As the GeForce 9600 GT cards continue to roll on in, we see lots of variants trying to stand out from the pack. The latest card to rock up in the labs is an offering from ECS that carries with it an Accelero S2 made by Arctic Cooling. This isn't the first time we've seen the Accelero S2 cooler, though this is the first time that we've seen it in use on a GeForce 9600 GT card. We'll have a look at exactly how ECS make use of the Accelero S2 today, and how it performs compared to a GeForce 9600 GT from another vendor that we've seen previously. To make the card that little bit more exciting on top of the aftermarket cooler, it also carries with it an increased core and memory clock rates. - TweakTown

ECS GeForce 9600 GT 512MB Accelero Board Review

ECS have gone for a black and silver setup on the box which looks pretty good. The top of the box is covered with a picture, the brand along with some NVIDIA logos. Moving down, we have a picture of the Accelero S2 cooler and the model number below that. Across the bottom of the box we have some of the main specifications along with mention that 512MB of GDDR3 memory and two dual link DVI connectors are part of the features. Turning the box over, we have some more details on the features of the GeForce 9600 GT and a large section dedicated to talking about the Accelero S2 cooler that is included on the card.

It doesn't come as any surprise to us that when you look at the video card, the massive Arctic Cooling Accelero S2 cooler takes up the majority of the card. We can see the two copper pipes that come out of the heatsink and move throughout the fins. When you pull the card out of the box there is a sticker that sits over the top of the cooler which continues to tell you about the features of the cooler along with a big warning that tells you to remove the sticker before installation. Peaking around the card there isn't anything out of the ordinary with the PCI Express power connector sitting at the rear of the card.

While the normal GeForce 9600 GT card carries with it a 650MHz core clock, 1625MHz shader clock and 1800MHz memory clock, the ECS version has increased clock settings. The core has increased slightly to 680MHz, the shader clock has followed by going to 1728MHz and the memory gets a slight increase to 1850MHz. As far as silent options go for the GeForce 9600 GT, there really isn't anything else to look at apart from this particular model from ECS. Sure, you could turn around and buy the Accelero S2 cooler separately for your card, but there is just something about not voiding warranty that people enjoy.

The fact that ECS has also been able to crank up the clocks slightly provides added appeal. Generally speaking, it was faster than the overclocked GeForce 9600 GT from Galaxy which carries with it active cooling. The bundle tends to be a bit on the light side of things, but it's clear that you're paying for the aftermarket cooler rather than some game that you're probably not interested in playing anyway. The only real problem you're going to be running into is finding the card as it seems to be hard to track down, not only in the United States but also locally in Australia which is certainly going to limit the sales figures.

ECS have made a decent product, but the trouble in finding one at this point even a few weeks after the launch of the GeForce 9600 GT is a little disappointing. It's a good card, perfect for people who want something that's silent but still packs quite a punch. All you need to now is find the thing.