GTX vs. GTX+
The Nvidia 9800 comes in two varieties, the GTX and the GTX+. Although the difference in the name seems to be very minimal, there are major differences when it comes to the hardware that affects the performance of both. The major difference between the two, is the shift to the 55nm manufacturing process for the GTX+. The slightly older GTX cards are built using the 65nm process. The 55nm process is the newer of the two, and more cards are expected to appear with this process. Although a lower manufacturing process often directly translates to lower power consumption, the GTX+ consumes only one watt more when compared to the GTX.
Looking at the basic specs of the two, we can already see that the GTX+ has much higher clocks when compared to the GTX. The core clock speed of the GTX+ is set at 738 Mhz, while that of the GTX is only at 675 Mhz. The same is also true when it comes to the shader clock speed. The GTX+ shader clock runs at 1836 Mhz, while that of the GTX runs at only 1690 Mhz. There is no difference though, when it comes to the clock’s memory speed.
Based on the information above, and some benchmarks conducted by experienced PC tech gurus, it has been determined that the GTX+ offers a slight increase in performance, compared to the older GTX. You may also be able to lower the power of the graphics card by setting the clock speeds of the card to that of the GTX. However, as always in the case of better performance, the price tag of the GTX+ is higher than that of the GTX. It is then up to the buyer to decide whether the GTX+ is worthy of the higher price it commands.
To summarize, the GTX+ is more than just an overclocked version of the GTX. It offers a lot of changes to the hardware that increase the speed of the card, along with the supposed improvements in performance. The GTX+ is the first of Nvidia’s line of 55nm cards, and many more will soon follow, based on the success of the GTX+.
Summary:
1. The GTX+ is built with a 55nm manufacturing process, while the GTX is built with a 65nm manufacturing process.
2. The GTX+ has higher clock speeds when compared to the GTX.
3. The GTX+ costs more than a GTX.
4. The GTX+ performs better than the GTX.