A Closer Look:::...

The box is pretty much your stock affair with futuristic artwork and stylistic swirls

However the rear of the box offers you an enticing glimpse of what lies inside though a semicircular window. This is very much the peephole bra of the hardware sector and in the true geek it probably causes a very similar physiological response.

The Bundle:::...

Inside the box everything is as promising as it appeared from outside. Okay, so this isn't your award winning MSI-like software collection but it's enough to get you gaming, watching DVDs and piping the output to your LCD or CRT monitor or, should you wish, S-video equipped TV.

I'm not a fanatical gamer but interestingly the two titles supplied are two of the few that managed to control my interest long enough for me to complete them. Both Return To Castle Wolfenstein and Soldier Of Fortune 2 are excellent games provided you don't mind a little gratuitous, randomly thought provoking violence. My only complaint would be that both titles are bit too similar both being first person shooters. Maybe a different genre (racing, flying etc.) would have been a better choice to round out the package.

DVD software is a subjective thing though personally I tend to favour CyberLink's PowerDVD as is bundled with this card, though I'm not entirely sure I could tell you why, I just do.

All told it's a a very competent collection of necessary gubbins and although it was missing from the box I received there would normally be a "Y" splitter to allow you to power the card without sacrificing a 4 pin Molex in the process.

Installation:::...

You won't need any advanced qualifications to install the 9800 Pro Ultimate as it's identical to any other card, right down to the auxiliary power connector which still needs to be plugged in. Perhaps more interesting is Sapphire's REDLINE tweaking utility which offers a whole host of settings and tweaks not otherwise available. Even allowing for the fact that there are several equally good or better utilities available for free download this is still a nice touch, particularly as it gives quick access to overclocking.

There's way too much to cover in any detail so I'll leave you to look at the screenshots:

Obviously you need some experience to get the most from this app and it's not really a good idea for the less experienced user to use this as a starting point for their tweaking education. What's missing is a "Reset" or "Panic" button to revert everything back as it was for the explorer who goes beyond his or her limits.