Since its release back in February (2008) this year we have seen a number of interesting GeForce 9600 GT products from various manufacturers. Some have been more impressive than others, while there have been a few gimmicks such as the 1GB versions. However now you can forget everything, no other 9600 GT matters, as we take the red pill and enter the Matrix... sorry I could not help myself!

Yes, that’s right ASUS has produced an eight GeForce 9600 GT graphics card which they have called their “Matrix” version. In the ASUS GeForce 9600 series we already have names like Ultimate, Magic, and Black Pearl, so why not add Matrix to the list? It has to be said that this new Matrix version is a little different from the rest, okay it’s a lot different!

This new graphics card combines a number of new ASUS features to create something really quite special. The ASUS ROG Extreme N9600GT Matrix graphics card is the first we have come across that gives the user complete and utter control. When we say complete control we really mean it, as in the user can adjust the voltage for the core and memory maximizing the potential overclock, and the results are truly spectacular.

Of course more voltage and more frequency gives you two things, more heat and more performance. Gamers can happily deal with the added performance, while ASUS has installed a special new cooler on this graphics card which they call a “Hybrid Cooler” to take care of the extra heat. The ROG Extreme N9600GT Matrix graphics card is more than just brute force, as ASUS has also worked to improve the efficiency of this product. When at idle in 2D environments the card reduces the core and memory voltages allowing for power savings up to 26%, while the fan can shut down allowing the card to work in a passive mode.

Combined with the new ASUS iTracker software users can select between four different presets, while the option to create your own also exists. This software really is very impressive and we will look at it in more detail shortly. There is even more to be discovered when looking at the ROG Extreme N9600GT Matrix graphics card, such as the onboard HDMI support and the uniquely designed PCB.

Before we continue with this review I am just going to go on record now and say that this is the best GeForce 9600 GT graphics card on the market today. Now when I say best this is meant more in the sense that it is the most powerful, advanced and impressive 9600 GT on the market. Whether or not this is the best “value” 9600 GT on the market is a whole other ball game. There is also the question that this new 9600 GT graphics card may have come a little late, so we will see how it stands up to the competition and determine if this is true or not.