Palit GeForce 9600GT 1GB Sonic
Below are a list of specifications taken from the Sonic 9600GT product page available at www.palit.biz.
- Bus interface: PCI Express 2.0 Support
- Memory: 1024MB GDDR3
- Memory Interface: 256 bit
- Core Clock: 700MHz
- Memory Clock: 2000MHz (1000MHz x 2)
- DisplayPort output supports a maximum of 10.8 Gbit/s data rate and 2560×1600 resolution
- Dual Dual-link DVI outputs supports two 2560×1600 resolution displays
- NVIDIA® unified architecture with GigaThread™ technology
- NVIDIA® Quantum Effects™ physics processing technology
- Full Microsoft® DirectX® 10 Shader Model 4.0 support
- 16x full-screen anti-aliasing
- True 128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting
- NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology
- OpenGL® 2.1 support
- NVIDIA ForceWare® Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)
- Certified for Microsoft® Windows Vista™
- NVIDIA® Lumenex™ Engine
- Dual 400MHz RAMDACs
- Discrete, Programmable Video Processor
- Hardware Decode Acceleration
- High-Quality Scaling
- Inverse Telecine (3:2 & 2:2 Pulldown Correction)
- Bad Edit Correction
- Integrated SD and HD TV Output
- Noise Reduction
- Edge Enhancement
- Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
- Dual Stream Decode Acceleration
- HDCP capable
Aside from the usual standard G94 GPU features, we can see that Palit has increased the 9600GT reference frequency from 650MHz to 700MHz, and the memory clock from 1800MHz to 2000MHz. Also interesting is the inclusion of a ‘DisplayPort’ output connector. This is definitely something you don’t see every day. Not only is the card faster than the 9600GT reference, but Palit has doubled the onboard GDDR3 from 512MB to 1GB.
The 9600GT 1GB Sonic comes in a colorful, holographic green box. The familiar Palit robotic frog, “Frobot” is on the front, as well as some basic specifications.
Palit includes some basic accessories with the 9600GT 1GB Sonic. A DVI to DSUB adapter is included, along with a molex to PCI-E power adapter, optical SPDIF cable and an internal audio cable. Because the card has an HDMI output, these cables aid in getting audio sources to the card. You can find instructions on how to wire this card up for HDMI audio at Palit’s HDMI support page. Aside from a driver disc, the full version of Tomb Raider Anniversary is included; a nice bonus.
The card itself is quite a sight. The dual-slot plastic shroud makes it look a lot larger than the single slot reference 9600GTs. Although no one can deny that Palit’s design and use of color is unique, I can’t help but wish the shroud was black and looked a bit more subtle. Bright, flashy designs have never appealed to me personally. To each their own, I suppose. For those who put cooling performance higher on their list of important features—the dual slot Palit cooler should fit the bill.
When viewing the card from the top, the two copper heatpipes are visible, hinting to the non-reference cooler beneath.
The Palit card employs a 60mm fan. It is centrally mounted, and although the card is dual slot with an exhaust grill, the fan does not force all air out of the case like many blower style configurations. Some of the air will escape out the back of the case, but much of it will simply escape the shroud into the case.
Also at the top of the card is an SLI connector for those wishing to run a pair of 9600GTs in an Nvidia SLI capable motherboard. The small white connector is a two pin digital audio connector. The included internal SPDIF cable can be used to get audio for output via HDMI.
The card employs a single 6-pin PCI-E power adapter. This is always a good sign, as single connectors often equate to lower power requirements and better PSU compatibility.
At the rear of the card, we have a plethora of ports; many more than your average 9600GT. Aside from the usual dual-link DVI connectors, there is an HDCP compatible HDMI port, a DisplayPort and even an SPDIF optical connector. Despite having four display connectors, only two can be used at a time. Just about any combination of two ports can be used with the exception of HDMI and DisplayPort, which can not be used simultaneously. This is the first I have seen a ‘DisplayPort’ port on a graphics card. For those who don’t know what DisplayPort is; I refer you to the pertinent wiki.
At the rear of the card is a large heat spreader to keep the memory cool. Its color matches that of the plastic shroud.
With the shroud removed, the oversized heatsink is visible.
I didn’t have any issues getting the card up and running. I installed the Nvidia 175.19 drivers and was off to the races. GPU-Z has lots to say about the Palit 1GB Sonic 9600GT. As can be seen above, it comes in a factory overclocked 700MHz/1000MHz configuration.