The GeForce 9800 GT has been out for a while now, but not many companies seem to have taken the chance to really push the product. In all honesty, though, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise, no thanks to NVIDIA releasing so many different models over the past few months. We've literally come to the point where it's too expensive for companies to really push every new product that comes out. To date we've only looked at one other GeForce 9800 GT which came from Palit. As we have already found, the GeForce 9800 GT is nothing more than a GeForce 8800 GT with a new name. This isn't the first time NVIDIA done this and we don't doubt it will be the last time. - TweakTown

MSI GeForce 9800 GT 512MB Graphics Board Review

We knew before we even wrote our first article that the card would represent good value for money, but the aggressive launch price of the new model meant that it was even better than we expected. Today it's time to see what MSI can do with the card, apart from going the aftermarket cooling route they've also got a nice little bundle going on. MSI have gone for a themed box, across the top of the box we have the MSI name and logo while we also have two NVIDIA logos. Across the bottom we have some information on Rainbow Six Vegas 2, the fact that the card is overclock ready and part of the gaming series.

In the middle of the box we have the model number, in this case the GeForce 9800 GT along with some of the main features like 512MB of GDDR3 memory, HybridPower and PhysX ready. Turning the box over, we have some more details on the card including features, system requirements along with some information on live update, MSI's exclusive DVI design and a bit more information on Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Pulling the card out of the box, we can see that MSI have gone for their own design of cooler. Across the bottom we see a number of heatpipes that go from where the core is up through the heatsink to keep the card cool.

MSI have of course also placed a sticker over the cooler that lets us know what brand the card is along with what model it is. We again see mention that the card is part of the gaming series. Looking around the card, we have our standard connectors, the back has a single 6-pin PCI Express connector while across the top we have a single SLI connector. Located next to that is another connector that is used for the extra cable included in the package which helps get sound through the HDMI adapter. Also included are the typical ports we're used to seeing which include a TV-out port and two dual link DVI connectors.

As we mentioned the video card comes out of the box overclocked. Instead of the stock 600MHz core and 1800MHz memory clock, the MSI GeForce 9800 GT comes in with a 660MHz core and 1900MHz effective memory clock. For the most part the Radeon HD 4850 manages to outperform the GeForce 9800 GT, but it's worth noting that the GeForce 9800 GT actually comes in about ten percent cheaper than the Radeon HD 4850. The other thing worth nothing is that the card not only manages to use less power, but runs cooler than the Radeon HD 4850 graphics card which tend to get quite hot using the reference cooler.

As far as value for money goes, the card really does sits in line with the Radeon HD 4850. While it's slower, it's also cheaper. If you could afford to spend the extra money we would probably suggest you make the move to the Radeon HD 4850. And with that said, though, we would recommend that you try and get something with aftermarket cooling to help bring the temperatures down. MSI have done a good job with the card, the cooler is effective, offers good noise levels and the bundle which includes the HDMI adapter that lets us output sound along with a copy of Rainbow Six Vegas 2 allows it to stand out.

If you're looking for a good performing GeForce 9800 GT that offers a neat bundle and a game that you would probably play, you can't really pass up on the MSI GeForce 9800 GT. And while it is not the cheapest card out there, if the game is something that interests you then it offers very good value for money overall.