Foxconn 8600GT-256 - appearance and thoughts
Today's second card, the Foxconn 8600GT-256, does not compete directly with the first. It's based on the 8600GT SKU so would be found lacking in features and performance if compared with the ASUS EN8600GTS.
The most obvious difference is that a stock GT sees reductions in core, shader and memory speeds - down from the GTS's 675/1450/2000MHz to 540/1190/1400MHz.
This Foxconn, though, is a pre-overclocked model that pushes speeds up to 560/1232/1620MHz - still well short of the GTS standards.
However, the GT should also come in at a considerably lower price, and we've seen it online for under £100.
So do the feature set and expected price make it a viable purchase for those with a smaller budget?
The 8600GT is a little shorter than GTS-based cards.
As with the ASUS card, Foxconn has replaced the reference cooler and left the memory to fend for itself. But, since the memory is clocked considerably lower, this is less likely to be an issue.
There are superficial similarities between the two coolers but they're quite different, even though the size of Foxconn's fan also means that the card takes up two slots.
That's a little excessive for what is fundamentally a low-to-midrange product but the cooler was quiet in operation and more than capable of keeping the GPU cool.
Beyond this, there is little exciting or remarkable to relate - the PCB is pure 8600GT-reference layout and even maintains the standard four-pin fan-header.
The lower power draw of the 8600GT means it uses more-compact power circuitry and so lacks the six-pin power input seen on GTS models.
As on all 8600-family cards we've seen so far, there's a pair of DVI outputs, plus a TV-out mini-DIN.
Both DVI ports are dual-link but, in the case of the Foxconn, they lack the GTS's HDCP-compatibility. That makes the 8600GT totally unsuitable for playback of protected high-definition content.
HDCP-compliance is optional on 8600GT cards, not mandatory as it is with GTS models, and Foxconn's decision to exclude it is a little strange since the 8600GT retains support for NVIDIA's PureVideo HD technology. Consequently, although it can decode content, it can't output it.
That might not be a big issue now, given that relatively few system have Blu-ray or HD DVD drives. But, in a year or two when drives have fallen in price, Foxconn owners may find they need to replace their 8600GT cards with something more capable.
