- Overclocking/Noise/Heat

Due to the passive cooling system of the graphic card, we decided not to perform an overclock and leave both the core and the memory clocks at their default values. Something that should be noted is that the card produces zero noise cause of the passive cooling. However in order to keep the card cool, there should a decent airflow inside the case. In most tests we left the card in "open air" and the temperatures at the external shell reached 76 degrees Celsius, as measured with our digital thermometer.

- Conclusion

Gigabyte introduces an interesting proposal for middle range users with a clear tendency in SFF PCs, since this card features a passive cooling system. In other words, this is an absolute noiseless graphics card! The Gigabyte GV-NX86S256H is clocked at the default 8600GTS speeds and doesn't include any kind of pre-overclock setting, which we don't think is a negative. In most benchmarks, it performed as we thought. When compared with the Asus EN8600GTS Top, the comparison is rather unfair, since Gigabyte GV-NX86S256H has lower clocks and therefore performed worse. However it has a much lower retail price than the Asus EN8600GTS Top.

With a retail price of 165€ users can buy a passive cooled 8600GTS card that performs according to nVidia's specifications. The retail package is complete with Supreme Commander retail game included and a DVI to HDTV converter cable. Concluding this review, we feel that GV-NX86S256H is a very good choice for middle range users. It costs less than competitive products and offers more or less the same performance. Good work Gigabyte!