NVIDIA has been a busy little bee lately. The NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX-based graphics card enables full-throttle lifelike game play while providing optimal power management with Hybrid Power™ technology*. The PureVideo® HD engine also delivers unmatched video and movie quality and SLI® compatibility provides amplified performance when coupled with NVIDIA nForce® SLI-ready motherboards. Gaming and video watching capabilities are taken to the next level. With 128 screaming fast cores each running at a record high of 1688MHz, this is our most powerful single GeForce 9800 GPU. And with features such as picture-in-picture content for an interactive movie experience and color stretch video processing for breathtaking picture clarity, this graphics card takes you further than your expectations. Unlock next generation platform features. With SLI, the GeForce 9800 GTX GPU offers increased performance up to 2x in a dual SLI configuration and up to 2.8x in 3-way SLI* mode. Its HybridPower technology delivers graphics performance when you need it and low-power operation when you don’t. So, enjoy heart-stopping entertainment or power savings for everyday computing. Though the 9800 GTX doesn't match the 9800 GX2's performance, it's less expensive and easier to use in a multiple-monitor setup, has lower power requirements, and outperforms all the other single-GPU cards out there.The 9800 GTX is a 10.5-inch long card that blocks an adjacent slot to make room for its large cooler. If you have a window on the side of your PC, you'll be glad to know that this time, NVIDIA has paid extra attention to style—the cooler isn't a big box, but has a wave shape around the fan. The NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX doesn't introduce any major new features, or even offer a staggering performance jump over earlier cards. It's essentially a souped-up version of the design used in the GeForce 8800 GT and the new GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB. But the main thing it brings to the table is increased speed, and it does that very well.
The e-GeForce 9800 GTX sports a pair of dual-link DVI outputs, as well as a component-video/S-Video connector. Like other GeForce 9000-series cards, the 9800 GTX supports HDMI output and can pass digital audio through an HDMI connection. The 9800 GTX uses two six-pin PCI Express power connectors and requires a 450-watt power supply. On upcoming motherboards supporting NVIDIA’s HybridPower technology, the GeForce 9800 GTX card will be able to shut down entirely and transfer responsibility to the lower-power motherboard GPU when you're not using 3D applications.
If you have an SLI-capable motherboard and a strong-enough power supply, you can pair two 9800 GX2 cards to get Quad SLI performance. While the 9800 GTX is eclipsed by the 9800 GX2 in the performance department, it has more reasonable power requirements, avoids the need to shut down additional monitors when gaming (unless you use it in an SLI configuration), and is much less expensive.
Drop the GeForce 9800 GTX into an NVIDIA motherboard with HybridPower enabled, and the system can actually turn the discrete GPU completely off when the card is not in use. Since very few of people actually game 100 percent of the time they're using a computer, HybridPower could conceivably knock a few watts off the meter.
Unfortunately, HybridPower isn't ready for prime-time. Without a HybridPower-enabled motherboard, it's impossible to test the feature, which leaves the 9800 GTX's theoretical lower power consumption as something we'll have to return to.