Bundle and presentation
In a packaging world that's dominated by colourful boxes which project a powerful image, BFG's retail presentation is from an altogether more sober school of thought. We're sure that BFG will have different packaging for display in, say, PCWorld, but this less radical approach is fine for online selling. A few important considerations are listed at the bottom, namely the need for a powerful power supply and at a second, vacant slot adjacent to the AGP port.
The bundle carries on the low-key approach. Hardware-wise, it's important to have 2 additional power-splitter cables and 2 DVI-to-VGA dongles. A distinct lack of VIVO functionality manifests itself via no additional cabling, although I'd have thought that a basic S-Video cable would be in order, simply because the card supports TV-Out.
Software-wise, there's demos of Splinter Cell - Pandora Tomorrow, Silent Storm and Painkiller. I'd expect all three in retail form when spending ~£400, though. Our review card shipped with ForceWare 60.85 drivers, nVDVD software DVD player, DirectX9, BFG/NVIDIA-branded Windowsblinds, NVIDIA's Dawn and Ogre demos, and a brief manual, in PDF form, that seemed to cover every BFG card in one fell swoop.
BFG's obviously gone for a basic, no-frills approach to board design and packaging. It's underwhelming when the card is priced at £400 or so.
