Inno3D GeForce 9800 GX2 single-card and SLI

Final thoughts

So what does it all mean?

The GeForce 9800 GX2 remains, comfortably, the world's fastest graphics card, albeit with a few non-3D shortcomings.

Expensive, yes, but it provides performance in spades, as long as SLI profiles can maximise the twin-GPU rendering.

Inno3D benefits as a result, and its package and pricing is such that it's just another choice in a long line of reference-clocked cards. Consider it if you're absolutely intent on this SKU and find it cheaper than the £375 we were quoted as an e-tail price.

For ultimate performance, shelling out another £375, for a quad-GPU setup based on two cards, can yield an additional 85 per cent over and above a single card's, yet the actual increase is hugely dependent upon the games' engines capacity to scale with four GPUs running concurrently.

Twin GeForce 9800 GX2s will provide the highest performance levels at an exorbitant cost. Two ATI Radeon 3870 X2s' - whilst significantly cheaper at £498 - scaling is even more hit-and-miss, ranging from excellent (Company to Heroes) to non-existent (Lost Planet: EC).

£375 is a huge sum to spend on a single card. As such, the Inno3D package can only be recommended to hardcore gamers who live for frame-rate. Adding a second and that advice is further refined to deep-pocketed gamers who live and breathe gaming.

Bottom line: fast, yes, but expensive. Even more so with two cards in the system.

HEXUS Awards

Inno3D GeForce 9800 GX2 1,024MiB, single-card and SLI.

HEXUS Where2Buy

The Inno3D GeForce 9800 GX2 1,024MiB graphics card can be purchased from Ebuyer.com for £313.10.

The card is also available elsewhere at various prices, HEXUS recommends using Froogle.co.uk to search for availability.

HEXUS Right2Reply

HEXUS invites manufacturers to comment on our review's findings. If any of Inno3D or NVIDIA's representatives wish to do so, their HEXUS Right2Reply will be printed here, verbatim.