The GeForce 9800 GT is currently the simplest model inside NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 family. But in reality it is just a GeForce 8800 GT with a new sticker. In this article we will compare the performance of this 1GB model from Palit with current high-end video cards and also with the original GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB and GeForce 8800 GTS with 320MB. Since the GeForce 9800 GT is more a renaming of the previous GeForce 8800 GT the performance shouldn't be all that different and we don't really think it will surprise us. Though you never know when it comes to some new products and that is also the reason why we are taking a look this new GeForce 9 series graphics card. - Hardware Secrets

Palit GeForce 9800 GT 1GB Graphics Version Review

The GeForce 9800 GT and GeForce 8800 GT cards are identical, both use the same graphics chip which has 112 shader processors and run under the same clock rates. Meaning 600MHz for the graphics chip, 1500MHz for the shader processors and 1800MHz for the memory, which is accessed through a 256-bit interface. And the only difference between them is the addition of HybridPower feature on the GeForce 9800 GT which allows the video card to be turned off when you are not playing games to save energy, but only if you have such a compatible motherboard, which means a nForce series chipset in general.

We didn't like the golden plastic cover. In our opinion it made the product to look cheap. A traditional shiny black would make the product to look more serious. But that is just our opinion. At least the color matches the memory heatsink present on the back of the card and with the copper heatpipes that are partially exposed on the top of the card. This video card requires the installation of one 6-pin auxiliary power connector. The product comes with the necessary adaptor for you to convert a standard peripheral power plug into a 6-pin power plug if your power supply doesn't provide one of them or if you are installing two cards.

We came to several interesting conclusions about the new GeForce 9800 GT. First, the GeForce 9800 GT card is literally identical to the GeForce 8800 GT, achieving the exact same performance. Its price is the same as the GeForce 8800 GT, around $170. If you won't use the HybridPower feature you can simply buy a GeForce 8800 GT and save some bucks. Even though both cards have officially the same price tag, on Newegg you can find GeForce 8800 GT models being sold as low as $120. Of course as soon as more companies offer GeForce 9800 GT cards the price should drop which would be a better for it.

This model from Palit with 1GB memory achieved the same performance level of the regular GeForce 8800 GT card on practically all tests. At the $170 price range, GeForce 9800 GT is positioned between Radeon HD 3870 and Radeon HD 4850. However, if you research carefully you can find Radeon HD 4850 models also being sold at $170, making them a no-brainer for someone willing to buy a good video card and has this amount to spend. In fact, even if you find Radeon HD 4850 being sold for a little more than that we highly suggest you to make the effort to buy it instead of GeForce 9800 GT, giving higher performance.

As we mentioned, the 1GB model from Palit will reach the market costing a little bit more than the regular GeForce 9800 GT, putting it in the same price range as Radeon HD 4850. Between the two, we would recommend the Radeon HD 4850. The GeForce 9800 GT would be a good pick only if its price dropped to around $150 or even below that, in our opinion.