ASUS V9280 Ti4200-8x "Super Fast"
Chip and memory
As we have already mentioned, the card is built on the Ti 4200-8x (NV28) chip. These days the chip is gaining more popularity among graphics accelerators manufacturers. Recently, most manufacturers have announced products based on the new chip. In our test lab we have already had a video card based on this chip, and prior to reading this review on the ASUS video card it makes sense familiarizing with what Abit contrived to do with their Siluro OTES 8x 128Mb video card.
On the Asus V9280S board, there is a similar chip installed that was produced at the 36th week of the year 2002, which is about early September.
As is the case with the OTES, the chip runs at frequencies pushed up to the Ti4400 levels, that is, 275MHz, using the most regular cooling. This by no means a flaw, since Ti4200 chips run without an issue at increased frequencies using the standard cooling. By the way, there is another possible reason why the Ti4400 chips have been laid off - if the process technology allows making all the chips with the quality high enough without screening, then one should admit that the documented frequencies are understated and the manufacturer will thus be able raising them, then there is no need in the Ti4400 chips any longer.
The memory installed on the video card of the BGA type and is manufactured by Samsung. As per the online documentation on the manufacturer's website, its fetch time is about 2.8 ns, which meets 350 MHz (700 MHz DDR), but it anyway runs at 600 MHz. Nevertheless, this is also a good result because as per the documentation the memory in Ti4200-based video cards should run at 250 MHz (500 MHz DDR), while the 300 MHz frequency should belong to the higher-end chip Ti4600. Considering the memory cooling, the V9280 in theory should offer quite good overclocking potentials. But we'll dwell on that later on.
The card is assembled following the ASUS innovative PCB design, of dark brown color which is standard for Asus video cards. By its exterior and dimensions, this PCB resembles more of the PCB in the higher-end chip Ti4600, but upon a closer look it becomes clear this is not the case. For the case with the V9280, Asus made a top-level showing by developing own unique PCB design in when the Ti4600 was taken as the base that was further re-worked. This is well seen on the photo below:
You can also notice that the filters block has been essentially changed, and the placement of most finer elements close to the chip has been revised. But the module responsible for output on the monitor and TV-out has remained intact. Let's now make a brief summary - we have a Ti4200 assembled on a more expensive PCB taken from the Ti4600 and using the memory running at a frequency matching the Ti4600. But the chip has slightly made a mess of it and in fact runs at the frequency of the Ti4400.
Cooling system
The system for cooling the graphics processor looks balanced enough and even though by its exterior can be related to the higher-end video cards, it does look more natural unlike the swollen-up OTES cooling system being an illustrative example of how on a weak chip you hoist a cooler looking as impressive and making a noise as high as that coming from the Su-27 jet-fighter. As is seen from the photo, the cooler can't control the rotational speed since the signaling wire for that is missing. Nevertheless, the noise level is pretty small.
On the whole, one can say that a similar cooling system could be there on the Ti4600 video card as well. A proof of that is the cooling fitted on the memory chips in the form of quite massive radiators from the front (glued to the chips) and a big flat wafer behind fitted with the pins used in the GPU radiator.
Note that under the wafer from behind there is no thermopaste at all, and its lack may cause unstable operation as well as restrict overclocking. We recommend removing it with small pliers and apply a layer of thermopaste on all the memory chips and then revert all back to the original state. The cooling system does not need further improvements and is almost free of any noticeable flaws.
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