Radeon 9600XT by ASUS Review - Conclusion

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Pros

1. Comes with a ton of extras
2. Performs well
3. Has everything you need in a video card

Cons

1. No mods
2. SmartDoctor provides very inconsistent results and is not recommended
3. Concerns about cooling

The Asus Radeon 9600XT, built on ATI's RV360 chip and Samsung memory, is a midrange video card that fits nicely in between the Radeon 9200 and the gamer's choice of Radeon 9800.  It is designed so that it will play all the games out today without problems, and still not put the serious dent in your pocketbook that the 9800 will.  It is also stylistically designed - the heatsink spelling 'ASUS' was interesting.

Extras make this a good buy. Seven CDs worth of software, three of which are games, is a large bundle. The extra hardware connectors also are useful and the Half-Life 2 coupon is like icing on a cake.

Performance wise, it will do. It does not put out massive performance numbers, but if you want a bit of antialiasing or anisotropic filtering, leave it at its default settings. Half of the card's performance disappears if you go for maximum quality.

Is it worth the $262 (Canadian, not US) I paid for it?  If it was the card alone, maybe not. The fact that it comes with the extra software make it very appealing. I was looking for a good all-round video card, and that's what I got. If you want performance, buy a 9800. If you're on a budget, buy a 9600SE or a 9200.  Also, if you're into extreme systems and mods, remember that the 9600 is not a rebranded 9800 or what the 9500 was to the 9700.  There are no softmods or voltmods available. Don't expect to be unlocking all kinds of performance.

DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.

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