GeForce 8800 GT: review, reviews and testing

Video cards from NVIDIA are traditionally considered as one of the best on the market in terms of a combination of quality, performance and price. This pattern has been formed for a long time. It can be traced, in particular, by the example of the video card NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, which was introduced by the brand on the market in 2007. Its impressive performance and performance are among the main factors of the continuing demand for this device today in Russia and abroad. What is especially noteworthy for the corresponding graphics adapter?

Device Overview

The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT video card is a device that replaces the 8800 GTX graphics adapter, which is classified as more efficient and expensive. The devices differ in several parameters. First, it is a memory bus. The GeForce 8800 GT card has a corresponding 256-bit component, the previous model is 384. The RAM of the newer device is 512 MB (with the exception of some models - we will consider this nuance a little later), the 8800 GTX has 768 MB. In some characteristics, the GeForce 8800 GT is ahead of its predecessor. So, this video card has 56 texture blocks, while the 8800 GTX model is 32.

As we noted above, the graphics adapter in question was released by NVIDIA in 2007. It is legitimate to consider it an outdated model of the video card, however, due to high performance this device is still popular in Russia. The device was manufactured by several brands under license from NVIDIA. Among the most famous manufacturers of the video card in question are Palit, Leadtek, Galaxy, XFX, Asus.

Differences between them are small - mainly they relate to the design of devices, less often - the indicators of the nominal frequency of the main hardware components. In some cases, cards with an increased amount of RAM can be issued, for example, such as the Asus EN8800GT. In this video card - 1 GB of RAM.

It is difficult to single out the best video cards in the line of specific factory samples of the device and those that are much inferior to them. The prices of graphic adapters issued by different firms are also comparable.

Among the direct competitors of the device from NVIDIA - video card Radeon HD 2900 XT from AMD. A little later we will look at the results of the device tests - in comparison with the performance indicators of both intrabrand analogs and solutions from AMD.

Characteristics

The next interesting aspect of the GeForce 8800 GT study is its characteristics. The key component in terms of video card performance is the hardware component - the G92 processor. This chip operates at a frequency of 600 MHz. The processor is made in accordance with the technological process of 65 nm. There are 16 blocks of rasterization in the G92 chip.

Regarding RAM - the company NVIDIA supplies video cards in two versions. In the first variant, the GeForce 8800 GT is 512MB, in the second - 256. Both versions are equipped with DDR3 RAM modules. The frequency of the shader units of the video card is 1500 MHz.

Package Contents and Appearance

As we noted above, the appearance of video cards depending on the specific manufacturer may differ slightly. If you consider a sample from XFX, then the graphics adapter comes with a video adapter, adapters, an additional power cord, a driver disk. Also necessary for the correct installation of the GeForce 8800 GT driver can be downloaded on the Internet. As some users have noted, the XFX graphics adapter comes with a disc that contains the game Company of Heroes.

The cooling system of the video card closes the whole space of the device. In its structure there are copper and aluminum components. With the help of copper parts, heat is removed from the processor, then it is removed to the radiator and dissipated by the fan. Directly below it is a slot for additional power. The image is displayed via DVI connectors.

If we talk about the modification of the video card manufactured by Palit - the corresponding graphics adapter includes 16 chips. Actually, as much - on a branded device from NVIDIA. There are RAM modules on different sides of the video card - 8 pieces each, they are placed in a semicircle. The reverse side of the device from Palit is covered with a protective plate, which is included in the structure of the cooling system. It has ledges for RAM modules. On the front side of the device - another plate, it is similar in shape with a boomerang. It can be noted that the radiators for RAM do not interact with the fan for the processor. In turn, the cooler for the graphics chip is made in the form of a star, and the fan itself is installed in the center of the structure.

Intra-brand competition

The nearest intrabend competitor of the device in question is the GeForce 8800 GTS graphics adapter, also developed by NVIDIA engineers. What are the main differences between them?

So, in the competing solution there are more universal processors - 128. In GeForce 8800 GT - 112. In terms of texture units, the competitor also outstrips the video card in question. He has those in the number of 64 pieces. Both devices, however, have the same bus - 256 bits. Both have the same processor - G92. Some economic advantages - in the period of active sales, had a video card GeForce 8800 GT. The price of this device was lower than that set for a competing solution. Now both devices are rather difficult to find on the shelves of official salons - as a rule, these video cards are sold by private announcements, and cost about the same - about 1500 rubles.

Overclocking the graphics card

The peculiarity of the 8800 GT graphics adapter is that it can be successfully overclocked. At the same time, the brand manufacturer is loyal to the corresponding procedure, even if it is carried out by the plant on which the video card is manufactured. The overclocked in the factory graphics adapter can be made even more powerful and manually. The nominal frequencies of the processor installed on the video card can be increased by about 40-50 MHz, the corresponding figure for memory modules is 100 MHz.

Limit values for the frequency of the graphics chip, which could be achieved by specialists who tested the video card - about 730 MHz. It can be noted that the shader unit of the device operates at frequencies that are set independently of those that are adjusted by the user during the overclocking process. So, experts were able to bring the corresponding figure to the level of about 1800 MHz. As for the memory frequency, it is realistic to ensure its growth during the acceleration to about 1 GHz.

Experts recommend that users who are implementing the procedure under consideration work with the processor with particular care. So, if its frequency is increased too much, the video card can start to work with noticeable malfunctions that make it impossible to work comfortably on a PC.

Cooling system

This video card is equipped with one of the most effective - at least at the time of its release on the market, cooling systems. This hardware component is of great importance: the device can work stably at high frequencies - achieved, for example, by overclocking, only if it is equipped with a cooling system of the required power and efficiency.

As the tests carried out by IT specialists show, the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT is well protected against overheating. So, when you run demanding games - you can heat up to about 10 degrees relative to the performance. In some cases - for example, when running demanding games, the temperature of the GPU can be fixed to about 85 degrees. Experts recommend using the RivaTuner program to measure the temperature in the course of these or those experiments with the video card.

Some experts consider cooling systems on video cards directly from NVIDIA and those brands that use the same hardware component - in particular XFX - that are less efficient than the one installed, for example, on adapters 8800 GT, manufactured by Palit. Thus, tests of graphics adapters from this brand showed that even in the active load mode the corresponding devices do not heat up more than 65 degrees. True - a similar result is accompanied by a rather noticeable noise level of the fan.

It is worth noting that with minimal load - for example, when working in normal Windows applications that form a 2D image, while games - involve activating the 3D mode, the NVIDIA graphics cards under consideration operate at a reduced frequency. In this case, the cooling fan significantly reduces the rpm, so that the noise level of the corresponding hardware component is reduced. Thus, the efficiency of the cooling system of the device is very high. However, its main hardware component - the fan, as we noted above, sometimes noticeably noises.

Performance

Let's look at how productive the GeForce 8800 GT is. Comparison of the key performance indicators of the device can be done, for starters, with the indicators of its closest competitor in the line - the 8800 GTS graphics adapter, as well as the previous model - the 8800 GTX.

In the Call of Duty game, two direct intrabrand competitors show almost identical results, however, they are ahead of the 8800GTX graphics card. According to IT specialists, this is due to a wider memory bus.

In turn, in the game Call of Juarez, all three devices show the same results. When the game starts at a resolution of 1024 by 768 points, the leader is the GeForce 8800 GT.

In the game Crysis the leading position is occupied by video card 8800GTS. As the screen resolution increases, the previous model of the ruler, the 8800 GTX graphics adapter, approaches the leader. In turn, this graphics card shows the best results in the game Need For Speed Pro Street Racing. When working at a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels, it leads with a significant margin. GeForce 8800 GT - last place when testing performance in the marked game.

However, in the Need For Speed Carbon graphics adapter 8800 GTX inferior performance of 8800 GTS. In turn, in the Oblivion game the 8800 GT is more productive than its direct competitor in the line. According to experts, this is due to the higher frequency of the shader unit of the device in question.

It is noteworthy that in the game Prey, the performance of video cards roughly corresponds to their clock frequencies. Thus, it is impossible to say which of the 8800 series from NVIDIA is the best video cards, and which ones are definitely slower in performance. Depending on the games, the leaders in performance may be different devices.

Advantages and disadvantages of the device

The strongest sides of GeForce 8800 GT (many users confirm this test) experts believe:

- high clock frequency - both nominal and installed in the process of factory or user overclocking;

- an effective cooling system;

- functionality (in terms of supporting various video devices connected to the graphics adapter, as well as software standards for processing the video stream).

Among the most notable drawbacks of the video card is the relatively high noise level of the fans in the mode of heavy load on the graphics processor.

Comparison with market competitors

So, we studied the basic information, reflecting the performance of the graphic adapter in comparison with the intrabrand competitors. However, the video card in question is designed to be, first of all, competitive with respect to the products of other brands. First of all - from AMD. If you compare the products produced by this brand with Geforce 8800 GT, the analogue of this video card is a Radeon HD 2900 XT device. Which of the two competing GPUs from the two largest brands is more productive?

Let's try to answer this question on the basis of testing the speed of the corresponding video cards in games - as well as in the case of comparing the power of models competing inside the brand.

So, in the Call of Duty 2 game, the 8800 GT is significantly ahead of the competitor in the modes in which anti-aliasing is activated, as well as anisotropic filtering. In the Prey and FEAR games, the NVIDIA graphics adapter is also leading. Relatively close results the considered video cards show ProStreet. However, with the activation of anisotropic filtering, as well as anti-aliasing, the GeForce 8800 GT becomes the undisputed leader.

In games that are based on DirectX 10, the device from NVIDIA is also ahead of the competition. It can be noted that the intrabrand competitors of the video card under consideration - 8800 GTS, as well as the 8800 GTX, do not in all cases outperform the solutions from AMD. So, the first device is inferior in performance to the video card Radeon HD 2900 XT, the second, in its turn, is ahead of the competitor in the market. Thus, when comparing test results - both between intra-brand competitors within the 8800 series and between devices from different manufacturers, the 8800 GT is among the leading models. Its performance corresponds to the device 8800 GTX. At the time of launching the GeForce 8800 GT, the price of this device was higher than that of the 8800 GTX.

Compatibility

The graphic adapter in question, as we noted above, was released on the market in 2007. Then the most common were such operating systems as Windows XP and Vista. Is the device compatible with modern operating systems? Is the GeForce 8800 GT suitable for Windows 7, for example?

It can be noted that the drivers for the 8800 GT graphics card are available on the Internet, designed for installation not only in Windows 7, but also in the newer Windows 8. The manufacturer has released the appropriate software for 32-bit and 64-bit computers. Moreover, you can find drivers for the 8800 GT video card not only for Windows, but also, for example, for Linux. Thus, the video card from NVIDIA in question is sufficiently universal from the point of view of using it in one or another operating system.

PC Performance Requirements

Optimal operation of the video card requires its installation in a computer that must match its components to the level of graphics card performance. What can be the desired parameters of the PC package in terms of ensuring its compatibility with the device 8800 GT? Experts recommend installing the video card on a PC, in which:

- A processor is installed, comparable to the performance of the Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 chip;

- RAM modules 2 GB or higher are installed;

- there is a motherboard, similar in characteristics to the device ASUS P5B;

- There is a sufficiently fast hard drive - for example, WD Caviar SE.

The PC in the marked configuration will also have optimal compatibility with the overclocked 8800 GT.

Summary

So, the graphics adapter GeForce 8800 GT - at the time of its release was considered one of the best products in the corresponding segment of the market. First of all - in the aspect of combining the price and speed of work. The results of the tests discussed by us show that the solution from NVIDIA works more efficiently than the main analogue from the nearest competitor of the company in the world market of graphics adapters - AMD company.

The advantages of the 8800 GT in many respects predetermine its continuing popularity in Russia. The 8800 GT graphics card is fully capable of downloading many modern games. The device drivers, as we noted above, are for the most common OS - Windows 7, Windows 8, Linux. Now this device is available at minimal prices - though not from official dealers, but from private sellers.