 | |||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Roundup March 09, 2007 |
|
 |
|
| |
Summary: With street prices on GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB cards hovering below $300, the 8800 GTS 320MB is currently the least expensive way to get DirectX 10 graphics at this point. As a result, the GPU has quickly become popular among enthusiasts on a budget. But which card should you get? In this article we take a look at six different GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB cards. See which boards stand out in today's article!
 Introduction | Page:: ( 1 / 17 ) |
On the software side, 2007 will see the debut of a wide range of DX10 games. Arguably the most notable of these games is Crytek’s upcoming shooter Crysis, which has drawn a considerable amount of buzz since it was first announced in early 2006. But Crysis isn’t the only DX10 game in development coming later this year, other titles include Unreal Tournament 3, Hellgate: London, and Shadowrun. In addition to these titles, existing games like Company of Heroes, EVE Online, Flight Simulator X, and Supreme Commander will also be patched later this year to take advantage of DirectX 10 graphics. Looking further, in 2008 we’ll see even more DX10 games, such as Remedy’s Alan Wake.
In other words, there’s a lot of upcoming DX10 content to be excited about, and unlike previous DirectX introductions, gamers won’t have to wait a long time before games that take advantage of the new API are available. During the DX9 transition for example, it took over 18 months after the introduction of the hardware that the first software (in the form of Far Cry) truly took advantage of DX9.
[image]
| <% print_image("01"); %> |
With this in mind, gamers looking to upgrade their graphics card for these games currently have three options to choose from: the GeForce 8800 GTX, GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB, and the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB.
The GeForce 8800 GTX is easily the fastest of the three GPUs. It boasts 128 stream processors, a 384-bit memory interface, and blazing clock speeds (the stream processors run at 1.35GHz while the GPU and memory run at 575MHz and 1.8GHz respectively), but carrying an MSRP well north of $500, the GeForce 8800 GTX is by no means inexpensive. That’s where the GeForce 8800 GTS cards come in.
The 8800 GTS GPU has all the key ingredients found in the GeForce 8800 GTX, only NVIDIA disables two banks of stream processors, that’s 32 shaders total. This cuts the number of functional shading units down from 128 in GeForce 8800 GTX down to 96 in GeForce 8800 GTS. NVIDIA also disables one ROP.
Clock speeds and the memory subsystem are also slightly different between the two GPUs, as the GeForce 8800 GTX core clock speed is 575MHz versus 500MHz in the GeForce 8800 GTS, while the shading units on the GTX board run at 1350MHz versus 1200MHz on the 8800 GTS. NVIDIA also uses a narrower 320-bit memory interface on the GeForce 8800 GTS with slower 1.6GHz memory.
The two GeForce 8800 GTS SKUs, the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB and the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB are identical, the only difference is obviously the amount of memory and price, with the 320MB board shipping with half the memory of the GTS 640MB and carrying an MSRP that is officially $100 lower than the 640MB GTS card. As a result, the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB can often perform just as fast as the 8800 GTS 640MB at a lower cost -- as long you avoid situations where the board’s limited memory footprint becomes a limitation (i.e. very high screen resolutions such as 2560x1600 with 4xAA/8xAF, or you have extra high texture settings selected in-game), the card should perform similarly to a GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB.
In our EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked review, we ran the 320MB GTS card under a wide variety of settings, including NVIDIA’s new CSAA modes, and found that the overclocked 320MB board could actually outperform a stock GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB card in some cases.
Armed with this knowledge, enthusiasts on a strict $300 budget are opting for the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB. The reasoning behind this is simple – why spend the extra money if you may not need it? 20” LCD users are limited to resolutions as high as 1600x1200 or 1680x1050, which is well within the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB card’s reach in most cases, especially if you game at 2xAA or no AA at all.
But which GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB card is best? In this article we’ll be taking a look at six of the leading GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB cards currently available. We’ve got boards ranging from ASUS to XFX, with popular manufacturers like BFG, EVGA, MSI, and newcomer Foxconn in between. Let’s get started shall we?
| GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Comparison | ||||
| Card | Graphics Core (MHz) | Stream Processors (MHz) | Memory Speed (MHz) | Warranty length |
| ASUS EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M | 500 | 1200 | 1600 | 3 years |
| BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 320MB | 580 | 1350 | 1700 | Lifetime |
| EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked | 576 | 1350 | 1700 | Lifetime |
| Foxconn FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC | 575 | 1200 | 1800 | 2 years |
| MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC | 575 | 1350 | 1700 | 3 years |
| XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX | 580 | 1350 | 1800 | Lifetime |
| ||||
| ASUS EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M | Page:: ( 2 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("02"); %> | <% print_image("03"); %> |
While they are easily best known for their motherboards, over the years ASUS has established itself as a manufacturer of equally compelling graphics cards. If you recall, it was ASUS who first began offering Radeon cards with built-in VIVO support, at the time this feature was exclusive to ATI’s All-In-Wonder line. Nowadays all of ATI’s board partners ship their high-end Radeon cards with VIVO. During the GeForce 6 generation, ASUS offered a line of silent graphics cards that were cooled with heat pipes. Going even further back, ASUS was also the first to offer a single-slot GeForce FX 5900 Ultra card.
ASUS’ Smart Doctor software was also the first to offer dynamic overclocking based on load/temperature, in addition to hardware monitoring and dynamic fan speed control. Today these features have now become a staple in the reference board designs and drivers from ATI and NVIDIA.
With such a rich pedigree of graphics cards, we expected a lot from ASUS’ GeForce 8800 GTS card, the EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M; instead of focusing on the card itself though ASUS seems to focus on the software bundled with the card instead. Let’s explain.
For starters, the ASUS EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M is built entirely on NVIDIA’s reference board design for the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB. If it weren’t for the sticker on the top of the card’s fan, the board would be an exact 100% replica of the NVIDIA reference board.
[image]
| <% print_image("04"); %> | <% print_image("05"); %> |
Of course, keep in mind that this is not ASUS’ fault, in fact all of the cards included in this roundup use NVIDIA’s reference board design. Card manufacturers usually stick with the reference board design to get their cards to market as quickly as possible. After all, developing a custom board design takes time and money, and with a card that’s priced so closely to the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB, you run the risk of pricing your board too closely to the 640MB card if you throw in too many features such as a custom board design and cooling. It’s easier for board manufacturers to just overclock the card from the factory and/or ship the card with a custom game/software bundle.
Because of this, we have a feeling it will be awhile before you truly see custom GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB boards – it’s just priced too closely to the 640MB card right now, making such a board a risky proposition for any card manufacturer that would take on the challenge.
[image]
| <% print_image("06"); %> | <% print_image("07"); %> |
In any case, ASUS has also chosen not to overclock the EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M. The board ships at the stock GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB clock speeds of 500MHz core/1200MHz on the stream processors and 1.6GHz for the memory. Instead of spicing up the hardware, ASUS has elected to focus their efforts on the software bundle the card ships with.
Inside the card’s packaging you’ll find ASUS’ suite of utilities including GameFace Messenger (GFM). GameFace Messenger is ASUS’ instant messaging client for gamers. GFM allows up to 8 gamers to talk and even see each other while gaming, making it useful for those of you who are in a clan or guild, meanwhile, with GameReplay, you can record your favorite gaming moments into MPEG4 video files for playback (and bragging rights) later. ASUS also includes a copy of their GameLiveShow software, which allows you to stream your gaming experiences live over the Internet.
Other software programs bundled with the card include ASUS’ Splendid video enhancement technology (you will need to install the ASUS driver to use Splendid) as well as OnScreenDisplay, which can be used to toggle display settings such as brightness, contrast, and gamma without having to leave the game – in fact you can toggle it via hotkeys with one keystroke.
Besides the custom ASUS software, also included with the card is a copy of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and Race: The World Touring Car Championship, both on DVD-ROM. ASUS even includes a copy of 3DMark 06 Pro, so you can run the full gamut of tests and check out all the demos inside 3DMark 06.
[image]
| <% print_image("08"); %> |
Hardware accessories bundled with the card include a leather-bound CD wallet, two DVI adapters, S-Video and component video cables, and a power adapter. The EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M carries a 3-year warranty from ASUS.
| BFG GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB OC2 | Page:: ( 3 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("09"); %> | <% print_image("10"); %> |
BFG is well known for their history of providing some of the best warranty and tech support in the business – it was BFG who originated the lifetime warranty policy after all. With BFG’s lifetime warranty policy, your card is covered for as long as you own your card, provided it isn’t damaged or modded with an aftermarket cooler. Besides the lifetime warranty, the company also provides 24/7 toll-free tech support for card owners in the US and Canada and maintains an email support system as well.
BFG’s other claim to fame is their line of factory overclocked “OC” cards. BFG provides a top-to-bottom range of cards that are overclocked from the factory, all covered by the stock lifetime warranty.
[image]
| <% print_image("11"); %> | <% print_image("12"); %> |
BFG’s GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 320MB continues this tradition, going one step further than the original GeForce 8800 GTS OC 320MB thanks to higher clock speeds. Whereas the original GeForce 8800 GTS OC was clocked at 550MHz on the graphics core (50MHz higher than stock), the graphics core on the OC2 board runs at 580MHz, 80MHz higher than stock. Meanwhile the stream processors on the OC2 board run at 1.35GHz, that’s 50MHz higher than the original BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC and 150MHz higher than the stock GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB.
BFG also opts to overclock the memory subsystem on the OC2. While the OC stuck with NVIDIA’s stock memory speed of 1.6GHz, the OC2 runs at 1.7GHz.
[image]
| <% print_image("13"); %> | <% print_image("14"); %> |
As a result of these changes, the OC2 runs a little faster than the original OC, especially as you begin to crank up the screen resolution, which will tax the memory subsystem more. BFG uses the same NVIDIA reference board design for both cards, so physically both boards look pretty similar. If you want the OC2 board you’ll have to keep an eye out for the silver “OC2” sticker on the front of the card’s packaging. You’ll also find the OC2 sticker on top of the card’s fan. Everywhere else the boards are pretty much identical, including the extremely cool bundle BFG ships with the card.
[image]
| <% print_image("15"); %> | <% print_image("16"); %> |
Rather than ship their 8800 GTS cards with a traditional bundle of games you may already own or just aren’t interested in, BFG instead provides a range of apparel for yourself and your shiny new card. Inside the box you’ll find a BFG “The Gamers Choice” T-shirt and an assortment of BFG case stickers which you can attach to your graphics card. The stickers are quite funny, with captions like “8800 FTW”, “MY GFX > *” and “OMGWTFBFGSAUCE” Finally, BFG also includes a packet of their Teflon slick pads. These can be used to replace the worn mouse feet on the underside of your mouse, giving you more precise mouse control.
Besides these accessories, BFG also includes 2 DVI adapters, S-Video and component video cables, and a power adapter.
| EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked | Page:: ( 4 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("17"); %> | <% print_image("18"); %> |
Like BFG, EVGA is well known for their excellent service and support programs. EVGA also provides a lifetime warranty on their graphics cards, as well as 24/7 toll-free tech phone support, just like BFG. There are a couple of differences between their lifetime warranty programs however.
In the case of EVGA, the lifetime warranty doesn’t kick in until you register your card with EVGA, which is a simple process that can be completed at EVGA’s website, evga.com. If you don’t register the card, warranty coverage is limited to 1-year. One aspect that’s nice about EVGA’s warranty however is that you won’t void the warranty by replacing the stock cooler; as long as the card isn’t physically damaged, EVGA will honor your lifetime warranty. Honestly we can’t imagine why anyone would want to replace the stock NVIDIA cooler, as it does a great job of keeping the GPU cool while also generating next to no noise, but it’s nice to know the option is there in case you need it.
Another feature EVGA offers that’s proven popular with enthusiasts is their Step Up upgrade program. With Step Up, you can trade in your existing EVGA graphics card for a faster EVGA model, provided the upgrade occurs within 90 days of the original card purchase. You’ll get the full value of your original card, so if you paid $250 for your old card and you want to upgrade to a $400 card, you merely pay the difference of $150. There are no gimmicks are other gotchas, but you can only use Step Up once, that’s it, so you’ll have to use your Step Up wisely. A lot of enthusiasts use Step Up to upgrade from one GPU generation to the next, say for instance stepping up from a GeForce 7900 GTX to a GeForce 8800 GTX. Considering that the 8800 GTX delivers a 2X performance increase over the 7900 GTX, upgrading in this fashion makes a lot of sense.
[image]
| <% print_image("19"); %> | <% print_image("20"); %> |
As its name implies EVGA’s e-GeForce 8800 GTS Superclocked card runs overclocked by default, with EVGA opting to clock the board’s graphics core at 576MHz while the stream processors run at 1.35GHz. Meanwhile on the memory, the Superclocked ships at 1.7GHz, 100MHz faster than NVIDIA’s reference speeds for the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB call for. We went over this board at length in our dedicated review, and recommend you check it out to see how it compares under a variety of AA modes, including NVIDIA’s new coverage sampling AA mode.
[image]
| <% print_image("21"); %> | <% print_image("22"); %> |
EVGA ships the card with a very modern game bundle, including a copy of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic on DVD-ROM with the e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Superclocked. Dark Messiah just came out last Fall, so this is one of the newest games bundled with a graphics card today. In terms of hardware accessories, EVGA ships the board with two DVI adapters, a component video cable, power adapter, and S-Video cable.
Since introducing the e-GeForce 8800 GTS Superclocked 320MB, EVGA has announced an even faster GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB SKU, the e-GeForce 8800 GTS KO ACS3, which runs at 588MHz core and 1.84GHz memory. As its name implies, the board also includes EVGA’s ACS3 cooling for better thermals.
| Foxconn FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC | Page:: ( 5 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("23"); %> | <% print_image("24"); %> |
While Foxconn is one of the newest players in the graphics card business, they’ve actually been in the PC space for quite awhile manufacturing system components like motherboards, cases, and CPU coolers for OEMs. As an example, one of the original Orb-style Pentium 4 coolers used by Intel in their retail boxed processors was manufactured by Foxconn. Foxconn had a similar relationship with AMD, with many of their Athlon and Athlon XP coolers picking up design wins. Now they’ve decided to focus more of their attention on the retail space, where the margins are often higher.
For the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB, Foxconn produces two SKUs, the FV-N88SMCD2-ON and the FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC. For this article we’re evaluating the FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC.
[image]
| <% print_image("25"); %> | <% print_image("26"); %> |
Physically the two cards are identical. Like the other manufacturers in this roundup, Foxconn relies on NVIDIA’s reference board design for the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB. As we mentioned earlier, this keeps things simple for the board manufacturers, and also ensures a consistent level of quality among all GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB cards: all the cards in this roundup sport a pair of dual-link DVI connectors with full HDCP support for instance. So what separates the two Foxconn boards from one another? As the last two letters in the name indicate, Foxconn’s FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC is overclocked from the factory by Foxconn, while the more conventional ON board runs at the stock GTS clock speeds.
[image]
| <% print_image("27"); %> | <% print_image("28"); %> |
Foxconn runs the graphics core on the FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC board at 575MHz. This is 75MHz higher than the stock GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB. The board’s memory also runs at speeds higher than stock, with Foxconn clocking the memory at 1.8GHz (versus 1.6GHz for a standard GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB). One aspect of the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB that Foxconn does leave untouched however are the board’s stream processors. Foxconn has elected to leave these running at the stock GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB clock frequency of 1.2GHz.
Besides the overclocked graphics card, Foxconn’s FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC also stands out due to its bundle. You see, rather than bother with a game bundle or shipping the card with a T-shirt, Foxconn instead includes a USB gamepad. The gamepad is rather nice too, with dual joysticks and an 8-way thumbpad.
[image]
| <% print_image("29"); %> | <% print_image("30"); %> | <% print_image("31"); %> |
The gamepad supports force feedback and digital and analog modes. A small LED indicates whether you’re running in digital or analog mode. In terms of size, the controller is only slightly larger than an Xbox 360 controller, with well-placed, crisp, responsive buttons to boot. This controller is definitely better than the free gamepads we’ve seen ship with graphics cards in the past.
[image]
| <% print_image("32"); %> |
Besides the gamepad, other hardware accessories Foxconn includes are two DVI adapters, a power adapter, and a video output dongle with connections for S-Video, component, and composite video. In terms of software, besides the Foxconn driver CD Foxconn also throws in copies of RestoreIT 7 and VirtualDrive Pro 10.
| MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC | Page:: ( 6 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("33"); %> | <% print_image("34"); %> |
Like ASUS, MSI is perhaps best known for their motherboards, but we’ve been huge fans of MSI’s graphics cards for quite some time now. MSI was one of the first card manufacturers to get on the near silent graphics bandwagon. Back in the GeForce 4 days, their T.O.P. Tech coolers were the quietest around. Then, starting with their Nbox GeForce FX 5900 Ultra card, MSI shifted their focus to the game bundle. The card shipped with over $120 worth of cutting-edge games at that time (including the hit shooter Battlefield 1942), as well as a USB mouse. On top of that, the board shipped with better cooling, including twin fans! The card really was in a class of its own.
Since then, MSI has continued to provide cutting edge game bundles with their graphics cards, and their NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC is no exception, as the card ships with a copy of Company of Heroes on DVD-ROM. In fact, it’s a special edition 2 disc DVD-ROM set that includes multiple language support. The MSI exclusive edition of Company of Heroes can be played in English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish. The disc also includes manuals for each of the aforementioned languages as well as traditional Chinese, Korean, and Polish. Finally, the 2-disc set includes a demo for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Dark Crusade.
[image]
| <% print_image("35"); %> | <% print_image("36"); %> |
Company of Heroes was one of the best games of 2006, winning multiple Editor’s Choice and Game of the Year awards. The game is an RTS set during World War II, but it doesn’t play like a traditional RTS, it truly is unique. The game also sports very nice graphics, and as we mentioned at the outset, will soon be patched to support DX10, making it the perfect game to show off the NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC’s capabilities.
In addition to the game bundle, other software that ships with the card includes MSI’s Vivid video technology, which acts a lot like ASUS Splendid providing tools for such things as sharpening and adjusting color in photos while MSI’s Dual CoreCell software can be used for hardware monitoring and overclocking.
[image]
| <% print_image("37"); %> | <% print_image("38"); %> |
Speaking of overclocking, like many of the board manufacturers included in this roundup, MSI’s NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC is overclocked from the factory, running at 575MHz on the graphics core, 1.35GHz for the stream processors, and 1.7GHz for the memory.
[image]
| <% print_image("39"); %> |
In addition to the aforementioned game/software bundle, MSI also includes two DVI adapters, a component video cable, S-Video cable, and power adapter. When unboxing MSI’s NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC we also noticed one additional feature we hadn’t seen on any of the other cards – MSI includes plastic covers for the DVI connections. Nice touch MSI!!
| XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition | Page:: ( 7 / 17 ) |
[image]
| <% print_image("40"); %> | <% print_image("41"); %> |
XFX is another high-end graphics manufacturer known for producing very unique graphics cards. Starting with the GeForce 7 generation for instance, they developed a range of cards with such features as black PCBs with fluorescent green DVI connectors, giving their boards a very distinctive look. In more recent months, they’ve even produced 100% silent cards that rely on heat pipe cooling. Their GeForce 7950 GT XXX with heat pipe cooling (Part Number PV-T71J-YHD9) is currently the world’s fastest silent graphics card.
Like BFG and EVGA, XFX offers a lifetime warranty program on their graphics cards. In fact, XFX’s lifetime warranty program goes one step beyond BFG and EVGA; XFX actually provides a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of the graphics card, and the card’s second owner, providing comprehensive warranty coverage to both users. In order to activate the double lifetime warranty, both users must register their card with XFX. Once that’s done, you’re both covered!
XFX also provides toll-free 24/7 tech support, as well as email and online support via their help desk feature.
[image]
| <% print_image("42"); %> | <% print_image("43"); %> |
Besides their excellent warranty and support, XFX is also rapidly growing in popularity thanks to their use of overclocking. For each particular GPU they offer cards for, XFX provides multiple product lines with varying levels of overclocking.
At the top of XFX’s lineup are the XXX Edition cards. These are XFX’s fastest, highest-clocked boards, and are designed to deliver blistering performance. The XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB board we’re reviewing today is a XXX Edition card.
XFX clocks their GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition at 580MHz on the graphics core and 1.8GHz on the memory. Besides the graphics core and memory, the stream processors ship overclocked out-of-the-box as well, running at 1.35GHz.
As a result of these clocks, the XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Edition was the fastest GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB card we tested, although keep in mind that the other cards are right on its heels in terms of performance.
[image]
| <% print_image("44"); %> |
But performance isn’t this card’s only redeeming feature. XFX also includes a nice game bundle with their XXX card as well. Inside the box you’ll find a copy of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and for a limited time only XFX also includes a copy of Call of Duty 2 when purchased from select retailers, all inside the box.
[image]
| <% print_image("45"); %> |
Also inside the box, you’ll find two DVI adapters, an S-Video cable, power adapter, and a video dongle with component video connections.
| Test Systems | Page:: ( 8 / 17 ) |
System Setup
Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
ASUS P5B Deluxe WiFi-AP
2GB Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4
ATI Radeon X1950 XTX
Catalyst 7.2
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB
ASUS EN8800 GTS/HTDP/320M
BFG GeForce 8800 GTS OC2 320MB
EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS Superclocked 320MB
Foxconn FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC
MSI NX8800GTS-T2D320E-HD OC
XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB XXX Version
ForceWare 97.92
NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT
ForceWare 93.71
300GB Western Digital Caviar SE
Windows XP Professional SP2
Benchmarks
Company of Heroes 1.3
F.E.A.R. 1.08
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Battlefield 2142 1.10
Call of Duty 2 1.3
Half-Life 2 Lost Coast (64-bit version when needed)
Quake 4 1.3
| Far Cry HDR | Page:: ( 9 / 17 ) |
Far Cry – Direct3D
| Battlefield 2142 | Page:: ( 10 / 17 ) |
Battlefield 2 – Direct3D
| F.E.A.R. Performance | Page:: ( 11 / 17 ) |
F.E.A.R. – Direct3D
| Oblivion Mountains HDR | Page:: ( 12 / 17 ) |
Oblivion – Direct3D
| Oblivion Foliage HDR | Page:: ( 13 / 17 ) |
Oblivion – Direct3D
| HL2 Lost Coast HDR | Page:: ( 14 / 17 ) |
Half-Life 2 Lost Coast – Direct3D
| Company of Heroes | Page:: ( 15 / 17 ) |
Company of Heroes – Direct3D
| Quake 4 | Page:: ( 16 / 17 ) |
Quake 4 – OpenGL
| Conclusion | Page:: ( 17 / 17 ) |
Because each of these cards is so exemplary at what it does, picking one universal “best” card is tough – the simple fact of the matter is all of these boards are great, and there truly is no one card that’s a universal number one. Instead, each board has its own unique features that allows it to stand out.
For instance, if you’ve already got a copy of Company of Heroes, then obviously the MSI card may not be for you. Someone looking for all-out performance may want to opt for one of the faster graphics cards like the XFX GeForce 8800 GTS XXX instead. Sweetening the deal even further for the XFX card are copies of Ghost Recon and Call of Duty 2, both were highly regarded games when they were released.
EVGA’s e-GeForce 8800 GTS Superclocked stands out thanks to its unique combination of performance, software bundle, and EVGA’s other intangibles, such as their lifetime warranty and tech support, as well as their unique Step Up program. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Step Up feature alone has sold a lot of cards for EVGA – after all if you buy a GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB board and find yourself wishing you’d opted for the GeForce 8800 GTX, EVGA is the only manufacturer that gives you the option to trade up to the faster card.
Foxconn’s FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC easily has the most confusing name of any other board featured in this roundup, but it does have one feature going for it that no other card in this roundup has – Foxconn’s unique USB gamepad. If you play lots of sports games on your PC and don’t have a gamepad currently, the Foxconn FV-N88SMCD2-ONOC would be a very good choice, especially since it’s factory overclocked like most of the other boards featured in this roundup.
ASUS elects not to overclock their EN8800GTS 320MB card, but as you probably know by now, all GeForce cards can be easily overclocked with the latest version of NVIDIA’s nTune utility – no third party programs or registry tweaks are required. Its most unique feature is the Pro version of 3DMark 06. With the full version of 3DMark, you can tweak all kinds of things. Not only can you run the benchmark at multiple resolutions, more importantly you can set the benchmark to run infinitely in looped mode to test stability, or you can loop it a predetermined number of times if you don’t want your system running at full load for an extended period of time.
In terms of performance, all of these cards perform very similarly to one another since they’re all clocked so closely. Only the ASUS card falls behind the pack since it itsn’t overclocked out-of-the-box. Speaking of overclocking, we didn’t include those results as all these boards are based on the exact same board design and cooling, right now there is no one GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB board that’s designed to overclock better than the others, although it’s possible that the added cooling on EVGA’s e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB KO ACS3 board may give it an advantage here.
Based on all this, picking the right GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB board for you is basically going to come down to which card fits your particular situation best. While they’re all based on NVIDIA’s reference board design, all of these boards have unique features going for them, and all are priced competitively with each other, with some cards selling for under $300 after mail-in rebate at retailers like Newegg and Zipzoomfly. With each card bringing something different to the table, the bottom line is it’s really going to come down to which card suits your needs best. Only you can decide that for yourself, but hopefully this article has helped to guide you in the right direction…