NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT: The Only Card That Matters
by Derek Wilson on October 29, 2007 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
NVIDIA Demolishes... NVIDIA? 8800 GT vs. 8600 GTS
This is almost a silly comparison, but it's one we must do in order to illustrate a very valid point: the GeForce 8800 GT all but destroys any reason to purchase the 8600 GTS. The price difference between the 8600 GTS and the 8800 GT can be as little as $50, and as you're about to see, the performance difference more than justifies the price.
The specs alone should give you an indication of the thrashing that the 8600 GTS is about to receive: 112 SPs vs. 32 on the 8600 GTS, 3.5x the texture address and filtering power, and virtually twice the memory bandwidth; and all this for only $50 more?
One of two things needs to happen in order for the 8600 GTS to make sense in NVIDIA's lineup; it either needs to get a lot cheaper, or the 8800 GT needs to be closer to $250 in price. You know what our preference is, but at $200, the 8800 GT is the best card in NVIDIA's lineup.
This is almost a silly comparison, but it's one we must do in order to illustrate a very valid point: the GeForce 8800 GT all but destroys any reason to purchase the 8600 GTS. The price difference between the 8600 GTS and the 8800 GT can be as little as $50, and as you're about to see, the performance difference more than justifies the price.
The specs alone should give you an indication of the thrashing that the 8600 GTS is about to receive: 112 SPs vs. 32 on the 8600 GTS, 3.5x the texture address and filtering power, and virtually twice the memory bandwidth; and all this for only $50 more?
One of two things needs to happen in order for the 8600 GTS to make sense in NVIDIA's lineup; it either needs to get a lot cheaper, or the 8800 GT needs to be closer to $250 in price. You know what our preference is, but at $200, the 8800 GT is the best card in NVIDIA's lineup.
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defter - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
Yes it has VP2 processor for video decoding. But why would you need a fast gaming card for HTPC? Wouldn't 8400/8600 be a cheaper/cooler solution?Hulk - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
Thanks for the reply.This card looks to be pretty cool running and when not running 3D intensive apps I'm sure power consumption and noise is really low.
So it might be nice to be able to play a little on a 52"LCD!
DerekWilson - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
also, if you go with a less powerful card for HD HTPC you'll want at minimum the 8600 GTS -- which is not a good card. The 8800 GT does offer a lot more bang for the buck, and Sparkle is offering a silent version.spittledip - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
Nothing like cherry picking the games... I don't understand why games like Stalker and Prey weren't tested as the 2900XT has superior performance on those titles, as well as other titles. Seems like a biased test.AssBall - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
They didn't test The Sims2 or DeerHunter either...DerekWilson - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
lol ... stalker and prey?we tested quake wars, which is effectively updated prey (id's engine).
and stalker runs better on nvidia hardware -- when tested properly (many people use demo flybys that point up at the sky way too much rather than fraps run throughs).
abe88 - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
Hmmm I thought ATI's RV630 and RV610 chips both support PCI-E 2.0?Wirmish - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
Yeah but it's not worth mentioning because theses GPU are not from nVidia.defter - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
G92 has the same amount of SPs and MORE texturing power (twice as many addressing units) than G80. However, 8800GT card has some SPs and texture units disabled.
DerekWilson - Monday, October 29, 2007 - link
well, first, if G92 has those units disabled, then it can't claim them.second, NVIDIA would not confirm that the G92 as incarnate on 8800 GT has units disabled, but it is fair to speculate that this configuration was chosen to work out yields on their first 65nm part.