XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition 512MB video card review

Just like any other industry, computer hardware has its trends and fashions, and at the moment it well and truly seems that black is the new.... well, black.  Ever since AMD launched their multiplier unlocked "Black Edition" Phenom CPUs, there seem to be more companies looking to get in on that particular trend (and I have to confess, there is something about the term "Black Edition" that sounds rather good).

The latest company to make use of this Black Edition moniker is XFX, and today we'll be taking a look at a board boasting just such a name.  The subject of our review is the GeForce 9800 GTX+ Black Edition, which makes use of the latest, die shrunk version of NVIDIA's now well-entrenched G92 GPU, throws in some factory overclocks and, to top off the package with one Hell of a delicious and juicy cherry, the board also ships with a bundled copy of Far Cry 2, a promotion that XFX are (understandably) pushing hard with a number of their current offerings.

So, a potentially powerful graphics board with an exciting new AAA title in the box - It certainly sounds tempting, but is it worth parting with your cash for?