jonbass
05-22-2007, 12:17 PM
I have written and manufactured this review under very limited time, and this is why some parts of the review arent topp quality.
Also my english arent the greatest so if there are spelling mistakes and gramatic errors then please have indulgance, i will try to fix theese errors to as soon as i have the time.
Asus EN8800ULTRA Minireview
Like most People here at Xtremesystem already know ATI have finally released their eagerly awaited high end DX10 card HD2900XT, naturally did NVIDIA also released a card that are going to compete with ATI´s new flagship. I am off course talking about 8800Ultra.
There have been allot of speculation about both ATIs R600 and NVIDIA’s Ultra card the last couple of weeks, and off course both companies has done everything to keep specification and performance concealed.
Why there is such secrecy when a company is about to release new hardware is often because they want to leave a door open to do some last minute frequency raise if the competitors have a faster card, but despite of all the secrecy there is usually leaked information about the cards anyway and this time was no exception. During the last couple of weeks there have been allot of information flowing the web with both wild rumours but also some trustworthy information. Among others did a famous news bulletin publish a early review of the HD2900XT card that wasn’t to flattering for ATI´s new DX10 card, but fortunally the results published in this review was not completely accurate even if their weren’t to way off.
There haven’t been the same amount of gossip about NVIDIA’s Ultra card even if they haven’t been completely spared, one of their cooperate partners managed the feat to publish specification on a system with 8800Ultra a couple of weeks before the actual card was realesed.
But now both the cards are finally here and I have managed to get my hands on a Asus EN8800Ultra that I will give a complete treatment to see what the different are between Ultra and GTX and also HD2900XT, unfortunaly I couldn’t get a hold of HD2900XT but I will try to do this as detailed as possible anyway.
The new improved 8800Ultra:
At first glance 8800Ultra is what you can call a improved version of 8800GTX with raised frequencies on the GPU, memories and the shader, but 8800Ultra is not just a GTX with higher clocks.
The new NVIDIA card has gotten an optimized PCB and the G80 core has a tweaked manufacturing process, NVIDIA uses revised G80 silicon for this card.
It is NVIDIA together with TSCM (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) that have tweaked the manufacturing process for the G80 core so it will manage higher frequency’s and improved timings. According to NVIDIA even the TDP is lowered on this new tweaked G80, now the numbers aren’t anything revolutionary but according to the source it is supposed to be around 1.13% lower.(Source: Techarp)
The memory’s used on 8800Ultra is Samsung GDDR3 BJ08, the memory’s is running in 1080 Mhz (2.16Ghz) witch will give a theoretical bandwidth of 101,3 GB/s compared to GTX 86,4GB/s.
Another thing improved on 8800Ultra is the cooler, it is more effective but also runs more silent than the GTX stock cooler.
Beside this GTX and Ultra is pretty much the same card, Ultra have a core filled with 681 million transistors, 128 unified shaders processors, a memory size of 768MB, the card is also DX10 compatible, even the GPU and the PCB have the same physical size as on the GTX.
So Ultra is basically a improved 8800GTX, personally I had expected something a little bit more spectacular from NVIDIA especially when you look at the price tag.
((I am guessing most of the people here at Xtremesystemes have a pretty good understanding of the G80 core so to keep the text as minimal as possible I will skip the explanation of the the architecture on the G80, if someone wants me to write this anyway I will then try writing a short sum up in a understandable way))
Package:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7515.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra comes in a very large box compared to other GTX and also Ultra cards, in the front of the package there’s a large image from the PC game STALKER witch is also bundled with this card.
Asus is actually one of the companies that put some effort in bundle both games, software and other stuff with both their graphic cards and motherboards.
I personally like big bundles as long as I don’t affect the price tag to much.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7521.jpg
Beside the PC game STALKER Asus have also bundled the usual accessories like, DVI-VGA connector, Drivers, Asus Software, 2x molex to 6 pin PCI-E adaptor etc.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7644.jpg
You will also get a CD case i skin with this card, this one is actually kind of nice
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7529.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra comes in a package much like Asus Aqua Tank 8800GGTX, the card is tucked in some kind of hard foam that makes a great job protecting the card during cargo.
Even the accessories is well protected so that they can’t damage the card even during hard handle.
The Card:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7639.jpg
8800Ultra haven’t just got an upgrade under the hood NVIDIA have also give the Ultra card a facial lift, the ultra card looks more impressing than its little brother with a lot of cool details that enhance the visual look especially on the cooler.
The plastic cover on the cooler have been kept in its original look and there is no company logo pasted on it, the only logo is a small sticker on the fan.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7607.jpg
But there is not only visual improvments done on the cooler it performes better too, Nvidia uses a bigger fan on the Ultra cooler that also have a sligtly lower soundlevel. Even the hole sourounding the fan have been broaden to help the fan move more air.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7545.jpg
Another improvment is that the Ultra cooler can draw air from both the front and the back off the card compared to GTX witch only could take/exhaust air in the front, the fan have also been moved to optimize the airflow.
But if you take a look inside it is hard to miss the similarity with the cooler on GTX, so basicaly this cooler is exactly like the graphic card a improved version of 8800GTX.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7574.jpg
8800Ultra is a dual slot card but it shouldnt be a problem, most motherboards today have plenty of room between its slots so even with two cards in SLI should work fine.
Now if you just have to use al of the motherboard slots then theese cards are mayby not the best choice.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7573.jpg
Even the power consumption on this card have been optimized, according to Nvidia 8800Ultra have a max TDP of 175w witch is a smal improvment over GTX 177W.
To power the card you will need two PCI-E 6pin connectors, Nvidia also recomends a 450W power supply with a 28A 12v rail as a sufficiet power source.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7536.jpg
The size on 8800Ultra is exactly the same as 8800GTX, aprox 27cm, but i must say that it feelt bigger than GTX when i first picked it up but it may have something to do with the ful lenght cooler.
Specification:
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2874/specengfh3.jpg
Pictures:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7647.jpg
The fan used on 8800Ultra is a Delta BFB1012L,
RPM:…...2700 RPM
dBA:……45
CFM:…...19.07
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7586.jpg
Something that really bothers me is that the thermal paste used on today’s high end card’s are pretty bad, it would be a barely noticeable expense if they instead of this crap paste uses something like Arctic Ceramique or similar.
I think that when a card cost more than 300-400 dollar then the thermal paste should also be high end.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7572.jpg
Like i mentioned earlier NVIDIA has not only made sure that the cooler on 8800Ultra performs really well they have also given it a really cool look, like the air ventilation in the back of the card have been shaped like a tribal.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7595.jpg
The screw holes for the cooler around the GPU are the same as on GTX, this is a good thing because everybody with extreme coolers for GTX can use these on Ultra without any modification.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7558.jpg
The memory’s NVIDIA have choose for 8800Ultra card is Samsung K4J52324QE-BJ08, these memory’s are speced to run in 1250Mhz and this will give a nice margin for overclocking.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7579.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra uses a black/brown PCB and it seems like this colour is the most usual for the Ultra cards, i have seen green PCB´s to but only on pictures so far.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7617.jpg
The availability on the 8800Ultra will be pretty good, you should be able to get one in a well assorted computer store.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7603.jpg
When i first heard that NVIDIA was going to release a 8800Ultra card with just a marginal frequency raise and with a very big price tag i was kind of disappointed, but i have admit that when i tried this card for the first time i was sold. I still think the price is kind of ridiculous but still this card is better than i had imagine, also the card is just completely awesome to overclock.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7532.jpg
Asus EN8800 Ultra in its full splendour
Results:
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/7413/komponenterenglg5.jpg
Futuremark
3D Mark 06:
**8800GTX OC = Asus Aqua tank 626/1026 Mhz
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2628/slide0001image002xn5.gif
3D Mark 03:
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/157/slide0001image002dl2.gif
F.E.A.R- 1600x1200 FSAA4x AF16X
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9375/slide0001image002tf8.gif
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/9708/feareffectsmaxuf1.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2035/fearavg108yo5.jpg
Half Life 2 1600x1200 FSAA4x AA8x
Unfortunately did I run into some problems during the Half Life 2 benchmark, the software did not want the same thing as I did. I thought the results didn’t really seemed correct so I am going to do HL2 tests again, I am so sorry if the results there now seems completely wrong.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6075/slide0001image002qz7.gif
Temperature:
The temperature is taken during a couple of 3D mark 06 runs, i have put the pointer on the highest value I got during the test.
Now remember that the temp will get a couple of degrees higher when running games like F.E.A.R & STALKER, the difference is around 3-5 degrees between games and 3D mark 06.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6357/temporiginalds7.jpg
Overclocking:
Last night I gaved overclocking a try and the only word I can think of that describe this are, WOW, this card is just awesome when I comes to overclocking.
Out of the box I managed to run the card in 706/1222 and this is with the stock fan only running in 60% of its capacity, this really shows that the new manufacturing process combined with Samsung BJ08 acctually makes a great deal for the overclocking abilitys.
I have said it before but i just have to say it again, this card rocks ?
I will give some more extreme cooling a go as soon as i have the time, i will update as soon as i have any new results.
3D Mark 06:
These results are completely out of the box, no mods are tweaks are made, no extra fans are used or anything else that could affect the temperature or overclocking, the ambient air temp was around 25 degrees, the card temp was between 74-77 degrees Celsius, the card itself i untouched, original thermal paste etc.
Also the fan on the stock cooler are only running 60% of its capacity for some strange reason, i have tried to raise the RPM but i haven’t found any software that could affect this.
If i cant find any way to get the fan running in higher speeds i will tweak the BIOS so i can try the card better with the stock cooler.
The rest of the system is also cooled by air, CPU cooler zalman95000AT
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6069/0615653za8.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1668/06skickashv3.jpg
Conclusion:
Asus EN8800Ultra is NVIDIA’s top of the line graphic card for gamers, and there is really not much to say because this card is out of competition today. Despite of this I personally doesn’t think that Ultra will be nearly as popular as HD2900XT even if Ultra has better performance, and the reason why is the big price tag.
But disregarding the price, this is a really good graphic card and it does exactly what NVIDIA promises and kicks the competitor’s ass.
The improved manufacturing process have really given result, personally i think that the Ultra card got a modest frequency raise especially when there is so much to take from.
But even if the card got a pretty modest raise it is still performing better than it looks on the paper where a 37Mhz raise on the GPU is kind of lame, but with a higher shader clock, improved timings and memory’s running in 2.16Ghz this card is actually a big leap from the GTX and especially in games.
Another thing i really like with this card is the new and improved cooling, both the temperatures and sound levels have gone down.
Just like the performance on 8800Ultra, the price is also one of the craziest thing i ever seen, this is actually the only thing i dislike about this card.
The Asus EN8800Ultra is one of the cheaper Ultra cards out there and you will get a pretty nice bundle with the card, but still it isn’t cheap at al.
So who will i recommend this card to, well if you just have to own the absolutely worst thing out there then 8800Ultra is the card for you, if you have unlimited amount of cash then i would recommend you to buy two and run SLI.
But for the regular PC user i would say get a GTX or GTS because you wont be disappointed with those cards either, and the money you save by skipping Ultra you can go on a nice vacation.
Asus EN8800Ultra +/-
PLUS+
Great performance
over clocking is just awesome
Silent
Cooler than GTX
Big bundle
MINUS-
The price, and once again the price.
__________________________________________________ ____________
I hope you guys like this mini review of 8800Ultra, like i said earlier i havent had much time to write this so it can both contain misspellings and spec errors but i will try to correct al the errors as soon as i find them.
And also i hope my english are understandeble, Jonbass
Also my english arent the greatest so if there are spelling mistakes and gramatic errors then please have indulgance, i will try to fix theese errors to as soon as i have the time.
Asus EN8800ULTRA Minireview
Like most People here at Xtremesystem already know ATI have finally released their eagerly awaited high end DX10 card HD2900XT, naturally did NVIDIA also released a card that are going to compete with ATI´s new flagship. I am off course talking about 8800Ultra.
There have been allot of speculation about both ATIs R600 and NVIDIA’s Ultra card the last couple of weeks, and off course both companies has done everything to keep specification and performance concealed.
Why there is such secrecy when a company is about to release new hardware is often because they want to leave a door open to do some last minute frequency raise if the competitors have a faster card, but despite of all the secrecy there is usually leaked information about the cards anyway and this time was no exception. During the last couple of weeks there have been allot of information flowing the web with both wild rumours but also some trustworthy information. Among others did a famous news bulletin publish a early review of the HD2900XT card that wasn’t to flattering for ATI´s new DX10 card, but fortunally the results published in this review was not completely accurate even if their weren’t to way off.
There haven’t been the same amount of gossip about NVIDIA’s Ultra card even if they haven’t been completely spared, one of their cooperate partners managed the feat to publish specification on a system with 8800Ultra a couple of weeks before the actual card was realesed.
But now both the cards are finally here and I have managed to get my hands on a Asus EN8800Ultra that I will give a complete treatment to see what the different are between Ultra and GTX and also HD2900XT, unfortunaly I couldn’t get a hold of HD2900XT but I will try to do this as detailed as possible anyway.
The new improved 8800Ultra:
At first glance 8800Ultra is what you can call a improved version of 8800GTX with raised frequencies on the GPU, memories and the shader, but 8800Ultra is not just a GTX with higher clocks.
The new NVIDIA card has gotten an optimized PCB and the G80 core has a tweaked manufacturing process, NVIDIA uses revised G80 silicon for this card.
It is NVIDIA together with TSCM (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) that have tweaked the manufacturing process for the G80 core so it will manage higher frequency’s and improved timings. According to NVIDIA even the TDP is lowered on this new tweaked G80, now the numbers aren’t anything revolutionary but according to the source it is supposed to be around 1.13% lower.(Source: Techarp)
The memory’s used on 8800Ultra is Samsung GDDR3 BJ08, the memory’s is running in 1080 Mhz (2.16Ghz) witch will give a theoretical bandwidth of 101,3 GB/s compared to GTX 86,4GB/s.
Another thing improved on 8800Ultra is the cooler, it is more effective but also runs more silent than the GTX stock cooler.
Beside this GTX and Ultra is pretty much the same card, Ultra have a core filled with 681 million transistors, 128 unified shaders processors, a memory size of 768MB, the card is also DX10 compatible, even the GPU and the PCB have the same physical size as on the GTX.
So Ultra is basically a improved 8800GTX, personally I had expected something a little bit more spectacular from NVIDIA especially when you look at the price tag.
((I am guessing most of the people here at Xtremesystemes have a pretty good understanding of the G80 core so to keep the text as minimal as possible I will skip the explanation of the the architecture on the G80, if someone wants me to write this anyway I will then try writing a short sum up in a understandable way))
Package:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7515.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra comes in a very large box compared to other GTX and also Ultra cards, in the front of the package there’s a large image from the PC game STALKER witch is also bundled with this card.
Asus is actually one of the companies that put some effort in bundle both games, software and other stuff with both their graphic cards and motherboards.
I personally like big bundles as long as I don’t affect the price tag to much.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7521.jpg
Beside the PC game STALKER Asus have also bundled the usual accessories like, DVI-VGA connector, Drivers, Asus Software, 2x molex to 6 pin PCI-E adaptor etc.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7644.jpg
You will also get a CD case i skin with this card, this one is actually kind of nice
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7529.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra comes in a package much like Asus Aqua Tank 8800GGTX, the card is tucked in some kind of hard foam that makes a great job protecting the card during cargo.
Even the accessories is well protected so that they can’t damage the card even during hard handle.
The Card:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7639.jpg
8800Ultra haven’t just got an upgrade under the hood NVIDIA have also give the Ultra card a facial lift, the ultra card looks more impressing than its little brother with a lot of cool details that enhance the visual look especially on the cooler.
The plastic cover on the cooler have been kept in its original look and there is no company logo pasted on it, the only logo is a small sticker on the fan.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7607.jpg
But there is not only visual improvments done on the cooler it performes better too, Nvidia uses a bigger fan on the Ultra cooler that also have a sligtly lower soundlevel. Even the hole sourounding the fan have been broaden to help the fan move more air.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7545.jpg
Another improvment is that the Ultra cooler can draw air from both the front and the back off the card compared to GTX witch only could take/exhaust air in the front, the fan have also been moved to optimize the airflow.
But if you take a look inside it is hard to miss the similarity with the cooler on GTX, so basicaly this cooler is exactly like the graphic card a improved version of 8800GTX.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7574.jpg
8800Ultra is a dual slot card but it shouldnt be a problem, most motherboards today have plenty of room between its slots so even with two cards in SLI should work fine.
Now if you just have to use al of the motherboard slots then theese cards are mayby not the best choice.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7573.jpg
Even the power consumption on this card have been optimized, according to Nvidia 8800Ultra have a max TDP of 175w witch is a smal improvment over GTX 177W.
To power the card you will need two PCI-E 6pin connectors, Nvidia also recomends a 450W power supply with a 28A 12v rail as a sufficiet power source.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7536.jpg
The size on 8800Ultra is exactly the same as 8800GTX, aprox 27cm, but i must say that it feelt bigger than GTX when i first picked it up but it may have something to do with the ful lenght cooler.
Specification:
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2874/specengfh3.jpg
Pictures:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7647.jpg
The fan used on 8800Ultra is a Delta BFB1012L,
RPM:…...2700 RPM
dBA:……45
CFM:…...19.07
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7586.jpg
Something that really bothers me is that the thermal paste used on today’s high end card’s are pretty bad, it would be a barely noticeable expense if they instead of this crap paste uses something like Arctic Ceramique or similar.
I think that when a card cost more than 300-400 dollar then the thermal paste should also be high end.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7572.jpg
Like i mentioned earlier NVIDIA has not only made sure that the cooler on 8800Ultra performs really well they have also given it a really cool look, like the air ventilation in the back of the card have been shaped like a tribal.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7595.jpg
The screw holes for the cooler around the GPU are the same as on GTX, this is a good thing because everybody with extreme coolers for GTX can use these on Ultra without any modification.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7558.jpg
The memory’s NVIDIA have choose for 8800Ultra card is Samsung K4J52324QE-BJ08, these memory’s are speced to run in 1250Mhz and this will give a nice margin for overclocking.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7579.jpg
Asus EN8800Ultra uses a black/brown PCB and it seems like this colour is the most usual for the Ultra cards, i have seen green PCB´s to but only on pictures so far.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7617.jpg
The availability on the 8800Ultra will be pretty good, you should be able to get one in a well assorted computer store.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7603.jpg
When i first heard that NVIDIA was going to release a 8800Ultra card with just a marginal frequency raise and with a very big price tag i was kind of disappointed, but i have admit that when i tried this card for the first time i was sold. I still think the price is kind of ridiculous but still this card is better than i had imagine, also the card is just completely awesome to overclock.
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q2/Jonbass_121/XK3V7532.jpg
Asus EN8800 Ultra in its full splendour
Results:
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/7413/komponenterenglg5.jpg
Futuremark
3D Mark 06:
**8800GTX OC = Asus Aqua tank 626/1026 Mhz
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/2628/slide0001image002xn5.gif
3D Mark 03:
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/157/slide0001image002dl2.gif
F.E.A.R- 1600x1200 FSAA4x AF16X
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/9375/slide0001image002tf8.gif
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/9708/feareffectsmaxuf1.jpg
http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2035/fearavg108yo5.jpg
Half Life 2 1600x1200 FSAA4x AA8x
Unfortunately did I run into some problems during the Half Life 2 benchmark, the software did not want the same thing as I did. I thought the results didn’t really seemed correct so I am going to do HL2 tests again, I am so sorry if the results there now seems completely wrong.
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6075/slide0001image002qz7.gif
Temperature:
The temperature is taken during a couple of 3D mark 06 runs, i have put the pointer on the highest value I got during the test.
Now remember that the temp will get a couple of degrees higher when running games like F.E.A.R & STALKER, the difference is around 3-5 degrees between games and 3D mark 06.
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/6357/temporiginalds7.jpg
Overclocking:
Last night I gaved overclocking a try and the only word I can think of that describe this are, WOW, this card is just awesome when I comes to overclocking.
Out of the box I managed to run the card in 706/1222 and this is with the stock fan only running in 60% of its capacity, this really shows that the new manufacturing process combined with Samsung BJ08 acctually makes a great deal for the overclocking abilitys.
I have said it before but i just have to say it again, this card rocks ?
I will give some more extreme cooling a go as soon as i have the time, i will update as soon as i have any new results.
3D Mark 06:
These results are completely out of the box, no mods are tweaks are made, no extra fans are used or anything else that could affect the temperature or overclocking, the ambient air temp was around 25 degrees, the card temp was between 74-77 degrees Celsius, the card itself i untouched, original thermal paste etc.
Also the fan on the stock cooler are only running 60% of its capacity for some strange reason, i have tried to raise the RPM but i haven’t found any software that could affect this.
If i cant find any way to get the fan running in higher speeds i will tweak the BIOS so i can try the card better with the stock cooler.
The rest of the system is also cooled by air, CPU cooler zalman95000AT
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/6069/0615653za8.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1668/06skickashv3.jpg
Conclusion:
Asus EN8800Ultra is NVIDIA’s top of the line graphic card for gamers, and there is really not much to say because this card is out of competition today. Despite of this I personally doesn’t think that Ultra will be nearly as popular as HD2900XT even if Ultra has better performance, and the reason why is the big price tag.
But disregarding the price, this is a really good graphic card and it does exactly what NVIDIA promises and kicks the competitor’s ass.
The improved manufacturing process have really given result, personally i think that the Ultra card got a modest frequency raise especially when there is so much to take from.
But even if the card got a pretty modest raise it is still performing better than it looks on the paper where a 37Mhz raise on the GPU is kind of lame, but with a higher shader clock, improved timings and memory’s running in 2.16Ghz this card is actually a big leap from the GTX and especially in games.
Another thing i really like with this card is the new and improved cooling, both the temperatures and sound levels have gone down.
Just like the performance on 8800Ultra, the price is also one of the craziest thing i ever seen, this is actually the only thing i dislike about this card.
The Asus EN8800Ultra is one of the cheaper Ultra cards out there and you will get a pretty nice bundle with the card, but still it isn’t cheap at al.
So who will i recommend this card to, well if you just have to own the absolutely worst thing out there then 8800Ultra is the card for you, if you have unlimited amount of cash then i would recommend you to buy two and run SLI.
But for the regular PC user i would say get a GTX or GTS because you wont be disappointed with those cards either, and the money you save by skipping Ultra you can go on a nice vacation.
Asus EN8800Ultra +/-
PLUS+
Great performance
over clocking is just awesome
Silent
Cooler than GTX
Big bundle
MINUS-
The price, and once again the price.
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I hope you guys like this mini review of 8800Ultra, like i said earlier i havent had much time to write this so it can both contain misspellings and spec errors but i will try to correct al the errors as soon as i find them.
And also i hope my english are understandeble, Jonbass