By now we can safely say that 400 million dollars later, the G80 architecture was good to NVIDIA. First released in November 2006 in the form of the still quite capable GeForce 8800 GTX, this then new graphics architecture set an industry benchmark that was not met by ATI until very recently. The biggest problem NVIDIA had with their GeForce 8800 series initially was its grossly expensive manufacture cost, which ultimately was passed on to the consumer, or at least those that could afford them. Eventually however, less speedy but cheaper cards went into the market and practically dominated the scene throughout 2007. And only very late in the year the Radeon HD 3800 series appeared. - TechSpot

ASUS GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB Graphics Card Review

As we entered 2008, NVIDIA remained tight lipped about a true next generation product that could push the performance envelope further. At the same time we were expecting AMD to hold its promise about a dual-GPU solution based on the Radeon HD 3800 series that unlike conventional multi-GPU technology, would not require a CrossFire compatible motherboard to work, and would become a real contender in the high-end graphics market. We admitted being somewhat skeptical about the Radeon HD 3870 X2 when we were presented with the idea on paper. Although that quickly changed when we took it out for a spin.

The single card implementation of CrossFire could have easily transformed into big product delays and an overall less appealing product down the line. But AMD proved itself this time, successfully launching the Radeon HD 3870 X2 on schedule, and perhaps even more important than that, having actual products on retail shelves immediately. As you can imagine, it wasn't on NVIDIA's plans to sit back and watch ATI reign supreme with their new dual-GPU graphics card, not when they had so many impressive 65nm GPU's that could share the same PCB. And it is safe to say that the new GeForce 9800 GX2 is no different.

ASUS went out on a limb with their Radeon HD 3870 X2, as they were the only manufacturer to develop their own custom cooling design while also including all four DVI outputs. This made this product a little more special and allowed it to stand out in the sea of Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics cards. However, with the new GeForce 9800 GX2 they have not been as bold, releasing a product that closely follows the NVIDIA reference design this time. While the GeForce 9800 GX2 is a dual-GPU solution like the Radeon HD 3870 X2, their design is actually very different with not having put the two cores on one single PCB.

Whereas the Radeon HD 3870 X2 features both GPU's and the 1GB of memory on the same PCB, things are done a little differently on the GeForce side. Similar to the older GeForce 7950 GX2, the GeForce 9800 GX2 features two separate PCB's, each featuring their own G92 GPU and 512MB of also GDDR3 memory. However, unlike the GeForce 7950 GX2 that featured two separate single slot coolers, the GeForce 9800 GX2 uses a sandwich plate design. NVIDIA claims that this method will keep the GeForce 9800 GX2 cooler at higher clock speeds. This rather complex design will be more difficult to support by third parties.

While AMD has nothing in its arsenal that can take on the GX2, the war is far from over. Yes, the GeForce 9800 GX2 is the single fastest graphics card on the planet, but all this speed comes at a cost, a really high cost. The Radeon HD 3870 X2 was released and made available at $450, and today prices range between $420 and $450. On the other hand, the GeForce 9800 GX2 has been released at $600, and the cheapest we have found so far will set you back $570. Meanwhile, those gamers out there that can spend more for the ultimate performance will love what the new GeForce 9800 GX2 has to offer.

On a more positive note, the GeForce 9800 GX2 has been a dream test subject, with no problems whatsoever during testing, showing maturity in terms of drivers. Just like the Radeon HD 3870 X2, the new GeForce 9800 GX2 was easy to install and use, with no manual configuration required, you can simply forget it's a dual-GPU card. The GeForce 9800 GX2 is a well designed product and a solid performer that has as its only real weakness the extremely high price tag.