AMD and Nvidia both decided not to produce a second big GPU derived from their first DirectX 10 architecture and will settle for a more economically efficient version supporting this API. Thus, AMD opted for the RV670 which is actually a Radeon HD 2900 whose memory bus was revised from 512 to 256 bits. And Nvidia went with the G92 which is a GeForce 8800 GTX/Ultra whose bus was reduced to 256 bits instead of the previous 384. Thanks to more advanced fabrication processes, these GPUs are less expensive to mass produce.
For this reason, to continue to rival each other in the high end, both manufacturers opted for a dual GPU card. AMD was the first with the Radeon HD 3870 X2 while Nvidia followed suit with the GeForce 9800 GX2 which has two G92 GPUs.
Just like for the GeForce 9600 GT, Nvidia decided to place this card in the GeForce 9 family, a line which was artificially created for commercial reasons. The GeForce 9800 GX2 could have easily been called the GeForce 8900 GX2.
An original design
For its new high end card, Nvidia proposes an unprecedented design. We have already seen a card equipped with 2 GPUs on the same and large PCB (Radeon HD 3870 X2) and the card consisting of 2 distinct PCBs each with its own dedicated cooling system (GeForce 7950 GX2). Here now is the ‘’sandwich card’’ that has the same and only cooling system placed between the two PCBs which are face to face.
As usual, Nvidia does everything it can to show that its choice was the best compared to what was done by the competition. In our opinion, the main advantage is its originality which resulted in a good looking final product thanks to the single casing.
The card we tested from Point of View will be available for 499 € with the game Frontlines Fuel of War and the usual bundle.
