So what does the Gigabyte 9800GT offer to you, the purchasing public? It offers the performance of a G92 based 8800GT. Why, you ask? In essence they are one and the same. Each card offers identical specifications with little added in the way of features. Pure Video HD and Hybrid power capabilities have been added. Of course, you will need the prerequisite Hybrid power capable motherboard to take advantage of this power saving feature. Other than that, there is not much new. What
is new, is the cooling solution used on this 9800GT. Manufactured by Zalman, this cooling solution kept the Gigabyte 9800GT nice and cool to the tune of 61 degrees Celsius when under load, while over volted and overclocked. All this while looking good and not being audible from outside the chassis. As good as this cooling solution works, there is a downside to this type of cooling solution. Good case airflow is a must, since the heat is dumped into the enclosed case. I saw an increase of 4 degrees Celsius with just the addition of the card to my test setup. Not major, but something to be aware of.