nVidia GeForce 9800 GX2

• First, these are the current nVidia "flagship" video cards, and have been shown in benchmarks to outperform the 8800 Ultra by AT LEAST 40%.
• This video card has 2 PCB (printed circuit boards), with one GPU (graphics processing unit) on each PCB. This is very similar, if not exactly like, the 7950 GX2 where it is basically 2 cards in one. This is unlike the ATI 3870 X2 which has 2 GPUs on a single PCB.
• Comparisons of the 9800 GX2 vs the ATI 3870 X2 shows that the 3870 X2 performs at the level of an 8800 GTS 512, so nVidia is still leading the way in performance.
• This is the most power-hungry nVidia video card to date, so if you plan on buying one of these, be sure you have at minimum a 600 Watt power supply with a combined 12v rail amperage of 40 amps. I would recommend a 700 Watt power supply with a combined 12v rail amperage of 54 amps. Leaving voltage and amperage "head room" will allow for better system stability. Be advised that the more hard drives, fans, RAM, and optical drives you have in your computer, the more power you will need overall. You also need a power supply with a 6-pin PCI-E power connector AS WELL AS an 8-pin power connector. Adapters may come with the video card, but be prepared and don't expect it.
  
• The base price for these amazing video cards is about $250 USD (MSRP, not OEM price), so don't spend any more than that because you won't have to.
  
• nVidia drivers for Quad-SLI are not so great right now (an likely never will), so don't buy 2 of these and expect them to work together perfectly. A single GX2 is better right now.

Current-release info (as of March 19th 2008) and alerts

• There are NO "OC" or "Superclocked" versions available right now. Do NOT be scammed into buying a supposed Superclocked GX2, because they don't exist YET.

• As usual, be cautious when buying or selling one of these video cards here on eBay because of the usual scams. Make sure the seller or buyer has done recent business, has at least 98% positive feedback, and returns your emails/messages promptly and in good English. If inquiries about the card are like this: "Hi i am wonder if you nVidia 9800 GX2 is ship internationel", then be wary of this person and check their feedback, ESPECIALLY if their location is in the US. Nigerian scam artists are notorious for having horrible English and bad grammar. If a seller has never sold any sort of computer parts, and has a basic listing with just a picture and a description copied from the manufacturer (or even less, just a sentence saying "9800 GX2, is fast and good and you know you want it"), contact the seller with a complex question about the video card and see if they respond with copied info from a web site, and if they don't reply, don't do business with them.
• Be aware of outrageous prices. The base price is $250 USD so they paid at least that much for it. If it is listed below $250, then it is either used, defective, or it's a scam. Check the description thoroughly and again, check the feedback.
• If you plan on buying a GX2, use PayPal. Don't take chances with such an expensive product. Oh, and be sure to have shipping insurance.
  
• The part numbers are printed clearly on the box and on the info sticker on the GX2, both of which are clearly visible and unobstructed. Request a part number from the seller and if the seller refuses, choose a different seller.
• It is just as easy to take a picture of a video card box as it is to copy/paste a manufacturer's picture from a web site, so if no picture of the box itself is available in the listing, request one. The seller can use a camera phone, or even borrow a camera or camera phone from a friend or family member to take a picture of the box. Request a picture of their GX2 box, more specifically the back of the box where the clear plastic window shows the video card inside with the part number. They shouldn't have any reason not to take a picture of the real thing. If they refuse, move to a different seller.
• Did I mention to check the seller or buyer's feedback?

Benchmark Results 

Before we begin, it is best to know that not all benchmarks are fully accurate. I will not post 3Dmark06 results since those results rely heavily on the CPU score, so I will stick to video game results. Also be aware that AA or Anti-Aliasing is an in-game feature that is not required at high resolution, and is only shown here as comparison. As you should also know is that video games tend to be optimized for specific video card companies, so some may be in favor of nVidia, some may be in favor of ATI. benchmarks in general should be used for general reference only, and do not typically show real-world performance but give you a general idea of how your choice of video card will perform. Your operating system, motherboard, RAM, CPU, and monitor may be different from the test computer that ran these benchmarks.

• 9800 GX2:  42.5 FPS (frames per second), with 4x aa: 16.3 FPS

• 8800 Ultra:  25 FPS, with 4x aa: 18.3 FPS

• Radeon HD 3870 X2: 27 FPS, with 4x aa: 13.3 FPS

• 9800 GX2: 32.1 FPS, with 4x aa: 12.2 FPS

• 8800 Ultra: 21.3 FPS, with 4x aa: 12.9 FPS

• Radeon HD 3870 X2: 21.1, with 4x aa: 11.8 FPS

• 9800 GX2: 94.7 FPS, with 4x aa: 68.2 FPS
• 8800 Ultra: 53.5 FPS, with 4x aa: 39.1 FPS
• Radeon 3870 X2: 50.7 FPS, with 4x aa: 38.8 FPS

• 9800 GX2: 66.1 FPS, with 4x aa: 42.6 FPS
• 8800 Ultra: 39.7 FPS, with 4x aa: 27 FPS
• Radeon 3870 X2: 40.2 FPS, with 4x aa: 25.1 FPS

• 9800 GX2: 62.7 FPS, with 4x aa: 60.9 FPS
  
• 8800 Ultra: 48.9 FPS, with 4x aa: 45.2 FPS
• Radeon HD 3870 X2: 63.4 FPS, with 4x aa: 60.3 FPS