Today we take a look at one of the most talked about videocard on the market. You got it, we have the 8800GT card on our test bench today. To make things even more interesting it is also the Top version from Asus which is already overclocked so we are expecting some real performance from this card. We are also going to look at noise and temperatures to really see if this card is worth the 250$ that it costs out on the market.
About Asus:
Check out their website.
Specifications:
PCI-Express 2.0
HDTV-out
DVI * 2
D-Sub
HDCP compliant
Features:
PCI Express & PCI Express 2.0 support
NVIDIA� GeForce 8800GTS
Microsoft DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 support
OpenGL�2.0 support
HDCP compliant
NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology
Essential for the Ultimate HD Movie Experience on a PC
NVIDIA Quantum Technology
Advanced Shader Processors architected for physics computation
The product:
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As you might see one of the main attractions of this card is the game Company of Heroes. PCI-E 2.0, 512MB and already overclocked are also some main features that you can look for if you get this card. Inside you will find a small manual, the game company of heroes, drivers, and a cd with software like Asus update for bios.
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As with most Asus cards you get a small cd holder in leather to keep track of your drivers and games you get with the devices. You also get a DVI to VGA adapter for the consumers that still don't run a DVI equipped monitor.
Now if you dont have a S-video connector on your TV a adapter is included for that also along with a PCI-E power adapter. Some people still run older power supplies which means they don't have a PCI-E power connector and this is when the adapter comes handy. You just plug in your molex power cable into this and you can power your PCI-E card.
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The whole front of the card is equipped with the Company of Heroes logo. Underneath it you have the heatsink and on the right side of the card the small annoying 40 mm fan is mounted. The question is if Asus has managed to do anything about the noise a 40 mm actually puts out?! The ventilation on the card is pretty good to get the heat out, small ventilation holes are found around the heatsink. They have also been able to mount the PCI-E power connector in under the plastic cover that covers most of the fan.
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The heatsinks are very well mounted with screws mounted from the back of the card. It is the first time I review a card where they have actually bothered "plugging/covering" the plugins. I feel this is very good that they take some extra time and money to do this as they stop dust and crap from squeezing into the plugins. This way it also keeps the picture transfer at maximal capacity.
