| NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra Sneak Preview |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Olin Coles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 02 May 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 UltraWhen NVIDIA originally released the GeForce 8800 series back in November of 2006, the industry was stunned. The performance yielded by the newly minted top-level 8800 GTX nearly doubled the next best offerings prior to their launch. Even the slightly less powerful 8800 GTS managed to post similarly astonishing results, making their release a double-whammy for the competition. At that particular time, the high price tag seemed acceptable for a narrow majority. But that was then, and this is now. Today NVIDIA Corporation introduced the world's fastest graphics processing unit (GPU), the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra. NVIDIA has quickly moved into production with the new GeForce 8800 Ultra video card, and they are offering it to the most dedicated consumers with a price tag approaching nearly $1000. NVIDIA promises unmatched performance, but what exactly is the GeForce 8800 Ultra, and is it worth the money? Benchmark Reviews offers this insightful sneak preview of the GeForce 8800 Ultra video card from NVIDIA so that you can decide for yourself. 
Graphics cards equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPU and 768MB of video memory will be available at e-tailers and retailers worldwide by May 15th. from NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics card launch partners: Asus, BFG, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision, Leadtek, MSI, PNY, Point of View, Sparkle and XFX. About the Manufacturer: NVIDIANVIDIA Corporation is the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies. The Company creates innovative, industry-changing products for computing, consumer electronics, and mobile devices. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has offices throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas. For more information, visit https://www.nvidia.com/. Questions? Comments? Please visit the Benchmark Reviews Discussion Forum.
Closer Look: GeForce 8800 UltraAt first glance, the GeForce 8800 Ultra has a very similar appearance to the previous king of the hill, the GeForce 8800 GTX. Aside from the new fansink shroud design, there are very few cosmetic changes made to the 8800 Ultra. Note how the fan has been positioned slightly more outboard when compared against the previous 8800 series cards. NVIDIA realized that they had the makings for a small space heater when they overclocked the G80 and named it the 8800 Ultra. By positioning the blower fan so that the it was not opposing its own air draft with narrow sides (such as in the 8800 GTS and GTX), the 8800 Ultra receives the fan placement that all of the 8800 series should (hope) to be updated with. Additionally, the two Molex power connectors have been turned outboard from their rearward placement. This is a very welcome change for most, since the 8800 Ultra is thirteen inches long. By turning these connections to the side, the chances of damage from a nearby component are reduced. 
According to Ujesh Desai, general manager of desktop GPUs at NVIDIA: "The definitive gaming platform is built around the fastest components available and today there is no disputing those components include the GeForce 8800 Ultra GPU and an NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI-ready motherboard. The graphics industry evolves extremely quickly and it is quite an achievement when you can leapfrog your own performance milestones in succession like we have done with these GeForce 8 Series GPUs."
GeForce 8 Series GPUs are the first shipping DirectX 10 GPUs and are the reference GPUs for Microsoft DirectX 10 API development. GeForce 8800 GPUs are the developer's platform of choice for this year's top DirectX 10 titles, including Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Crysis, Age of Conan, Hellgate: London, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, World in Conflict, BioShock, PT Boats, and Cryostasis.
Developers creating next-generation OpenGL titles, such as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars are also using GeForce 8 Series as their development platform of choice. GeForce 8 Series GPUs include all required hardware functionality defined in the Microsoft Direct3D(R) 10 specification, with full support for the DirectX 10 unified shader instruction set and Shader Model 4 capabilities. DirectX 10 is included with Microsoft Windows Vista and delivers unparalleled levels of graphics realism and film-quality effects for games, all rendered in real-time on a GeForce 8 Series DirectX 10-capable GPU. Questions? Comments? Please visit the Benchmark Reviews Discussion Forum.
Features & SpecificationsThe NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra performs an average of between 10 and 15% faster(i) than the GeForce 8800 GTX GPU, previously considered the fastest GPU on the planet, across a wide range of top games and applications. NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI-based motherboards for Intel processors provide the fastest and most feature-rich platform for the GeForce 8800 Ultra. NVIDIA refers to these systems as the "definitive gaming platform." NVIDIA Claims that consumers will be able to experience high-resolution, visually rich gaming and high-definition video playback with support for Blu-ray and HD DVD content. Sure, some HDTV's come with DVI input, but most have switched to HDMI, and this will mean that consumers will continue to live up to the title and may have to buy an adapter. 
Comparison Reference Chart
For more information, you could visit https://www.nvidia.com for news releases or post-release specs. Additionally, you could listen to the NVIDIA podcast. Questions? Comments? Please visit the Benchmark Reviews Discussion Forum.
GeForce 8800 Ultra ConclusionCited from NVIDIA's press release, the GeForce 8800 Ultra offers an average 12% performance gain in popular games when compared against their previous top-dog: the 8800 GTX. Based on testing the GeForce 8800 Ultra and the GeForce 8800 GTX at a variety of resolutions from 1280x1024 up to 2560 x1600. The system used featured the Intel Conroe 2.93GHz CPU, C55+MCP55 chipset, and 2048MB of RAM. Applications tested include 3DMark 2006, Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 2, Doom3, FarCry v1.4 BETA, Prey, Quake 4, Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, Half-Life 2 Episode One, and Half-Life 2 Lost Coast. Maximum increase was 27.4%; minimum increase was .4%; average was 12.7%. Data is available upon request. 
I'm not so sure anyone, not the hardcore computer enthusiast, and not even professionally competitive hardware-crazed gamer, could justify an average 12% performance gain for roughly $300 more than the cost of the GeForce 8800 GTX. Sure, the GeForce 8800 Ultra is a great product, but let's be real about this: pay 55% more for a 12% gain. Not just no, but hell no. Here's what I would do to get the same performance and save a lot of cash: First, you could easily purchase any GeForce 8800 GTX from NewEgg for $530-$600, plus have dozens of manufacturers to choose from. Next, simply use the Benchmark Reviews Guide: How To Overclock the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Series and raise the GPU from the stock 575MHz to 612MHz and memory from 1800MHz to 2160MHz. After all, the GTS in the project for that article managed a GPU overclock from 500MHz to 600MHz, and the memory clock went from 1600MHz to 2060MHz. Granted the GTS wasn't able to become a GTX because of the difference in architecture, but a 8800 GTX is exactly the same as the 8800 Ultra in regards to architecture. So If an 8800 GTS can reach GTX numbers, than it seems very likely that the 8800 GTX could easily become an Ultra.
According to Glen Robson, general manager of Dell gaming products "Dell is deeply committed to designing PCs that cater to gamers' needs and desires and offering the latest and greatest GPUs is a key technology differentiator. NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra GPUs deliver stunning performance gains today and support the key features that will facilitate an awesome visual experience on DirectX 10 titles." This will mean that you will soon hear the praises of Dell's XPS series posting unbelievable benchmark scores with SLi configured 8800 Ultra's. But as of this afternoon, neither the Dell Premier Partner site nor the Solution Provider sites gave any hint that the Dell XPS 710 series was being updated . So can I recommend the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra? In a word, No. Unless you are blessed with a five-digit monthly income, or can win one for free, it seems to be an absolute waste or money. At the very least, NVIDIA could have gotten away with offering their new GeForce 8800 Ultra with this inflated price tag if they had added some new technology. A good start would have been DDR4 and possibly a newly released (or more likely binned) GPU. But what we got instead was the same old product with a new name and a small twist on the dial. No thanks. Pros:
+ Extremely quiet operation Cons:
- Extremely expensive Ratings:
Final Score: 7.75 out of 10.Questions? Comments? Please visit the Benchmark Reviews Discussion Forum.
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