Testbed:

Motherboard:
EVGA 680i SLI (Provided by EVGA)

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo 6800 Extreme edition (Provided by Intel)

Memory:
OCZ FlexXLC PC2 9200 5-5-5-18  (Provided by OCZ)
        during testing CL5-5-5-15-CR2T 1066MHz at 2.2V

PSU:
OCZ Silencer 750 Quad Black (Provided by OCZ)

Hard disk:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 80GB SATA (Provided by Seagate)

CPU-Cooler:
Freezer 7 Pro (Provided by Artic Cooling)

Case Fans:
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 12 PWM
Artic Cooling - Artic Fan 8 PWM

Vista 32 SP1



The results we’ve seen are expected, and it’s enough to know how 8800 GT is good, as 9800 GT is not that drastically changed. The Sparkle card running at reference speeds scored the same or just slightly better than 8800 GT. However, Sparkle’s ace is passive cooling, a feature much appreciated in this range.

We overclocked Sparkle 9800 GT core to 700MHz, but it couldn’t run stable in Company of Heroes, so we downclocked it to 685MHz. Additional speeds made Sparkle 9800 GT score 5210 points in Vantage mark, which is 4% better than 8800 GT.



In gaming tests, Sparkle 9800 GT Cool-pipe card ran on par with Geforce 8800 GT. Overclocking was the only thing that resulted in visible difference between these cards. We already said it, but it’s worth repeating – Geforce 9800 GT won’t bring better gaming performance (certain games might have a couple of frames more) compared to Geforce 8800 GT.



 




Conclusion

Sparkle made a nice passively cooled 9800 GT graphics card that will provide a nice and quiet gaming experience. They used a large passive cooler called Cool-pipe that will keep the temperatures in check, and even lower than on reference 8800 GT cards. This graphics card features a 55nm graphics processor that Nvidia launched on the 29th of July. Sparkle 9800 GT Cool-Pipe is one of the rare 9800 GT cards supporting HybridPower, meaning it packs a 55nm GPU. Most 9800 GT cards are nothing but renamed 8800 GT cards, so be careful when buying, especially if you want HybridPower.

If HybridPower is your thing, then Sparkle is a good choice. We even managed to overclock it from reference 600MHz to 700MHz, and the temperatures hit 88 degrees Celsius. The card was stable in all tests at 685MHz, which is a great result for a passively cooled card in this range. The competition is tough, but Sparkle 9800 GT Cool-Pipe has got the design-ace up its sleeve, and the silence coupled with performance is great. It will cost you around €118, which is a bit more than reference 9800 GT. Of course, HD 4850 cards are these cards’ Achilles’ heel, but this card features passive cooling and HybridPower technology, which might appeal to many users out there.