Conclusions

NVIDIA's reference clocked GeForce 9600 GSO may have done a reasonable job of keeping pace with AMD's Radeon HD 4670, but that is pretty much all that could be said about it, and "it did okay" isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of any graphics product, particularly when that product is not quite as fast as its competitor yet actually marginally more expensive.

What makes NVIDIA's choice of clock speeds for this SKU rather more baffling if the release of the subject of today's review, as quite simply the XFX GeForce 9600 GSO XXX is a game changer.  As per previous XXX labelled boards we've tested, it boasts some very significant clock speed increases to both the GPU core and memory, and these changes allow the GeForce 9600 GSO to take on (and more often than not beat) the Radeon HD 4670 across the entire gamut of current game titles, while also offering up impressive performance overall for its sub-£70 price point.  Indeed, the price point of the GeForce 9600 GSO XXX is the other major factor that makes this board a game changer, as it actually comes in cheaper than many reference clocked GeForce 9600 GSO parts here in the UK!  Sure, the Radeon HD 4670 still undercuts it, but given the performance on offer here it's far easier to suggest spending a few extra pounds to get the best out of current games.

Outside of sheer 3D rendering power, the GeForce 9600 GSO (be it overclocked or not) remains at a natural disadvantage to the Radeon HD 4670 of course - It's G92 core is really pretty huge for this kind of performance level, and the result is a hotter and power hungrier graphics board that relies on external six-pin PCI Express power while its main rival can draw everything it needs from the PCI Express slot itself.  How important this is to you as a potential buyer will doubtless vary, but it's something to bear in mind undoubtedly.

If heat and power don't worry you (or at least not particularly at this performance level), then XFX's GeForce 9600 GSO XXX is quite simply the best bang you'll get for your buck if you're budgeting for a new graphics board with gaming in mind in the £70 price range.  NVIDIA may have dropped the ball when it came to deciding the best specifications for the GeForce 9600 GSO, but thank goodness XFX were on hand to pick up that ball and run with it by getting both clock speeds and pricing just right to make for a far more tantalising package.

Product information

XFX GeForce 9600 GSO XXX 384MB

- Vendor web site
- Vendor product information

Recommended retail pricing and availability (at time of going to press):

Dabs - £64.71 including VAT
eBuyer - £64.96 including VAT
Scan - £66.93 including VAT

Many thanks to XFX for providing the sample for this review

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