BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX Graphics Card

Name: BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX Graphics Card
Brand: BFG

by Jeff Bouton — Monday, September 15, 2008, 10:30 AM EDT

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...

BFG GeForce 9600 GT OCX

Specifications and Features

Performance
GPU
NVIDIA GeForce® 9600 GT

Core Clock
725MHz (vs. 650MHz standard)

Shader Clock
1850MHz (vs. 1625MHz standard)

Shader Model
4.0

Texture Fill Rate
23.2 Billion/sec.

Stream Processors
64

Memory
Video Memory
512MB

Memory Type
GDDR3

Memory Data Rate
1950MHz (vs. 1800MHz standard)

Memory Interface
256-bit

Memory Bandwidth
62.4GB/sec.

Connections
Bus Type
PCI Express 2.0

Display Connectors
2 Dual-Link DVI-I, HDTV + TV Out

RAMDACs
Dual 400MHz

Multiple Monitor Support
Yes

HDCP Capable
Yes
Dual link (Requires other compatible components which are HDCP capable. Designed to meet the output protection management (HDCP) and security specifications of the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD formats, allowing the playback of encrypted movie content on PCs when connected to HDCP-compliant displays)

HDMI Capable
Yes
(Requires adapter and audio cable, sold separately).

Included In Box
BFG NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT OCX 512MB ThermoIntelligence graphics card
Quick install guide
DVI to VGA adapter
Dual 4-pin Molex to single 6-pin PCI Express power adapter
HDTV (component) breakout cable
Driver CD, which includes: NVIDIA ForceWare unified graphics drivers and Full installation manual .pdf

System Requirements
512MB of system memory
CD or DVD-ROM drive
100MB of available hard disk drive space for basic driver installation
Microsoft Windows Vista or XP operating system
PCI Express or PCI Express 2.0-compliant system motherboard with one vacant PCI Express x16 slot
One vacant add-in card slot below the PCI Express x16 slot. This graphics card physically occupies two slots
425W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 28A or more (Minimum system power requirement based on a standard PC configured with an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 processor)
One 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector -or- Two 4-pin Molex supplementary power connectors
NOTE: For the power requirements of multiple GeForce 9600 GT-based graphics cards in an NVIDIA SLI configuration, please visit www.bfgtech.com/slipower