, D-Sub and HDMI output. No games are bundled in the offer, which can only mean that there are chances that ASUS might attach to the newcomers a better price tag. Unfortunately, this has not been the case so far, as the Taiwanese manufacturer failed to give out details regarding prices. Either way, we might as well get used to the idea that they could retail for about $100 or more.