X-bit labs

Affordable Multi-GPU: Two GeForce 9600 GT in SLI (page 2)

Category: Video

by Alexey Stepin

[ 04/19/2008 | 01:41 PM ]

Package and Accessories

The GV-NX96T series includes three different graphics cards but all of them come to retail in the same box of ordinary size. The wrapper is painted lilac colors and looks quite appealing. Inside it there is the main box made from thick white cardboard. The graphics card is fixed securely in a foam-rubber tray. Besides it, the box contains:

• Two DVI-I → D-Sub adapters
• Adapter 1xMolex → 1x6-pin PCIe
• Installation guide
• User manual
• CD with drivers

We’ve got a bare minimum of accessories here without any free software. That’s normal for the price category the GeForce 9600 GT belongs with.

However, the lack of software for HD video playback is a problem because all G92- and G94-based graphics cards have a full-featured hardware HD video decoder and can thus be used not only in gaming computers but also in home multimedia systems. This is especially true for the GeForce 9600 GT with its rather low power consumption. In fact, the lack of a HD video player prevents the user from utilizing one of the most touted features of the product unless you invest additional money into it. That’s somewhat unfair on the card manufacturer’s side as well as on the GPU developer’s (who only allows using the hardware decoding and post-processing features to the developers of proprietary software players).

The installation guide is a folding poster; the user manual is a classic brochure. We don’t have any complaints about them.
Overall, the packaging of the Gigabyte GV-NX96T512H-B is pretty and secure while the accessories are up to the product class. The single downside is the lack of HD video playback software – you’ll have to buy it separately for as much as $50-100.