Card appearance
We did say that ABIT is a company that is often known for bucking the trend, both technological and aesthetically, didn't we?. That's what we thought until we clapped out eyes on the ABIT Radeon 9800 XT 256MB card. The layout is altogether reference in most respects. The ABIT sticker is the only indication that the card hasn't been pulled from a reference line and boxed up in the firm's flashy packaging (or has it, he says sarcastically). It bears repeating that there's nothing wrong with the reference design; it works just fine. You'd expect more individuality from ABIT, wouldn't you?. Hercules' 9800 XT follows the same reference path.
The same copper heatsink, presented in a ribbed fashion for increased surface area. The molex connector's also atypical of any reference model. We can also infer that the cooler's fan is pretty quiet in use, only rising above a whisper when under sustained load and in cramped, heat-inducing conditions. The low-profile of the heatsink makes this a single-slot card that's perfect for full-size towers and Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs alike.
The back shows the usual copper heatsink and a lack of VIVO functionality. ASUS' Radeon 9800 XT arrived in a non-reference design and implemented ATI's cheap Rage Theater RT200 VIVO ASIC. We've yet to see a reference model with it, and ABIT's card is suitably bereft.
Removing the heatsink is a simple matter of unscrewing the two holding screws on the front. 256MB of Hynix RAM, arranged in 8x 256Mbit chips, is rated up to an impressive 800MHz, yet ABIT has continued the reference them by clocking in its 9800 XT 256MB at 412MHz core / 730MHz RAM, respectively.
HD15, TV-Out, and DVI further confirm its reference nature. ABIT, it seems, is simply looking for a way into the Radeon market. There's safety in numbers, and ABIT takes refuge in a reference design that's sure not to rock the boat. Let's now see if the bundle can stir any of ABIT's individuality trademarks.
