Conclusion
It's plain to see that ABIT have taken a look at the current cooling techniques employed on high-end video cards and decided that they could do with a helping hand. The very fact that this GeForce4 Ti 4200 is hard-coded for 275/554 clocks (for the GPU and memory respectively) tells us that ABIT feel their enhanced cooling really can make a difference.
The OTES' cooling, comprising of a high-speed fan in a vacuum-sealed copper environment, and aided by a heatpipe with conducting fins, is the most comprehensive cooling that I've seen from a recognised manufacturer. The basic premise that it works on is by eliminating GPU heat with efficient transfer from the copper base. The heat is then pushed quickly out towards the thermal exit at the back via the use of the aforementioned fan and heatpipe. Running the OTES Ti 4200 in place of my regular GeForce4 Ti 4600 resulted in 2c lower motherboard temperatures; this was consistent throughout the testing period.
The OTES Ti 4200 is effectively a GeForce4 Ti 4400 in disguise, sans the extra 64MB that ships with the reference Ti 4400. Taking that into account, performance exhibited by the OTES is a cut above a standard Ti 4200 in all our benchmarks. The overclocked OTES, running at 300/605 clocks, fell just short of matching a standard GeForce4 Ti 4600 in the gamut of benchmarks. The only time that I really felt the extra 64MB of RAM on a Ti 4600 make a difference was in the texture-intensive Codecreatures benchmark.
Although I'm a little disappointed in the overclocked clockspeed attained by the OTES Ti 4200, running at a rock-solid 300/605, We must remember that the headroom potential of modern GPU is perhaps more down to luck in receiving an unexpectedly good core than it is to do with enhanced air-cooling. Having said that, I feel that the OTES' cooling system can only enhance your overclocking chances.
Extensive cooling usually involves extra noise, especially if it's air-cooling. I found the fan to be louder than what I could comfortably endure for extended periods, although I must temper that by stating that I prefer a quiet system. Although ABIT have made a concerted effort in cooling the GPU efficiently, I do feel they have been a little remiss in not address the memory cooling problem. The 64MB of on-board TSOP RAM runs quite hot to the touch when placed under load. I'd liked to have seen some form of passive cooling on the memory to complete the cooling package. Looking through a list on online vendors, it appears that the OTES will retail at around the £140 mark, about £20 more than their standard model. With its increased frequencies, this represents reasonable value.
On a final note, its looks impressive and makes a concerted effort into cooling your GPU. I feel that the OTES cooling system can be easily adapted to fit other Siluro cards in the range. If you're an enthusiast who doesn't mind a little extra noise in your system, perhaps the ABIT OTES Ti 4200 can offer you overclocking potential that you require.
Highs
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Impressive looks, build quality and general construction
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The OTES system makes a concerted effort to raise your overclocking potential
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The default speeds of 275/554 almost make it a GeForce4 Ti 4400 in disguise
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Ran at 300/605 without flinching
Lows
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Is a little loud for my personal liking
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The extravagant cooling system takes up a PCI slot
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No games included in the bundle
Overall rating, 7.5/10
