A Ten-Course GeForce 8800 GT Feast

Introduction

There's nothing like a dramatic drop in prices to push adoption of new technologies and that seems to be the case in the discrete graphics scene when it comes to DirectX 10 compatible cards. While the absolute prices have not fallen that much, the performance you get for the amount you paid has increased tremendously recently, thanks to the introduction of the , which was followed almost immediately by ATI's Radeon HD 3800 series. Both are new refreshes of existing GPUs from the chipmakers and correct some of the flaws in the originals.

Of course, the biggest attraction for consumers is the fact that prices for these cards are all well below the US$300 mark, opening them to a larger group of enthusiasts and gamers that couldn't have afforded them previously. Coupled with the growing list of highly rated DirectX 10 PC games that have been launched recently, and the usual year-end shopping mood generated by the upcoming holidays (and expectations of year-end bonuses), there is a palpable buzz surrounding these new products. Even news of limited supply has not dampened the enthusiasm (and perhaps even fueling the desirability of these cards), so today, we are playing our part in stoking this buying spirit by featuring 10 GeForce 8800 GT cards. Some are overclocked, some are loaded with extras but all desire your hard earned dollars. Which is the right card for you? Find out in the next few pages.

ASUS EN8800GT TOP

As usual, starting us off on our ten course feast of GeForce 8800 GT offerings in alphabetical order, we have the TOP edition from ASUS. Most of you should be familiar with ASUS' overclocked TOP edition, which typically boasts one of the highest clocks found for its SKU. This is the case for this ASUS GeForce 8800 GT, with a core clocked at 700MHz and a memory frequency of 2000MHz DDR, making it joint fastest in our roundup. With its standard cooler however, it looks no different from its competitors, distinguished only by a Company of Heroes: Opposing Front decal.

This new expansion to one of the most well received games in recent times looks like another certain blockbuster and consumers will find it bundled together with the TOP. During our testing, we were slightly concerned with the relatively high temperatures on this card, a direct consequence of its higher clocks. ASUS has already readied a new version of the TOP equipped with another cooler known as the Glaciator and hopefully that will help ease your concerns. Currently however, the first batch on sale now is the one we received and pictured below:

Here's what you get in the package:-

• Driver CD
• Installation guide
• User manual (on CD)
• Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (full game)
• Leather CD wallet
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle

Gigabyte GV-NX88T512H-B

Compared to the many overclocked versions out in the market, Gigabyte's GeForce 8800 GT is about as generic and nondescript as it comes, with the reference cooler and standard clocks (that is 600MHz core and 1800MHz DDR for the memory). There is not even a custom decal to set it apart, besides a modest Gigabyte sticker on the fan. However, Gigabyte did include a decent RPG, Neverwinter Nights 2 to sweeten the deal and with one of the lowest recommended retail prices locally for a GeForce 8800 GT at S$409, we bet it won't be gathering dust on retail shelves in spite of its ordinariness.

Here's what you get in the package:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle
• Neverwinter Nights 2

Inno3D GeForce 8800 GT OC Edition

Inno3D has been jazzing up its graphics cards in recent times, with third party coolers and overclocked versions. This OC edition of the GeForce 8800 GT unfortunately only features the standard cooler but then again so did the majority of the GeForce 8800 GT cards in our roundup today. Inno3D did however overclock this card to a respectable 650MHz for the core and 1900MHz DDR for the memory. It's not among the fastest we have seen but a decent start for those wary of overclocking the card on their own. The bundle also has a good selection of cables and accessories but besides the drivers, there are no additional software or games found. Obviously there's a premium to pay for the overclock and according to its local rep, the retail price should be around S$449. For those who don't mind the standard edition, it can be obtained for a very decent street price of S$405.

Here's what you get in the package:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• S-Video to Composite cable
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle
• S-Video to Component cable
• S-Video extension cable

Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT Extreme

Yet another overclocked version with the standard cooler, Leadtek's Extreme version comes with a core of 680MHz and a memory clock of 2000MHz. This makes it one of the faster cards here in our comparison and should bode well for its benchmark performance. Like Gigabyte, Leadtek has included Neverwinter Nights 2 in its bundle but it tops the Gigabyte with additional software, including PowerDVD 7.0. Generally, it seems like an above average offering and its attractiveness is further bolstered by a rather competitive price tag of S$449.

Here's what you'll get in the Leadtek package:-

• Driver CD
• Neverwinter Nights 2
• Bonus software pack (PowerDVD 7, Orb, Adobe Reader)
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Manli GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

A mostly unfamiliar brand to most consumers here, Manli Technology has only recently become an NVIDIA channel partner last year and one of the fruits of this new status obviously is this GeForce 8800 GT card. Standard clocks and the default cooler make this card a dead ringer for the NVIDIA reference board and Manli has added little in its bundle to suggest otherwise. Since it's probably difficult to find it locally, we are unable to get an estimated retail price but given what we have seen, it should follow NVIDIA's recommended price or perhaps even less. Anything more and it would have a tough time competing with the bigger names in the market.

Here's the streamlined package contents from Manli:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 9-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC

Decorated with tags and stickers, the packaging of this MSI card is one of the most colorful you can find on retail shelves here. The most important sticker to consumers is probably the one proclaiming its overclocked status, though the margin of the overclock is not as spectacular as ASUS' or even Leadtek's. The core is clocked at a modest 660MHz while the memory is at 1900MHz, enough to get a couple more frames for most games but not as impressive as some of its competitors. MSI has balanced this with a decent package, which however, lacked a must-have title like its previous offerings of Company of Heroes and that could be seen as a blemish by bargain hunters. There's nothing wrong with its price though and at S$429, it should be one of the more affordable overclocked versions now.

MSI's bundle list:-

• 2x DVI-to-VGA converter
• 7-pin mini-DIN to S-Video/Component dongle
• S-Video extension cable
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• Colin Mcrae's Dirt (full game)
• MSI Multimedia Beyond 3D (Drivers & Utilities)
• Lord of the Rings Online - 14 day Trial version

Palit GeForce 8800 GT Sonic

The only vendor in our roundup today to feature a custom cooler and even a redesigned PCB with better power delivery components, the Palit GeForce 8800 GT Sonic lives up to its tradition with a two-slot cooling solution that matches the NVIDIA reference cooler in terms of quietness and then more than equals it with lower operating temperatures. The catch as usual is whether you mind giving up an expansion slot to make way for the larger cooler.

The Palit is also overclocked, though not to the extent of most of its competitors, with only 650MHz for the core and 2000MHz for the memory. That should give it the edge over the standard versions and consumers are of course welcome to try their luck at overclocking it further and stressing that blue, orb shaped cooler. As for the bundle, Palit has never been too lavish in this department but we did find a game for the fanboys here in the lovely form of Lara Croft in the latest Tomb Raider adventure. Best of all, an extremely competitive price of S$406 makes this an irresistible offer.

Palit's list of accessories:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• Tomb Raider Anniversary (full game)
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog Edition

The top dog from XFX for the GeForce 8800 GT, so to speak, is its Alpha Dog edition and it comes with rather high clock speeds, 670MHz for the core and 1950MHz DDR for the memory. You'll know that it's not quite the top compared to its peers but nevertheless, it's not something to sneer at. Outwardly, this XFX card is like most GeForce 8800 GT cards, with the difference being XFX's own decal. The bundle is generally on par with the better offerings we have seen, though Company of Heroes included here seems slightly late compared to the newer expansion found in the ASUS TOP graphics card. However, what could really kill the deal for most consumers is its price tag of S$499, which is quite a chunk of cash more than most of its competitors. XFX however has a custom black PCB version of this upcoming to replace the reference version, but that doesn't really change our opinion much.

Here's what you'll get in the XFX package:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• Company of Heroes (full game)
• S-Video extension cable
• 2 x DVI-to-VGA adaptors
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component dongle
• 6-pin Molex power connector

XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT 512MB

If the two-slot cooler on the Palit Sonic is not suitable for any reason, XpertVision presents another alternative. As some of you should know, both brands are two faces belonging to the same parent company and while the Palit version tries to be different, this XpertVision looks to follow the NVIDIA design down to the letter. So, with the exception of the decal, this is yet your standard issue GeForce 8800 GT. The clock speeds are standard also while the bundle is identical to the one we saw on the Palit.

XpertVision's list of accessories:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• Tomb Raider Anniversary (full game)
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Zotac GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition

When you're a relatively new brand in a competitive field, you'll need every drop of flair to attract the jaded attentions of consumers. That is probably why Zotac's AMP! edition of the GeForce 8800 GT comes with bright orange LED fans that light up when it's running. A simple, but eye catching move that's mostly overused by hardware manufacturers but it does help the Zotac stand out from the many reference boards on sale now. And this distinction goes beyond the gimmicky LEDs, for this AMP! edition comes overclocked to the same extent as ASUS' TOP. Yes, this card is the joint leader with the more famous ASUS on paper, with a core of 700MHz and a memory clock of 2000MHz DDR. Unfortunately, Zotac was unable to match ASUS' resources when it came to the included bundle and the lack of any applications or games meant the ASUS TOP still had the edge. However, a very competitive price of US$299 could still make this the choice for consumers and makes it harder to choose between the two.

Zotac's bundled accessories:-

• Driver CD
• Quick installation guide
• DVI-to-VGA adaptor
• 6-pin Molex power connector
• 7-pin mini-DIN to Component/S-Video dongle

Test Setup

Testing all ten graphics cards were conducted on the same system, configured with an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 (2.66GHz) processor installed on an Intel D975XBX 'Bad Axe' motherboard. This system was outfitted with 2GB of low latency HyperX memory modules from Kingston running in dual channel mode. Although these cards are all DirectX 10 capable, we have not yet transitioned to Windows Vista and hence Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and DirectX 9.0c was used instead. The operating system and all the games used in our benchmarking were installed onto a Seagate 7200.7 SATA hard drive.

The following table summarizes the relevant clock speeds for the graphics cards tested. Where possible, we have also included the local retail price in Singapore dollars as conveyed to us by the manufacturers or distributors. (In case you need any more reminders, the standard clocks for the GeForce 8800 GT is 600MHz for the core and 1800MHz for the memory.)

All the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT cards here were tested using ForceWare 169.02 drivers. Unless stated otherwise, the game settings used in all the benchmarks were set to the maximum, with anti-aliasing (AA) the only difference between two sets of results. For games like Unreal Tournament 3 demo that lacked in-game settings for AA, we used the NVIDIA Control Panel to force AA. Given that these cards are of enthusiast class despite their almost mainstream prices, we have tried the benchmarks at higher resolutions of 1600 x 1200 and above. We have used the included time demos and/or benchmarking tools found in these games to garner our results. The following benchmarks were used:

• Futuremark 3DMark06 (ver 102)
• Company of Heroes (ver 1.3)
• F.E.A.R (ver 1.0)
• Supreme Commander (patched to 3255)
• Crysis Demo
• Unreal Tournament 3 Beta Demo

Results - 3DMark06 (ver 102)

While a synthetic benchmark like 3DMark06 has often taken flak from enthusiasts on a number of issues, from relevance to neutrality, there is no doubt that it does manage to distinguish adequately between small differences in clock speeds. This is exactly the situation that we find ourselves in with these 10 GeForce 8800 GTs, where the differences may well boil down to 10MHz in core clocks.

Looking at the scores for our cards, we can probably split them roughly into three groups, the standard GeForce 8800 GTs, the two stand-outs, overclocked versions, namely the ASUS and the Zotac and then there were a bunch of similarly overclocked cards all jousting in the middle, where it could be quite difficult to distinguish. The differences became more pronounced at the higher settings like when we enabled anti-aliasing but heading the table was the ASUS EN8800GT TOP, which was actually shadowed very closely by the Zotac. Effectively, these two cards are almost identical, but ASUS has a higher shader processor clock speed that managed to garner the slight edge.

Results - Company of Heroes & F.E.A.R

The ASUS and Zotac were the early front runners in Company of Heroes without anti-aliasing, though the Leadtek Extreme soon joined them in the leading pack. Most of the overclocked cards fared rather similarly and cards like the Palit, XFX and MSI were separated by less than a frame on many occasions. If you're wondering about the virtues of getting an overclocked version of the GeForce 8800 GT, we'll recommend getting one with a larger overclock in order to experience the actual in-game impact. For example, in F.E.A.R, such a difference between an overclocked variant compared to the standard could be as much as ten frames and as little as four, depending on the resolution and settings used.

The real world difference between the various overclocked cards appeared to be less significant in F.E.A.R but that could be due to lower overall frames in that game compared to Company of Heroes. In any case, the leaders were still the same few here as could be expected from their clock speed advantage.

Results - Supreme Commander

Due to the overwhelming numbers of units found in this real time strategy game and its epic scope, the CPU plays a rather significant role in this game, which is probably why even a strong performer like the GeForce 8800 GT will find it tough going at the higher resolutions. As usual, the ASUS remained one of the leaders here, while surprisingly, we found the Zotac slightly falling behind. This could be attributed to the slightly slower stream processor clock on the Zotac, 50MHz behind the ASUS. Mostly though, it is ASUS leading the way with Leadtek, Zotac and occasionally, XFX and MSI getting ahead of them.

Results - Crysis Demo & Unreal Tournament 3 Beta Demo

These two first person shooters are probably the most anticipated sequels in the genre this year and both are released within weeks of each other. While the full games are now available, we started our testing initially on the demos and hence, we have continued using them for continuity's sake, at least for this article. Both games feature the newest 3D engine from their respective franchises, with the Unreal Engine probably the more forgiving of the two when it comes to graphics hardware requirements.

As you can see, with settings at maximum, Crysis can bring the GeForce 8800 GT cards down to their knees and any resolutions more than 1600 x 1200 will be barely playable. This is compounded when we enabled anti-aliasing within the game. Of course, this makes Crysis a stiff test for graphics cards and at these generally low frames, the overclocked cards show their value by producing two to three more frames than the standard. Again, the ASUS and Zotac are leading the rest, though the differences are probably more obvious at 'saner' resolutions than 1920 x 1440. Anti-aliased results at 1920 x 1440 look unusually low, but given the demo nature of the game used, this looks more like an anomaly and not something you should be alarmed regarding the card's performance.

The cards all fared much better in Unreal Tournament 3 and even with anti-aliasing forced onto them, they managed healthy frame rates. Like in Crysis, the value of getting a faster overclocked card like the ASUS is not as obvious since the rest of the bunch were very close too.

Temperature Testing

Hot and hotter seems to be the prevailing sentiment for the GeForce 8800 GT cards in general and with so many overclocked cards in our roundup, it's bound to get worse. Predictably, the worst culprits are those with higher clocks and while their performance is certainly fast, the temperatures of cards like the ASUS, Leadtek and Zotac were also correspondingly high. Surprisingly, the Gigabyte card also ranked among the hotter cards, despite its standard clock speeds. With core temperatures averaging around 70 degrees Celsius in our air-conditioned lab, the GeForce 8800 GT is not a graphics card you will buy without careful consideration of your case ventilation. Going for a third party cooler may well be the choice for most and Palit's example here is worth looking into, since its non standard two-slot cooler did manage to snare a lower temperature reading than most of its peers, and in spite of being overclocked too.

Overclocking

You would not be wrong if you thought that the overclocking aspect would be curtailed by the high temperatures on the GeForce 8800 GT. With mostly identical coolers, we found that the allowance on these cards were quite similar, with 750MHz emerging as the highest core overclock while memory clocks started hitting a snag at around 2100MHz DDR. Of course, you may get better results with alternative cooling solutions or even by upping the fan speed (likely accompanied with more noise). Some of the already overclocked cards, like the ASUS and XFX were by default near their overclocking limits and we could barely squeeze any more hertz from them. The XFX in particular did not manage even a small increment in core or memory and we gave up on it after having it hang on us repeatedly during testing. Similarly too for the ASUS, which had a very minor increase in memory clock. In the end, if you had to go by the results, the Gigabyte ended up with the highest score, thanks to its 750MHz core, followed closely by the Leadtek and Zotac.

** Updated on 29th November 2007 **

Conclusion

There is certainly an abundance in choice for the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT. Missing from our roundup are some brands that should be familiar to those who patronize online retailers like Newegg, vendors like BFG Tech, EVGA and PNY, to name but a few. However, with up to ten different brands to choose from, it's not exactly easy to choose. This task is not helped by the variety of clock speeds and different bundles offered by the manufacturers, along with mostly competitive pricing. In addition, there is always the hard to quantify criteria, such as build quality and reliability, product support and warranty. Expect even more diversity in future batches of GeForce 8800 GT cards, as more vendors equip their offerings with custom coolers in a bid to compensate for the generally high temperatures on these cards.

In case you're set on any particular brand, we recommend that you have at least a couple of other alternatives, as a cursory survey of local retailers indicate that not all brands are available due to the much discussed limited supply of this popular GPU. The opportunistic retailers may even raise prices to extract a premium from those who can't wait to get their DirectX 10 fix. Below are our concluding opinions about the ten GeForce 8800 GT cards featured in this article:

• It's the ASUS TOP Edition and obviously that means high clocks and in the case of the GeForce 8800 GT, even higher temperatures. These clocks help to ensure that for most of our benchmarks, the ASUS was right there at the top. The manufacturer has spared no expense on this premium edition and the new Company of Heroes expansion should be welcomed by most RTS playing consumers. With an estimated retail price of S$469, it is no doubt one of the more costly GeForce 8800 GT cards out there in the market but it could be well worth the price if guaranteed overclocking together with an extended 3-year warranty is what you're looking for. Besides, if you can wait a little, the revised TOP edition with a Glaciator cooler and custom PCB may be available shortly and that could prove to be an even better choice.

• Gigabyte's GeForce 8800 GT will not win any benchmarks with its reference design and standard clocks but it could well be the choice of enthusiasts who are looking to indulge in some overclocking of their own. The attractive S$409 price is certainly tempting and for that, Gigabyte has even thrown in the very decent Neverwinter Nights 2 game bundle.

• Looking like a slab of chocolate from an up-market brand, the Inno3D GeForce 8800 GT OC Edition tries to distance itself from the budget offerings that the brand has seen over the years. This meant overclocking the card but its no-frills roots come back to haunt it in the form of a bundle lacking most of the extras one would expect from a premium edition. Given that its price is not exactly budget class, we believe most consumers would also pass.

• Featuring a solid bundle with applications and a RPG game, the Leadtek WinFast PX8800 GT Extreme will not garner the headlines as its overclocked speeds are slightly inferior to the ASUS and the Zotac. However, smart consumers may consider its blend of price, features and performance to be worth paying for.

• A newcomer to the NVIDIA graphics card business, Manli's GeForce 8800 GT is easily forgotten by consumers. Not only is the brand less than familiar to enthusiasts, the package and generic hardware give us little reason to remember it. Unless of course vanilla is your cup of tea.

• MSI has often been very aggressive in terms of pricing and features and this MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC fits their formula. Priced reasonably for an overclocked GeForce 8800 GT, the bundled games are a tad weaker than some of its more expensive rivals. But at S$429, we believe that the overall package, together with MSI's reputation, should ensure there are enough takers.

• The sole vendor to offer a custom solution, Palit's GeForce 8800 GT Sonic has a two-slot cooler that is clearly superior to the reference version, at least in our temperature testing segment. This is in spite of being overclocked. Palit has tried to put together a decent bundle and in this aspect, it has largely succeeded. Although we don't have the price at the moment, we expect Palit to have competitive pricing, going by previous Sonic editions. Editor's note: Palit just informed us that the Sonic will be sold under the XpertVision brand locally, meaning you'll find the XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic instead, along with the lowest price among the retail cards here, at S$406, making this a very good buy.

• Despite its long name, the XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog Edition is not one of the company's more inspired products. The overclocks on this card is quite high, but not sufficient to claim top dog status. Surprisingly, we found overclocking to be quite limited on our review unit while it was much more expensive than the competition at S$499. Together with the not-so-recent Company of Heroes game included in the bundle, this is one XFX product that fails to impress.

• Another standard clocked GeForce 8800 GT, this XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT is relying on price to make its mark but faces stiff competition from Gigabyte. Given that we preferred the game bundled with the Gigabyte to the XpertVision and it cost slightly more than the Gigabyte, it's hard to recommend it.

• The surprise package in our roundup is without doubt the Zotac GeForce 8800 GT AMP! Edition. Boasting high clocks that match the ASUS TOP and enthusiast friendly extras like an orange LED, this is almost the perfect match. If only Zotac had included a game to bolster its bundle against its rivals, it would have been a clear favorite. As it is now, the saving grace is its price tag of US$299, which makes it slightly cheaper than the ASUS, with almost identical performance.

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