Hardware BFGTech GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB

[Tim S]

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...gts_oc_512mb/1

We have a look at BFGTech's GeForce 8800 GTS OC 512MB card to find out if the post-Christmas price drops make the 8800 GTS 512MB a more attractive proposition than it was at launch. We also have a sneak peek at the company's latest watercooled edition card.

[zelox991]

Nice Review.
Wow...seems like this card is going to replace 8800gt if the price is a little bit more competitive.
..but only 5 fps higher at average.
nonetheless. that's some improvements.

[naokaji]

they could have included a ek waterblock instead of a dd one... would have ended up ~20£ cheaper but just as good.

but still a good review of a good card.

[AlexB]

Nice review, and a great looking card.

Dont think i'll be swapping my 8800 GTS 640mb for 1 frame per second extra though!

[steveo_mcg]

How do these compare to the older 8800gts 320mb? Could i just replace the 8800gts 640mb on the charts but remember that i have to take into account the resolution issues?

[Tim S]

There's no 640MB card on the graphs (or I can't see one ) - we compared to the 8800 GTS 640/320 on launch day here

[steveo_mcg]

Ah my mistake, thanks i missed that article don't know how.

[wuyanxu]

ah, BFG...... they have to be the best brand in UK, they've got a factory outlet in Wales, while EVGA have one in Germany.

this BFG OC GTS 512MB looks fantastic, matching GTX's performance in most non-Crysis games.

[Veles]

I love that boltgun metal stuff, looks awesome, I want a case made of that.

[trig]

good review. but dont forget fellow posters...what seems to get lost in all the fractional wins and losses to the gtx, ultra, and so on is the 2-4% increase over a stock 512mb gts for a price premium of about 8% over here. not to mention you can get those same oc speeds on ur own and save the dough.

[Tim S]

Originally Posted by trig

good review. but dont forget fellow posters...what seems to get lost in all the fractional wins and losses to the gtx, ultra, and so on is the 2-4% increase over a stock 512mb gts for a price premium of about 8% over here. not to mention you can get those same oc speeds on ur own and save the dough.

The increase in the UK is about 5.1% for that 2-4% performance increase (I haven't done the average myself), which I don't think is too bad to be honest. In the US, things might be a bit different but it's worth consideration on this side of the pond, especially if the long warranty is an attraction.

[trig]

Originally Posted by Tim S

The increase in the UK is about 5.1% for that 2-4% performance increase (I haven't done the average myself), which I don't think is too bad to be honest. In the US, things might be a bit different but it's worth consideration on this side of the pond, especially if the long warranty is an attraction.

i suppose so. i'd always rather pocket the dough and do the oc myself, but not everyone wants to risk it im sure. the evga version was the cheapest on newegg at the time i posted that, and of course they have a lifetime warranty over here. did you guys ever oc the first one u got?? ive built 2 systems so far with them, and got about the same oc as you have on this bfg version.

[Spaceraver]

I hate to say it, but now I'm just more confused. I would love a King of the Hill roadmap based on resolution. Maybe a database where you pick your screen size, budget, CPU, need for AA and AF and willingness to OC. I had just gathered myself a list but from the looks of it i have to start from scratch.. decisionsdecisionsdecisions..

[Tim S]

Originally Posted by trig

i suppose so. i'd always rather pocket the dough and do the oc myself, but not everyone wants to risk it im sure. the evga version was the cheapest on newegg at the time i posted that, and of course they have a lifetime warranty over here. did you guys ever oc the first one u got?? ive built 2 systems so far with them, and got about the same oc as you have on this bfg version.

Sure, I think EVGA's card comes with Crysis too... which obviously adds value to the equation. I did OC the first one I got and results were slightly lower. BUT, the card was a pretty early sample compared to the others I've had.

[Tim S]

Originally Posted by Spaceraver

I hate to say it, but now I'm just more confused. I would love a King of the Hill roadmap based on resolution. Maybe a database where you pick your screen size, budget, CPU, need for AA and AF and willingness to OC. I had just gathered myself a list but from the looks of it i have to start from scratch.. decisionsdecisionsdecisions..

DOH - sorry!

The problem as I see it is that Crysis is a factor that adds confusion IMO as, compared to any other game, you'll have to drop resolution. The 8800 GTS 512 is capable at 1680x1050 if you include Crysis (and are looking forwards), but if you just want to play the best games from last year, you can get away with 1920x1200 (with Crysis at medium detail). The GTX/Ultra/3870 X2 handle 1920x1200 much better generally speaking (medium high in Crysis).

The 8800 GT can stretch to 1920x1200, but it's a push. It's far more comfortable at 1680x1050 (relatively high detail), but will struggle a little in Crysis at this resolution so, in the long run, I'd say it's more suited to 1280x1024 gaming with high detail and some AA. This is also the case with the 3870 too - it's a push at 1920x1200, it can handle 1680x1050 but you'll soon start having to make compromises and will have to make compromises in Crysis. Again, uncompromised gaming happens at 1280x1024.

Hope this helps (and doesn't confuse any more)!

[wuyanxu]

that's the case with 8800GTX: 1280x1024 Crysis on Very High without a problem (no AA though) but at 1680x1050, it struggles, needs a bit of tweaking.

so where did the extra memory and memory bandwidth go?