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Everyone who was waiting for (affordable well performing) DX10 cards, they're here:

DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=9424

6437_GeForce_8800_GT_3qtr.jpg NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GT (G92) will feature high-end performance with a smaller thermal envelope and single-slot cooling
NVIDIA today launches its newest mainstream part, the GeForce 8800 GT

NVIDIA today is set to launch its newest midrange graphics card part, the GeForce 8800 GT, previously known by its codename G92. NVIDIA guidance states that its newest graphics card will be sold at a retail price in the $199 and $249 price range.

Development around the G92 processor revolved around reducing the thermal and power draw on the GeForce 8800 GTX (G80) processor. G80 was manufactured on TSMC's 90nm process node while the G92 is manufactured on TSMC's 65nm node. This shrink allows a single 8800 GT to operate on a 105 Watt draw, almost 80 Watts less than the 8800 GTX during heavy operation.

Top-to-bottom, the GeForce 8800 GT fits snugly between NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB, which NVIDIA sets at a retail price of $349, and NVIDIA's GeForce 8600 GTS, which is sold for $149.

The GeForce 8800 GT sports a 100 MHz speed bump over the 8800 GTS, and comes factory clocked at 600 MHz. The 600 MHz clock speed of the 8800 GT is actually 15 MHz higher than the 8800 GTX's default GPU clock, which is set at 575 MHz. The 8800 GT's clock speed also comes within striking distance of the GeForce 8800 Ultra's 612 MHz GPU clock speed.

The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT features 112 stream processors, 6 less than the 128 stream processors found on the ultra high-end 8800 GTX and 16 more than the 96 stream processors found on NVIDIA's 8800 GTS.

The stream processors of the 8800 GT come clocked at 1500 MHz, the same speed as the stream processors of the GeForce 8800 Ultra. Comparatively, the GeForce 8800 GTX comes with its stream processors clocked at 1350 MHz while the 8800 GTS' stream processors are clocked at 1200 MHz.

The GeForce 8800 GTS features up to 1024MB of GDDR3 memory, which is based on a 256-bit memory interface. According to NVIDIA, total memory bandwidth rings in at 57.6 GBps, and the texture fill rate is 33.6 billion/second. Naturally, the two preceding figures are only theoretical values; actual values are bound to be quite different.

The GDDR3 memory of the GeForce 8800 GT comes clocked at 900 MHz -- equal to the memory frequency of the GeForce 8800 GTX. However, the 8800 GT falls short of the 8800 Ultra's memory speed, which is 1080 MHz (2160 MHz effective).

NVIDIA guidance states that the GeForce 8800 GT supports the new PCIe 2.0 bus standard. The PCI-Express Special Interest Group claims that the new bus standard yield improvements in bandwidth.

High-definition video fans will be glad to hear that the GeForce 8800 GTS comes integrated with support for NVIDIA's 2nd generation PureVideo HD engine, which allows for H.264 video decoding to be offloaded from the processor and on to the video card. HDCP support is also present on all reference designs.

NVIDIA guidance promises a hard launch with its GeForce 8800 GT cards, however, so far only Gigabyte, Palit and Zotac have 8800 GT-based offerings. Newegg independently confirmed with DailyTech that the card will be available online after the 6AM embargo lift.


In short; cheaper than the 8800GTS, but better performing (nearly as well as a GTX!). Also has full video acceleration offload, something the existing 8800's cant do either. (watching HD movies with no frame drops is a piece of cake)


For the record AMD has a similiar product called the RV670, a 55nm process shrink version of the R600... but much less is known about that, even though it launches in a couple weeks. Could perform better than a 2900XT, at a much lower price. Also supports DirectX 10.1 (where no Nvidia card currently does)

Deusfaux on
«134

Posts

  • SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    As good as the GTX for $200? And single slot? Unless there's something major architectural magic that AMD is able to pull with the RV670 rather than just more horsepower, they're probably going to be in trouble. And what does this mean for the prices of the cards that are already out, I mean, isn't $200 almost in the 8600 range?

    Spoit on
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  • fogeymanfogeyman Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Tom's Hardware has a review up.
    It's a bit worse than the 8800gtx but better than the 8800gts:
    benchj.png

    What does it mean for the 8600 cards? They're fucking useless. Sucks for 8600 owners.

    fogeyman on
  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products regular
    edited October 2007
    I have heard this card falls apart performance-wise at larger resolutions, eg: 1920x1200.

    So there is still a place for the old mid to high-end cards.

    syndalis on
    SW-4158-3990-6116
    Let's play Mario Kart or something...
  • JAEFJAEF Unstoppably Bald Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    syndalis wrote: »
    I have heard this card falls apart performance-wise at larger resolutions, eg: 1920x1200.

    So there is still a place for the old mid to high-end cards.
    Mmm if this is true it puts my fears at rest, since I play in a native 1920x1200 and I was going to be pissed if for $120 less I could have gotten better/equal performance. Is there even a reason for the GTS8800320MB to exist now?

    JAEF on
  • fogeymanfogeyman Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    JAEF wrote: »
    syndalis wrote: »
    I have heard this card falls apart performance-wise at larger resolutions, eg: 1920x1200.

    So there is still a place for the old mid to high-end cards.
    Mmm if this is true it puts my fears at rest, since I play in a native 1920x1200 and I was going to be pissed if for $120 less I could have gotten better/equal performance. Is there even a reason for the GTS8800320MB to exist now?
    According to Tom's Hardware, at 1600, AA4x, and Anisotropic 8x, the 8800gt gets 22.4 fps on Crysis. At 1920, AA4x, and anisotropic 8x, it gets 6.5. The 8800GTX gets 25.3 and 18.0 respectively. (See above chart/link).

    So yeah, the 8800gt fails at higher resolutions.

    And no, there's no reason for the 8800GTS 320mb and 640mb to exist.

    fogeyman on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    no it doesn't

    first of all, tom's hardware is a piece of shit.

    2nd of all, all you demonstrated was that it cant keep at high resolutions with high AA and AF.

    its ONLY when you introduce those latter two things - whose performance under is directly related to memory size - that it is no longer able to tail the GTX.


    http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/Nvidia_Geforce_8800GT_Review/5369-1.html

    etqw1920.jpg

    etqw2560.jpg

    Deusfaux on
  • Fig-DFig-D Tustin, CA, USRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    fogeyman wrote: »
    Tom's Hardware has a review up.
    It's a bit worse than the 8800gtx but better than the 8800gts:
    benchj.png

    What does it mean for the 8600 cards? They're fucking useless. Sucks for 8600 owners.

    Hi, thanks for making me feeling even better.

    Fig-D on
    SteamID - Fig-D :: PSN - Fig-D
  • mrhoohexmrhoohex Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    anyone wanna buy my 8800 -320 ?
    i only bought it a month ago...

    mrhoohex on
  • AiranAiran Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    This makes me really happy, I can go swap out my 7300GT for it :)

    Although I'm waiting to see how the RV670 pans out before I make any hasty purchase decisions...

    Airan on
    paDudSig.jpg
  • GadeusGadeus Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Does anyone have any positive experiences with returning video cards to newegg? I bought a 8800GTS 640mb after my old card went out ten days ago, so I'm within the 30 day warranty deadline. Since the 8800GT is cheaper, and much more powerful, it would be idiotic to keep the GTS.

    Also, it came with a copy of Quake Wars (I had to register with EVGA, which sent it to me in the mail in a paper envelope sleeve). Do I have to return the disk as well, or do I keep it because that was done through EVGA rather than newegg?

    Edit: Now that I rechecked Newegg, apparently my card is non-refundable. I suppose the step-up program is an option, and if I pretend I bought quake wars, I really only lost 50 bucks.

    Gadeus on
    Brawl Code: 2105-8329-7282
  • evilthecatevilthecat Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    got a 8800gts320 a few weeks back .. *sigh*
    such a kick in the balls.

    evilthecat on
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  • Squirrel RancherSquirrel Rancher Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Gadeus wrote: »
    Does anyone have any positive experiences with returning video cards to newegg? I bought a 8800GTS 640mb after my old card went out ten days ago, so I'm within the 30 day warranty deadline. Since the 8800GT is cheaper, and much more powerful, it would be idiotic to keep the GTS.

    Also, it came with a copy of Quake Wars (I had to register with EVGA, which sent it to me in the mail in a paper envelope sleeve). Do I have to return the disk as well, or do I keep it because that was done through EVGA rather than newegg?

    Not a video card, but I did RMA a dead motherboard a few weeks earlier and it was pretty painless. Definitely return it if you can. I would but the deadline on my 8800GTS 320mb passed a few days ago. :|

    Squirrel Rancher on
  • SnarfmasterSnarfmaster Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Nice! just in time to replace my crappy old x800.

    Snarfmaster on
  • CycophantCycophant Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Nice! just in time to replace my crappy old x800.

    Haha you too huh? As soon as my computer arrives from back home, methinks I'll be replacing my horribly antiquated x800 with this bad boy. The price is certainly right (although I'm sure up here in Canada we'll still be paying $300+ for it, despite the exchange rate) and if the only downside is a slight faltering at higher resolutions, I'm sold.

    Frankly, I couldn't even care less what ATI has to offer. Even if their new card blew this one out of the water, I've lost so much faith in ATI after this last graphics card round. The crappy drivers, the poor performance, the mediocre prices...

    Cycophant on
    sig.gif
  • devoirdevoir Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Oooh.

    So glad I didn't drop the cash on a GTS320mb earlier in the year.

    devoir on
  • LewiePLewieP Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    :(

    I have a X1600.

    LewieP on
  • DoronronDoronron Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    This might actually push me into building a new box some time next year...

    Doronron on
  • MumblyfishMumblyfish Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Exciting developments for those of us still on the underwhelming end of DirectX9 cards. That said, I shan't get too giddy until some competent review site tells us just how loud this card will be.

    Mumblyfish on
  • waterloggedwaterlogged Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    waterlogged on
    Democrat that will switch parties and turn red if Clinton is nominated.:P[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • RoundBoyRoundBoy Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    now we just need valid DX10 crap..

    How is this affected by dx10.1 that MS is throwing around now ?

    RoundBoy on
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  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    speaking as a person in the "Oof, my nuts. I just bought a 8800GTS640 x single digit weeks ago" crowd, also as a "I finally understand cpu and memory overclocking, but how the hell do I video card" crowd, how did I OC videocard?

    I may be completely wrong here so please correct me if I am, but is this a process you do using an application in $OPERATING_SYSTEM? Or is this involving using some secret code to unlock extra stuff in my BIOS?

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • NamrokNamrok Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Man, one of these will be perfect for me. Since I plan on dispatching with a monitor entirely and hooking my PC up to my 50" Plasma, I only need to worry about playing at 1360x768. Was thinking of getting a 24" Samsung monitor, but who cares? 24" of 1920x1200 or 50" of 1360x768? Give me 50 glorious inches.

    Namrok on
  • Bendery It Like BeckhamBendery It Like Beckham Hopeless Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    can't wait to see what the r670 has in store then. this x1300 makes baby jesus cry

    Bendery It Like Beckham on
  • waterloggedwaterlogged Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    speaking as a person in the "Oof, my nuts. I just bought a 8800GTS640 x single digit weeks ago" crowd, also as a "I finally understand cpu and memory overclocking, but how the hell do I video card" crowd, how did I OC videocard?

    I may be completely wrong here so please correct me if I am, but is this a process you do using an application in $OPERATING_SYSTEM? Or is this involving using some secret code to unlock extra stuff in my BIOS?

    For nvidia cards riviatuner will let you OC both core clock and mem clock, though only core will net you real gains.

    the stock 8800gts is 500mhz, the gt 600mhz.

    Now, most OC'd GTS cards that you buy are around 575mhz, I know people that have OC'd them a lot higher.

    BIOS unlocking with video cards is another matter. You can possibly gain extra shaders, or say convert a geforce to a quadro, but IIRC they laser lock that on a good portion of cards so it's a "try at your own risk" option.

    waterlogged on
    Democrat that will switch parties and turn red if Clinton is nominated.:P[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    thanks! I'll give my computer some juice(read: rapid instability) when I get back from work.

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Mumblyfish wrote: »
    Exciting developments for those of us still on the underwhelming end of DirectX9 cards. That said, I shan't get too giddy until some competent review site tells us just how loud this card will be.

    http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1210/16/page_16_temperature_and_sound_tests/index.html

    As loud as the 2900XT. (Kinda loud)

    Rook on
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    loud is no good :(

    pcie 2.0... will we need a new mobo to make this card work?

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
    PSN: super_emu
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  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    scootch wrote: »
    loud is no good :(

    pcie 2.0... will we need a new mobo to make this card work?

    Nope, PCIe 2 is forward+backward compatible.

    e.g. you can run PCIe 1 cards in PCIe 2 slots, and PCIe 2 cards in PCIe 1 slots
    http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3140&p=4

    Rook on
  • NamrokNamrok Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    scootch wrote: »
    pcie 2.0... will we need a new mobo to make this card work?

    Nope. But from my understanding, if you DO have a pcie 2.0 board, you don't have to give the card additional power.

    On that note, are there any pcie 2.0 motherboards? Been looking, haven't seen any.

    Namrok on
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    how does that card preform on a pcie1 board?

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
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  • NamrokNamrok Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    scootch wrote: »
    how does that card preform on a pcie1 board?

    All the reviews I've read have been done with the card in pcie1 boards. So I guess as far as we know, how it performs in pcie1 is just how it performs.

    Namrok on
  • RookRook Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Namrok wrote: »
    scootch wrote: »
    pcie 2.0... will we need a new mobo to make this card work?

    Nope. But from my understanding, if you DO have a pcie 2.0 board, you don't have to give the card additional power.

    On that note, are there any pcie 2.0 motherboards? Been looking, haven't seen any.

    X38 chipsets are PCIe 2.0
    how does that card preform on a pcie1 board?

    The same.

    Rook on
  • CZroeCZroe Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    In for two.

    What's the status on SLI + X38? I'm on a "holdover" Asus P5N-32 SLI PLUS board (feature-compatible with 680i) because it was the cheapest board with SLI & either DTS Connect or DolbyDigital Live (DTS Connect in this case). I haven't even used it yet and it looks like there is a good X38 option. Should I go ahead and activate Vista Ultimate x64 with this board or hold off for an SLI-compatible X38 with either DD/DTS real-time encoding? I mean, I was torn between the better performing P35 and SLI before, so this satisfies both OCD angles.

    Oh, and it's the PureHD in a high-end part that has me sold on these cards.

    Will there be DDR2 enthusiast boards based on X38? I mean, I only just got my 4GB, and I ain't goin' DDR3 anytime soon. :(

    CZroe on
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Namrok wrote: »
    scootch wrote: »
    how does that card preform on a pcie1 board?

    All the reviews I've read have been done with the card in pcie1 boards. So I guess as far as we know, how it performs in pcie1 is just how it performs.

    oh, I guess the better question would of be how does it perform on pcie 2. hm..mm

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
    PSN: super_emu
    Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    I dunno, wouldn't SLI 8800gt out perform a single GTX? they would both have the same entry cost...

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
    PSN: super_emu
    Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
  • ShurakaiShurakai Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    edit: whoops.

    In any case, I might look into this card if I don't see anything that catches my eye in the 9000 series.

    Edit2: They suggest putting on an aftermarket video card cooler/fan to solve the noise problem. Are these easy to install, and do they void the warranty?

    Shurakai on
  • waterloggedwaterlogged Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    scootch wrote: »
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    I dunno, wouldn't SLI 8800gt out perform a single GTX? they would both have the same entry cost...

    This depends on the game.

    In SLI vRAM is not doubled, since the frame buffer is loaded into both cards. Hence 8800gts 640mb SLI is faster then a single 8800gtx at higher resolutions, but 8800gts 320mb SLI is slower then a single 8800gtx at higher resolutions.

    Hence the inherent problem in cards with 512mb or lower vRAM and SLI. Given that some current games can use over that, and SLI doesn't double the vRAM, it's silly to SLI some cards because you do not remove their inherent bottleneck.

    In theory, yes it is faster until you reach the point where 512mb is not enough. But since the point of SLI is absurdly high resolutions in the latest and greatest games you might reach that quicker then you think.
    In for two.

    What's the status on SLI + X38? I'm on a "holdover" Asus P5N-32 SLI PLUS board (feature-compatible with 680i) because it was the cheapest board with SLI & either DTS Connect or DolbyDigital Live (DTS Connect in this case). I haven't even used it yet and it looks like there is a good X38 option. Should I go ahead and activate Vista Ultimate x64 with this board or hold off for an SLI-compatible X38 with either DD/DTS real-time encoding? I mean, I was torn between the better performing P35 and SLI before, so this satisfies both OCD angles.

    Oh, and it's the PureHD in a high-end part that has me sold on these cards.

    Will there be DDR2 enthusiast boards based on X38? I mean, I only just got my 4GB, and I ain't goin' DDR3 anytime soon.

    x38 will not have SLI. The only intel + SLI platform uses xeon class (ie pentium EE chips) costing over 1k each and is a dual CPU socket board.

    There are DDR2 x38 boards out though.

    780i comes out soon, but the real selling point on that is tripple SLI and that only works on gtx/ultra boards

    waterlogged on
    Democrat that will switch parties and turn red if Clinton is nominated.:P[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • AretèAretè infiltrating neo zeed compoundRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Havent finished going through the TH and VR reviews yet but so far it looks like the GT will be one hell of an SLI solution once they work out the kinks.

    Aretè on
  • scootchscootch Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    scootch wrote: »
    Some things to remember...

    The single slot cooler on this is a tad off. They were having, and still do have, heat problems on this card. This means that you're not going to see as good OC'd stock cards. And a 8800gts 640mb, when clocked to the same specs, still hands this card it's ass. You can get those clocks on most stock cooled cards on the 8800gts 640mb. Of course if you ditch the stock cooler on this it will be a monster.

    As stated by others it falls apart at higher resolutions. As scary as it sounds we've passed the point where 512mb is "enough" for higher resolutions. Clock rates can be changed, vRAM can't.

    The HD video part is nice, but... that was only needed in the lower end cards since they lacked the punch for it in other areas.

    This has killed the 8600 series, and killed the 8800320mb, but the higher end parts still pack a punch at higher resolutions, and aren't worthless. No need to panic if you already bought them.

    This is more of an "end of life for geforce 8" series buy. Given that geforce 9 with dx 10.1 and pci-e 2.0 cards are going to drop soon, this is your chance to grab a decent part cheap, rather then getting something truly next gen.

    I dunno, wouldn't SLI 8800gt out perform a single GTX? they would both have the same entry cost...

    This depends on the game.

    In SLI vRAM is not doubled, since the frame buffer is loaded into both cards. Hence 8800gts 640mb SLI is faster then a single 8800gtx at higher resolutions, but 8800gts 320mb SLI is slower then a single 8800gtx at higher resolutions.

    Hence the inherent problem in cards with 512mb or lower vRAM and SLI. Given that some current games can use over that, and SLI doesn't double the vRAM, it's silly to SLI some cards because you do not remove their inherent bottleneck.

    In theory, yes it is faster until you reach the point where 512mb is not enough. But since the point of SLI is absurdly high resolutions in the latest and greatest games you might reach that quicker then you think.
    In for two.

    What's the status on SLI + X38? I'm on a "holdover" Asus P5N-32 SLI PLUS board (feature-compatible with 680i) because it was the cheapest board with SLI & either DTS Connect or DolbyDigital Live (DTS Connect in this case). I haven't even used it yet and it looks like there is a good X38 option. Should I go ahead and activate Vista Ultimate x64 with this board or hold off for an SLI-compatible X38 with either DD/DTS real-time encoding? I mean, I was torn between the better performing P35 and SLI before, so this satisfies both OCD angles.

    Oh, and it's the PureHD in a high-end part that has me sold on these cards.

    Will there be DDR2 enthusiast boards based on X38? I mean, I only just got my 4GB, and I ain't goin' DDR3 anytime soon.

    x38 will not have SLI. The only intel + SLI platform uses xeon class (ie pentium EE chips) costing over 1k each and is a dual CPU socket board.

    There are DDR2 x38 boards out though.

    780i comes out soon, but the real selling point on that is tripple SLI and that only works on gtx/ultra boards

    interesting..
    my knowledge on sli is very limited as I've never done it before..

    but for gamers like me who are locked in at 1650x1080 lcd screens, hopefully it would be a pretty good solution for us to go with dual GT over a single GTX...

    scootch on
    TF2 stats
    PSN: super_emu
    Xbox360 Gamertag: Emuchop
  • FightTestFightTest Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    I don't think it's much of an issue for the 8600 owners like someone mentioned earlier. They bought bargain-y cards that everyone knew weren't that great, and when you do that you expect your card to get shat on within a relatively short timespan.

    The GTS owners are the ones who probably feel the hurt the most. Buying a rather expensive next-to-best card you might expect to get trumped in speed in a year or so, but you don't expect to get hit by both the speed and price train.

    That said something like this was needed. As one of many people with a nice last-gen card (X1950XT) there was absolutely no reason for me to upgrade to a new card because I don't care about DX10. The performance gains were minimal aside from at huge resolutions limiting their market to only the super hardcore. The enthusiasts like myself somewhat below that level were never going to bite at $3-600 when we weren't getting much of a performance upgrade aside from DX10 which isn't even a valid selling point at this time.

    So while I'm not surprised they released a card faster than the 8800GTS, I am surprised they aren't just pushing the GTS down to $200 and slotting the GT into the GTS's old price slot. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

    FightTest on
    MOBA DOTA.
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