PC Perspective - XFX GeForce 8800 GT Graphics Card Review

	XFX GeForce 8800 GT Graphics Card Review - G92 Revealed
	Author: Ryan Shrout Date: Nov 06, 2007 Subject: Graphics Card Manufacturer: XFX

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Summary

The following is a summary of the more detailed analysis of the XFX NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT GPU. For all the in-depth analysis and testing you'd expect from us, be sure to click this link to get all the details!

Click this link to get the full article

I was one of the people that would have said consoles had the edge in the gaming world if you'd have asked me at any point before the middle of October this year. With games like Halo 3, Guitar Hero, Gears of War and more out and only on one of the three major consoles it's hard to argue with a list like that. But fear not, PC gamers! The month of November is here to save us all.

The G92 architecture is mostly the same as the G80 architecture that we first saw revealed last November with the 8800 GTX launch. But there are some key changes that differentiate it from other G80-based architectures like those used on the 8800 GTS and 8600 series of cards.

Besides the architectural changes we mentioned, there are some new things thrown into the new 8800 GT chip as well. First, users will be glad to hear that the updated VP2 hardware decode engine that was put into the 8600 series of cards but was too late to be included in the 8800 GTX/Ultra/GTS cards is in fact included in full on the 8800 GT. That means the full HD decode process can be offloaded onto the GPU as I detailed in my initial look at the PureVideo HD technology.

Right out of the gate XFX has a solution based on the NVIDIA 8800 GT reference design for retail release. It is named the "Alpha Dog Edition" which would imply to me something other than stock clock speeds and extras -- but that's what we have here.

The 8800 GT card is a single slot cooler design that is actually very sleek looking and doesn't feel cheap at all. The heatsink covers the entirety of the PCB board and only opens where the fan, power and SLI connectors are located.

Let's see how this new GPU performs!

The new NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT is one of the most impressive graphics card launches in years. Even though this isn't a new flagship card that beats all other GPUs on the market as we saw with the 8800 GTX or Ultra cards, the fact that we are getting incredible performance for a cost that is lower than where many other competing cards were at just a few weeks ago brings the 8800 GT into exclusive company. NVIDIA's CEO actually was quoted as saying that G92 could be the best chip they have made since the GeForce 4 TI 4200 -- and I am sure many of you have fond memories of that card.

Power

The 8800 GT is able to bring in the lowest idle power consumption by 25 watts compared to the 8800 GTS 640MB and by 48 watts on the 8800 GTX. The load power consumption (taken during Lost Planet where we saw the highest power usage in all our tests) is also impressively low compared to the other products we tested today. At 277 watts, the 8800 GT uses 15 watts less than the 8800 GTS 640MB card that it often out performs.

Pricing and Availability

You'll be happy to know that today, you can find several 8800 GT 512MB cards for sale today for prices as low as $260. Unfortunately this is still higher than the expected MSRP of $199 that NVIDIA bragged about during our discussions with them and even higher than the $249 that NVIDIA said would be the MSRP for vendor-overclocked cards. Even at that higher price the 8800 GT is a GREAT option for gamers, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that you should wait 10-14 days for stock to increase and prices to drop before making the plunge.

Final Thoughts

It should be pretty obvious by this point that I really like the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT. It's hard to find ANY fault in a graphics card that cuts $150 off the price of another GPU that it performs as well as. And it uses less power. And it only takes up a single slot. And it's not a paper launch.

The only caveat to NVIDIA or XFX's 8800 GT card is that their competition is making noise as well. They have made little effort to quiet the rumors about the upcoming RV670 revision of their R600 architecture. It is indeed a great time to be a PC gamer.

Please join us in the PCPer graphics card forum to discuss the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT!

Be sure to use our pricing engine to find the best prices on NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards and anything else you might need:

Click here for the Detailed Review