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| Introduction and Product Specifications | ||||||
| When it comes to graphics cards for gaming, most of us desire the creme de la creme, but few of us can justify the expense of purchasing such a product. That fact, coupled with the additional investment in hardware necessary to adequately back-up a high-end graphics card to ensure maximum enjoyment, can lead to some serious budget concerns. Fortunately, there are a number of mid-range products that often compete very well with higher end cards, while shaving off a fair percentage of the price. Also common in this market segment are cards tweaked from the factory with higher clock speeds and enhanced cooling to elevate performance, which helps make some mid-range graphics cards more attractive to those looking to balance price and performance. The latest product we'll be looking at here falls into this category, the BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX.  The BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX takes mid-range graphics up a few notches by cranking up both the memory and GPU clock speeds over NVIDIA's reference spec, while coupling a potent cooling package and intelligent temperature management for maximum stability. In the end, BFG aims to deliver a stable product that packs an extra kick while keeping a handle on excess temperature, fan noise and price. Check out the specs below and then we'll take a closer look and see how BFG fared with their latest creation a little later...
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| The BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX Up Close |
| The BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX comes with a streamlined retail package, which incluldes a Quick installation guide, a DVI-to-VGA adapter, a Dual 4-pin Molex to 6-pin PCI Express power adapter, HDTV (component) cable and a Driver CD. Those items aside, BFG leaves the card to stand on its own, deciding not to offer any free software or games with this model. The BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX itself is not terribly flashy. It has a standard green PCB, but BFG does back the memory and voltage regulators with heat sinks and the GPU with a custom cooler, yet appearances still seem a bit subdued. Then again, it's the performance and features that should matter most. ;) ;) ;) For added performance, BFG takes this GeForce 9600 GT based card and raises the core clock speed from a default of 650MHz to 725MHz while raising the Shader Clock from 1625MHz to 1850MHz. Backed with 512MB of GDDR3, BFG added 150MHz over the reference 1800MHz speed, clocking the memory at 1950MHz for 62.4GB/s of bandwidth. The overclocked GPU helps deliver a Texture Fill Rate of 23.2 Billion/sec. ;) ;) ;) BFG names their cooling package the "ThermoIntelligence Custom Cooling Solution" which aims to significantly reduce GPU temperatures with a nickel plated copper base and finned cooler with center mounted, green illuminated fan. Internal BFG tests show an 18'C reduction in load temperature over standard NVIDIA reference cooling, which is positive, no doubt. This technology should aid the card in running at the higher clock speeds while maintaining stability. Later on, we'll try to take things further and see if there is any more headroom left through overclocking. |
| HH Test Setup and 3DMark Vantage | ||||||||||||
   In the overall score, the BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX fell 200 points below that of the Sapphire HD 3870 which sports higher fill rates and memory bandwidth. With the GPU 1 test, both cards returned near identical performance while the Sapphire card held a 12% edge over the 9600 GT OCX in the GPU 2 test. In all three tests, the popular GeForce 8600 GTS struggled to match the scores put up by the 9600 GT or 3870 by rather large margins across the board. |
| Benchmarking with Company of Heroes and Crysis | ||||||||||||
 Company of Heroes performance leaned in favor of the BFG 9600 GT OCX, which topped the Sapphire HD 3870 by 15.3FPS at 1280x1024 and 12.5FPS at 1600x1200. With the older GeForce 8600 GTS, the results lagged by a minimum of 50% when compared to either the BFG 9600 GT OCX or Sapphire HD 3870.
 With Crysis, the results shifted in favor of the Sapphire HD 3870, which lead the BFG 9600 GT OCX by 1.83FPS at 1280x1024 and 4.17FPS at 1600x1200. Once again, the GeForce 8600 GTS was outgunned by more than double its score in this test. |
| Benchmarking with Half Life 2:EP2 and ET: Quake Wars | ||||||||||||
 Half-Life 2 EP2 was a positive showing for the BFG 9600 GT OCX. In this test, the BFG 9600 GT OCX held a 20% edge at 1280x1024 which reduced slightly to a 16.8% advantage at 1600x1200. Consistent with all previous tests, the GeForce 8600 GTS struggled, returning results half that of the Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic.
 When running at a resolution of 1280x1024, both the BFG 9600 GT OCX and Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic performed on the same level, however, once the resolution was increased to 1600x1200, the BFG card registered a significant performance hit, dropping behind the Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic by about 16 FPS. Once again the GeForce 8600 GTS was outgunned by hefty margins. |
| Overclocking the BFG 9600 GT OCX | ||||
Our final test of the BFG 9600 GT OCX was to evaluate what additional overclocking headroom the card had to offer. Using NVIDIA's nTune software, we managed to add 8.25% to the GPU clock, resulting in a 60MHz boost. With the GDDR3 memory, we managed to increase 9% or 88MHz (176MHz DDR).  While both the GPU and Memory overclocked over 8%, the gains in performance did not scale as high. At 1280x1024, the scores jumped 3.5% while at 1600x1200 the difference was closer to 1.5%, a small reward for our efforts. |
| Our Summary and Conclusion | ||||
Performance Analysis: The BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX compared favorably to the Radeon HD 3870. While the BFG card did lag in 3DMark Vantage and slightly in Crysis, it held a firm lead in Company of Heroes and Half-Life 2 Episode Two. Enemy Territory favored the Sapphire HD 3870 at 1600x1200, but the two cards were tied at 1280x1024. When shopping for a mid-range graphics card on a tight budget, it can be difficult to find the right balance between price and performance when there are so many different options out there. In our testing, we found the BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OCX to be worthy of consideration from a performance standpoint, with the tests tipping in its favor overall when compared to a factory overclocked Radeon HD 3870. However, performance is only part of the equation as price is an equally important factor when assessing overall value. In researching price points, we found the BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OCX available for as low as $165, while the Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic we used as a comparison weighed in closer to $160, making for a fairly tight race. However, we would have to give the nod to the Sapphire HD 3870 Toxic edition in thins comparison since it has a much stronger retail package, which includes a copy of 3DMark 06, several Cyberlink titles and a free voucher for "The Black Box" at Steam, whereas BFG offers no free software whatsoever. Conversely, the BFG Tech GeForce 9600 GT OCX has in its favor free 24/7 support and a limited lifetime warranty, while Sapphire offers a 2 year warranty and free support with registration. In the end, we feel both models are valid mid-range considerations with the ultimate decision being based on what is most important to the potential buyer, whether it be a robust retail package or stronger warranty and support options. Either way, both models should deliver similar performance at a near identical cost.
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