9600GT roundup pt.2 - Overclocking, Conclusion
Author: Vedran Dakic
Date: 10 Apr 2008

On a rather cold day, all three cards came with 20 MHz of each other when we talk about the maximum stable overclock. Gainward’s card managed the most, 810 MHz, then it was EVGA with 795 and the last came Palit with 790 MHz. Gainward’s cooler is also the quietest, with EVGA’s NVIDIA stock is by far the loudest. This is also the way they are ranked under full load temperatures, as it was to be expected. MSI's card, on the other hand has a completely different layout and actually does a very good job of keeping the card cool.

The G94 has proved again that it is an exceptionally positioned GPU. These overclocked versions only add up to that name, but are still a bit off the general premise of the 9600 card, and that’s the price/performance ratio. We cannot take that as a big minus, since OC cards are seldom bringing more performance than the price increase, and that is certainly the case with these three cards. The 1024 MB on Gainward’s card could be considered as an overkill, but it overclocks the most and has the best cooler. EVGA went with all out performance without regard to noise or heat, so we will put that card in second place, but Palit will also be an honorable mention because of the price which is lower than the other two, for nearly the same performance. MSI sits very comfortably where we actually like them to be - with a nice price/performance ratio. Since many stores don’t care much for the recommended prices, you should always check for which is the most affordable card at the moment of purchase, since prices also vary significantly over just a few days.