Card appearance and thoughts
Recapping for those that don't bother reading the introduction, NVIDIA launched its DX10 midrange line-up just over 2 months ago. The GeForce 8600 GTS' architecture, which was covered here, we concluded, was a natural lopping-off of performance to meet a lower price point. That's just common sense, right?
The time between the introduction of the range-topping GeForce 8800 GTX - later supplanted by the Ultra variant - and GeForce 8600 GT/GTS, has allowed NVIDIA to add in a number of extra video-related features. All GeForce 8600 GTS cards feature HDCP support over two dual-link DVI outputs, and the GPU's video-processing unit has been upgraded to provide hardware-accelerated support for the common codecs used in Blu-ray and HD-DVD titles. The entire H.264 decoding pipeline is covered, whilst only missing out on the initial - albeit computationally expensive - entropy stage for VC-1.
On to XFX XXX Edition, now.
The GeForce 8600 GTS series use a split-clock approach, with certain portions of the GPU clocked in at different speeds. Reference cards operate at 675/1450/2000MHz for the core, shaders and memory, respectively.
The XXX Edition, pictured below, is the fastest of XFX's trio of GeForce 8600 GTS cards. Our sample was clocked in at 730/1566/2260MHz, representing healthy boosts in speeds over the default version. We must note, however, that XFX's site lists the XXX Edition at 730/1595/2260.
XFX has chosen speed-binned parts for its XXX range, capable of running at higher than stock speeds without the need for esoteric cooling. That's why the card looks much like any other GeForce 8600 GTS'.
The fan is a little noisy under load, just like other 8600 GTS', as well.
It's interesting to note that all GeForce 8600 GTS cards ship with a 6-pin PCIe connector that provides extra power above the ~75W provided by the x16 PCIe slot. The lower-clocked GeForce 8600 GT XXX does without.
As per our discussion of the GPU, both DVI ports provide HDCP protection over dual-link outputs. Put simply, you can run a pair of ultra-high resolution monitors and still play high-definition content in all its glory.
The XFX GeForce 8600 GTS XXX is capable of running in multi-GPU SLI mode. All you need to do is have an SLI-certified motherboard, invest in another card, and hook them up via the 'golden finger' conduit on the top-right.
Summary
HEXUS has previously looked at a couple of NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS cards and both have been shipped pre-overclocked. It makes implicit sense that XFX - purveyors of multiple overclocked SKUs - would have an XXX Edition. Its clocks are the fastest of any 8600 GTS we've seen thus far so it should benchmark well.The real question that requires answering, we suppose, is whether it's worth it? Keep reading and we'll tell you.
