Clock Speeds and Test Setup
First up we'll take a look at the clock speeds of all the hardware we're testing today compared to the stock 8800 GTS 320MB hardware.
The consumer looking at most overclocked 8800 GTS 320MB cards can expect to spend just over $300USD, which is a very good price for the performance. Stock hardware generally runs for something closer to $275, but our ASUS card comes in a little higher than that and is priced similarly to most of the rest of the cards we are investigating. The two highest priced cards are the EVGA KO ACS3 and the Sparkle Calibre P880 LV. The price premium on the EVGA comes from the increased core, shader, and memory clock, while the Sparkle card costs more due to the cooling hardware used.
The EVGA SuperClocked, MSI, and Sparkle cards are all clocked very similarly, so we will expect to see performance that reflects this. We will want to pay attention to see if the performance of these cards is high enough over stock to justify price increase. These won't be the fastest cards, but we expect these to have the most value in terms of performance per dollar.
Our test setup is the same we've been using for the past few graphics card articles.
First up we'll take a look at the clock speeds of all the hardware we're testing today compared to the stock 8800 GTS 320MB hardware.
| GeForce 8800 GTS Specifications | ||||
| Core clock | Shader Clock | Memory clock | Price (USD) | |
| Stock NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB | 500 | 1200 | 1600 | $275 |
| ASUS GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB | 500 | 1200 | 1600 | $305 |
| EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB KO ACS3 | 588 | 1450 | 1840 | ~$350 |
| EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB SuperClocked | 576 | 1350 | 1700 | $305 |
| MSI NX8800GTS 320 OC | 575 | 1350 | 1700 | $315 |
| Sparkle Calibre P880 LV | 580 | 1350 | 1780 | ~$350-$400 |
| XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Extreme | 560 | 1200 | 1700 | $310 |
The consumer looking at most overclocked 8800 GTS 320MB cards can expect to spend just over $300USD, which is a very good price for the performance. Stock hardware generally runs for something closer to $275, but our ASUS card comes in a little higher than that and is priced similarly to most of the rest of the cards we are investigating. The two highest priced cards are the EVGA KO ACS3 and the Sparkle Calibre P880 LV. The price premium on the EVGA comes from the increased core, shader, and memory clock, while the Sparkle card costs more due to the cooling hardware used.
The EVGA SuperClocked, MSI, and Sparkle cards are all clocked very similarly, so we will expect to see performance that reflects this. We will want to pay attention to see if the performance of these cards is high enough over stock to justify price increase. These won't be the fastest cards, but we expect these to have the most value in terms of performance per dollar.
| System Test Configuration | |
| CPU: | Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 (2.93GHz/4MB) |
| Motherboard: | EVGA nForce 680i SLI |
| Chipset: | NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI |
| Chipset Drivers: | NVIDIA nForce 9.35 |
| Hard Disk: | Seagate 7200.7 160GB SATA |
| Memory: | Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 (1GB x 2) |
| Video Card: | Various |
| Video Drivers: | ATI Catalyst 7.2 NVIDIA ForceWare 97.92 (G80) |
| Desktop Resolution: | 2560 x 1600 - 32-bit @ 60Hz |
| OS: | Windows XP Professional SP2 |
Our test setup is the same we've been using for the past few graphics card articles.
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bob4432 - Wednesday, March 28, 2007 - link
obviously they are all using nvidia's reference design for the pcb and most for the cooling setup. now when a company like evga orders their multi-thousand gpu order, do they spec out what exact ram chips they want vs msi, asus or xfx? to me the cards look identical to even the purple on the solid caps we can see coming out the back. is this for the memory ics too?would i be correct in saying that you are basically picking a brand based strictly on customer service and warranty as the cards are all pretty close in performance since they are just using the nvidia design and are not designing the cards in house?
KCjoker - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
I just bought a EVGA 8800GTS 320mb that came at the stock 500/1600 speeds for $260USD. I would've got the 640mb version but since I only game at 1280X1024 I didn't see the need. This card rips through games at stock but I have OC'd(600/1900) it anyway since EVGA's Lifetime warranty covers it so long as you don't physically damage the card. If you're looking for a great mid range card this is it.yyrkoon - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
I dont know if I would consider ANY 8 series cards right_now "mid-range". Mid-range, in my head, that would be a 7 series card, with 6 series cards being botttom feeders.
bigpow - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
do what I did, skip all the PC upgrades and just buy an Xbox 360mkruer - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
I assume that the power is for the whole system. I did not read anything explicitly stating this.SleepyItes - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
On the XFX page, "The XFX GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB Extreme is bundled with Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter just like the MSI card."Should be "...just like the Asus card."
DerekWilson - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
thanksSpacecomber - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
Do stock 8800 GTS cards readily overclock to the same range of speeds that these factory overclocked cards offer? Do these factory overclocked cards have the potential for more overclocking than what you can accomplish with the standard clock speed cards? In particular, didn't you guys want to know whether the Sparkle cooler offers the potential for even more overclocking, beyond what it is set to at the factory?Lonyo - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
Is there any chance of getting a case mounted temp sensor for these reviews?It seems to me that you would have to make a tradeoff with the Sparkle. Sure, you get lower GPU temps, but that heat and the heat from the TEC has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is going to be "somewhere else inside the case", since it doesn't appear to have any kind of exhausting fan setup.
metalfan49 - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 - link
I was thinking about this too. Especially as summer is coming and I won't have the weather to help keep my stuff cool.