BFG Tech GeForce 8600 GTS OC2

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BFG NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS OC2 256MB

In an era where elaborate heatpipe arrays and dual-slot heatsinks have almost become the norm, BFG's ThermoIntelligence cooler could easily blend into the background. ThermoIntelligence is really little more than an, er, intelligent repositioning of fan and radiator elements, but it works very well for what is ultimately a subtle design. What's impressive here isn't so much how cool ThermoIntelligence is able to keep the GPU on BFG's GeForce 8600 GTS OC2, but how quietly it does so while consuming only a single slot.

The GeForce 8600 GTS OC2 is no slouch, either. BFG has pushed what's arguably the best mid-range GPU on the market to even greater heights with a little dose of factory "overclocking," making the OC2 one of the fastest 8600 GTS cards you can buy. The card also packs component output, HDCP support, a lifetime warranty, and 24/7 tech support.

All this sounds good until you get to the price tag. The GeForce 8600 GTS OC2 currently sells for $240 and up online, giving it the undesirable distinction of being by far the most expensive 8600 GTS in our price search engine. What's more, the majority of GTS cards—including some with comparable clock speeds and warranty coverage to the OC2—can be had for much less than $200. Those cards don't have ThermoIntelligence, of course, but the cooler would have to be a revelation to be worth a $40-60 premium on a mid-range card. It's good, but I don't think it's that good.