NVIDIA GeForce3 Roundup - July 2001

ASUS V8200 Deluxe

ASUS V8200 Deluxe Specifications
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Memory	64MB EliteMT DDR SDRAM 3.8ns
Cooling - Core	Oversized fan/heatsink combo
Cooling - Memory	21 fin interlocking RAMsinks
Temperature - Core	122 F / 50 C
Temperature - Memory	114 F / 45.5 C
TV-Out	S- Video and Composite Philips SAA7108E
Video-In	S- Video and Composite Philips SAA7108E
Drivers	ASUS Custom
Highest Overclock	235/530MHz
Overclocking Utility	ASUS
2D Image Quality	4 (poor)
Software/Gaming Bundle	ASUS Custom Drivers, Sacrifice, Messiah, StarTrek - New Worlds, VideoLive Mail 4, ASUSDVD 2000, Ulead VideoStudio 4.0 SE
Average Online Price	$375.00

The ASUS V8200 Deluxe GeForce3 brings the popular ASUS Deluxe series cards to the GeForce3 graphics processor. The ASUS Deluxe series cards typically include many features not found on your everyday video card, and the V8200 Deluxe is no exception. The card features the bells and whistles that the Deluxe cards have become known for, including "VR" glasses (more about that here), video capture capabilities, and hardware monitoring.

ASUS no longer has a stronghold on the VIVO NVIDIA market, as other manufacturers are beginning to make VIVO capable video cards, as many of the GeForce3 cards we look at here do. Unlike those other manufacturers, ASUS uses a custom board design on the V8200 Deluxe in order to give it hardware monitoring and "VR" glasses support. We have always loved hardware monitoring capabilities on a video card, and the V8200 Deluxe is no exception. There is simply no replacement for knowing every bit of information about your video card, from fan speed to core temperature. As we have commented on before, the "VR" glasses are more of a novelty item, but will attract some curious gamers nonetheless.

The heatsink/fan combination used on the V8200 Deluxe is very similar to that used on the MSI StarForce 822 video card. The setup is rather unique, where the memory heatsinks are actually a part of the core heatsink: the two lie together when assembled. The core heatsink is attached via thermal grease, which is what we like to see. On the other hand, the memory heatsinks were attached to the RAM chips with nothing more than push-pins (a luxury ASUS had because of their proprietary reference designed allowed for holes in the proper location). The setup kept the core temperature tied for second lowest and memory temperature tied for third coolest. Overclocking the V8200 Deluxe proved to be a success, as the core and memory speeds that our sample card reached were rather high, providing a good mix between core clock speed and memory clock speed.

The 2D image quality of the ASUS V8200 left a bit to be desired. Our notes record the ASUS V8200 as a somewhat sharp at 1600x1200x32 at 85Hz and blurry but readable at 1800x1440x32 at 70Hz

The ASUS V8200 Deluxe can be found at a variety of on-line stores, making the card easy to get.