Foxconn GeForce 9500 GT

Not everyone can afford the bleeding edge of graphics hardware, and not everyone needs it. NVIDIA has already made headlines with their high-end GeForce GTX 280 video card, which offers high performance at a premium price. Most enthusiasts have seen so much coverage for the high-level graphic products that it might feel like nothing exists for the lower consumer segment. Benchmark Reviews hasn't forgotten about the entry-level enthusiast, which is why we test the Foxconn GeForce 9500 GT 256MB PCI Express video card against the bigger names in this review.

Just because the GeForce 9500 GT series isn't a top SKU, doesn't mean that it doesn't offer big performance. It may not come as a surprise that Foxconn's 9500 GT isn't going to compete with the 9800 GT, but it remains to be seen if this is a close match to the 9600 GT. NVIDIA's G96 GPU has already proven itself a worthy is many other SKU's across their product line. The GeForce 9500 GT we received from Foxconn was produced with a 65 nm fabrication process, but TSMC expects to begin producing 55 nm parts some time later this year. Unlike the GeForce 9600 series that receives the full 256-bit memory pipeline, the 9500 series will only offer a 128-bit variant. Our Foxconn Standard OC Edition video card came equipped with 256 MB of GDDR3 video DRAM, which can offer enough frame buffer for most low- and mid-level video games.

While it's fair to presume that this isn't going to turn many heads, the GeForce 9500 GT can offer a lot more feature functionality than just value-level graphics. To begin with, the 9500 GT is a very inexpensive SLI-capable graphics option. It also supports DirectX 10.0 (10.1 is unconfirmed), OpenGL 2.1, PCI Express 2.0, and Hybrid SLI. Although Foxconn integrates only the D-Sub, DVI, and component video connections, the GeForce 9500 GT series can also support DisplayPort which is the upcoming replacement for HDMI (and DVI). For many HTPC enthusiasts, the GeForce 9500 GT is a perfect fit for those systems not expecting to play the latest titles in video games.

In this article, Benchmark Reviews will test the new Foxconn GeForce 9500 GT Standard OC Edition 256MB video card 9500GT-256FR3 against a very large collection of the latest graphic card products.

About the Company: FOXCONN (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd)

Foxconn is the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of advanced computer, communications, and consumer electronics components. Hon Hai Precision Industry may be the biggest electronics company you never heard of, more commonly known by its trade name: Foxconn, is one of the world's largest contract electronics manufacturers. It manufactures computer, consumer electronics, and communications products, including connectors, cable assemblies, enclosures, flat-panel displays, game consoles, motherboards, and servers. Hon Hai also provides design engineering and mechanical tooling services. The company's customers include Apple, Cisco, Dell, Nokia, and Sony. CEO Terry Gou founded Hon Hai in 1974 to make plastic switches for televisions. With over three decades of demonstrated manufacturing excellence, Hon Hai sets the standard in the industry for product quality and reliability, customer support, and value. In 2005 Hon Hai had sales of $25 billion (USD).

The Channel Service Division (CSD), part of the PCE Business Group of Hon Hai, is Hon Hai's worldwide organization for servicing channel customers. Guided by the mantra "The Art of More", CSD is dedicated to making it simpler and more affordable for its customers to offer superior information systems to their consumer and enterprise customers. CSD serves a network of distributors and OEM customers in Asia, EMEA, and the Americas.

Foxconn's Channel Innovation & Service Group (CISG) is committed to providing reliable, high-quality products to all its customers - large and small. We understand how the channel has evolved - its impact on consumers and the people who work in the computer industry. Consequently, we are aggressively innovating to deliver solid, honest products that promote simplicity and ease of use, while at the same time appreciating the natural and human environment through the entire product life cycle. Through this philosophy of connecting people and technologies, Foxconn CISG is enabling a vast range of PC assemblers, retailers and end-users the freedom to create their own computing solutions.

Guided by a belief that the electronics products would be an integral part of everyday life in every office and in every home, Terry Gou founded Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd., the anchor company of Foxconn Technology Group in 1974 with US$7,500, a devotion in integrating expertise for mechanical and electrical parts and an uncommon concept to provide the lowest "total cost" solution to increase the affordability of electronics products for all mankind.

Today, Foxconn Technology Group is the foremost provider of joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly and after-sales services to global Computer, Communication and Consumer-electronics ("3C") leaders. Aided by its legendary execution, uncompromising customer devotion and its award-winning proprietary business model, eCMMS, Foxconn Group is not only the largest, but also the fastest growing multinationals manufacturing services provider (including CEM, EMS, ODM and CMMS) in the world.

Focusing on fields of nanotechnology, heat transfer, wireless connectivity, material sciences, and green manufacturing process, Foxconn's over 15,000 patents granted worldwide by 2005 made it a recognized leader of innovation and technical know-how in rankings such as MIT's patent scorecard.

Foxconn's commitment to continual education, investing in its people long term and localization globally not only leads to the deep collaborating relationships with leading institutions of higher learning, but also helps to make this Fortune Global 500 company's global operations including the largest exporter in Greater China and the second largest exporter in Czech Republic, and also allows it to be the only company consistently ranked among top ten in the Business Week IT100 since 2002.

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