With its 475MHz core and vastly superior memory subsystem, the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra is able to outperform ATI’s RADEON 9600 XT in many situations. As a result, we can definitely say that the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra firmly re-establishes NVIDIA’s presence in the mainstream segment of the graphics market.
It offers all the performance to power today’s latest games, and it’s looking like it will be more than competent for many of the DirectX 9 games of tomorrow. We wouldn’t dare declare one architecture “faster” than the other at this point however, as each has their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s just call it a performance draw for right now.
What NVIDIA does offer however is better overall compatibility with a wide variety of software applications, games, and hardware (although they still need to resolve AA support with a few DX9 titles). ATI is certainly improving quickly in this regard, but they still have more work to be done. Now if someone can just tell NVIDIA’s Detonator team to give gamers trilinear filtering when he or she asks for it, maybe some of the frustration many are feeling with NVIDIA will go away.
The manufacturing problems of the past appear to be just that, a thing of the past. We’ll have to wait and see how many other card manufacturers have their GeForce FX 5700 Ultra boards ready before we can say that with confidence however.
As far as eVGA, they’ve developed another solid offering with the e-GeForce FX 5700 Ultra. While it is based entirely on NVIDIA’s reference design, you will have the peace of mind of knowing that you’ve got a card built to NVIDIA’s specs. We would’ve liked to have seen eVGA deviate from the reference clock speeds as they did with their GeForce FX 5900 Ultra card, the e-GeForce FX 5900 Ultra, but we guess they’d rather focus on the merits of their card and leave the overclocking to the enthusiasts. Our overclocking results certainly suggest the core and memory have a lot of frequency headroom.
eVGA cards tend to be priced very competitively and can be found all over Price Watch, so we have a feeling that this will probably be one of the more popular first generation GeForce FX 5700 Ultra cards. After all, it always helps to be one of the first to market. When you combine this with eVGA’s excellent service and support, you’ve got a card that should be a tempting upgrade for the guy on a budget who wants a card that performs well, yet just as importantly, is backed by a company you can depend on.
AMD's Phenom 9950 Black Edition and 9350e CPUs
Earlier this week AMD slashed prices on their lineup of Phenom and Athlon CPUs to make room for the Phenom 9950 Black Edition and 9350e. See how these CPUs perform in this article!
ATI Radeon HD 4870/4850 Performance Preview
Armed with new 8xMSAA and custom filter AA benchmarks, we set out to test the Radeon HD 4850 and 4870 against NVIDIA's latest GeForce GTX and 9800 GPUs. How do the new ATI cards stack up to NVIDIA? You'll be very impressed!
Radeon HD 4850 512MB and GeForce 9800 GTX+ Performance Quick Take
In one corner we have the new and improved 800 shader, Radeon HD 4850. In the other, NVIDIA's improved 55-nm GeForce 9800 GTX+. We've also thrown in GeForce GTX 260, GeForce 8800 GT, 8800 GTX/Ultra, and the original 9800 GTX. See where the cards stack up in performance inside!
Haze Review
Set in the not to distant future, Haze comes from the makers of Timesplitters. But does Free Radical's shooter deliver? Brett doesn't think so...
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280/GTX 260 Performance Preview
With 240 stream processors, a 512-bit memory interface, and 1.4 billion transistors, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 280 is built for the enthusiast who craves maximum performance. Just how fast is it? Find out inside!
Mass Effect PC Review
BioWare's hit RPG shooter for the Xbox 360 has finally found its way to the PC. In this article Brett takes a look at the game and finds it offers a mixed experience.
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB Roundup
With 128 stream processors and clocks that are only slightly slower than the 9800 GTX, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is built to perform. And with street prices on cards often falling below $250, the GTS 512MB is also an extraordinary value. In this article we've rounded up seven different GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB cards. Read our top picks inside!
What did you think of the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra? Is NVIDIA back in your mind, or were you more impressed with the RADEON 9600 XT? Speak your mind in the news comments!
Ballistics Report
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