| ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Olin Coles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday, 30 December 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ZOTAC 8800GT ZT-88TES2P-FSPThe new PCI Express 2.0 interface delivers more power and greater data throughput in new generation PCI Express 2.0 compatible motherboards while maintaining backwards compatible with existing PCI Express x16 motherboards. The new PCI Express 2.0 interface sends data to the graphics card‘s 512MB of GDDR3 video memory for smooth performance and realistic textures in current and next-generation PC games. The 512MB of GDDR3 video memory communicates with the graphics processor with its ultra-wide 256-bit memory interface. The ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB ZT-88TES2P-FSP graphics card features 1800 MHz GDDR3 memory paired with the NVIDIA G92 GeForce 8800 GT graphics processor. The ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT also features a boosted core clock to 660 MHz, up from the NVIDIA specified 600 MHz for an added performance boost. Compatibility with Microsoft's DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 ensures the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT is ready for next-generation gaming titles. With NVIDIA Unified Shader Architecture, the GeForce 8800 GT features 112 stream processors for unparalleled 3D processing capabilities.
Backed by NVIDIA's Lumenex Engine, the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT delivers true 128-bit floating point high dynamic range, or HDR, lighting capabilities with up to 16x full-screen anti-aliasing. Second-generation NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology with HDCP compliance delivers the ultimate high-definition video viewing experience to the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ZT-88TES2P-FSP PN:151-01080-076VU.
With hardware decoding for Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, PureVideo HD technology lowers CPU utilization when watching high-definition video formats by decoding the entire video stream in the graphics processor, freeing up the processor for other tasks. In addition to low CPU utilization, PureVideo HD enhances standard definition video content with de-interlacing and other post-processing algorithms to ensure standard DVD movies look their best on the PC screen and high-definition television sets. High definition content protection, or HDCP, technology ensures a secure connection between the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB graphics card and an HDCP capable monitor for viewing protected content such as high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD movies. Benchmark Reviews tests this new video card against the most widely used NVIDIA product: the GeForce 8800 GTS.
About the company: ZOTAC International (MCO) Limited
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| GeForce 8800 Ultra | GeForce 8800 GTX | GeForce 8800 GTS | GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB1 | GeForce 8800 GT | |
| Stream Processors | 128 | 128 | 96 | 128 | 112 |
| Core Clock (MHz) | 612 | 575 | 500 | 650 | 600 |
| Shader Clock (MHz) | 1500 | 1350 | 1200 | 1625 | 1500 |
| Memory Clock (MHz) | 1080 | 900 | 800 | 1000 | 900 |
| Memory Amount | 768MB | 768MB | 640MB or 320MB | 512MB | 512MB |
| Memory Interface | 384-bit | 384-bit | 320-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) | 103.7 | 86.4 | 64 | 64 | 57.6 |
| Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) | 39.2 | 36.8 | 24 | 41.6 | 33.6 |
Graphics Technology
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NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GT at 660 MHz engine clock and 1600 MHz shader clock
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400 MHz RamDAC Technology Max. Resolution at 2560 x 1600
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True 128-bit floating point high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting with 16x full-screen anti-aliasing
Memory
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Onboard 512MB GDDR3
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1800MHz memory clock
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256-bit memory bus width
Bus Support
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PCI Express x16 2.0 or below
3D Acceleration
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Unified Shader Model 4.0
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Microsoft DX10 support
External Connectors
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Dual DVI-I Connector
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TV-Out (S-video) Connector
Others
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HDTV Ready
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Vista Ready
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SLI Ready
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HDCP Ready
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DVI Audio
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Dual Link Dual DVI
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RoHS Compliant
ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT Closer Look
When NVIDIA originally released the GeForce 8800 series back on November 8th, 2006 the gaming industry was stunned. The performance yielded by the newly minted top-level 8800 GTX nearly doubled that of 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 an already trailing competition. At that particular time, the high price tag seemed acceptable for a narrow majority.
As of October 27th, 2007 NVIDIA has lifted the embargo on the much-anticipated G92 and launched the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card. The GeForce 8800 GT is the first graphics card to transition to the more efficient 65nm process, and the first to support PCI-Express 2.0.
ZOTAC improves upon NVIDIA's reference design with their own versions of the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card. The featured product for our review is their ZT-88TES2P-FSP graphics card, PN:151-01080-076VUA. ZOTAC presently offers four variations of the GeForce 8800 GT, to include the extremely overclocked AMP! Edition boasting performance at the very edge of the G92's capabilities. NVIDIA released a 256MB version of the 8800 GT with lower memory speeds (1.4 GHz as opposed to 1.8 GHz) but the same core clock, however benchmarks have shown that the 256 MB version of the 8800 GT performs noticeably worse than its 512 MB counterpart, especially in newer games such as Crysis.
The 8800 GT, unlike other 8800 cards, is equipped with the PureVideo 2 engine for GPU assisted decoding of the H.264 and VC-1 CODEC's. Performance benchmarks at stock speeds place it above the 8800 GTS (640MB and 320MB versions) and slightly below the 8800 GTX.
NIVIDA has designed the GeForce 8800 GT to be a more efficient (and more powerful) addition to the 8th Generation of GeForce products. While the performance may be on-par with the power-hungry GeForce 8800 GTX, it should please you to learn that the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB graphics card consumes almost half the power under high-power full 3D load.
In comparison to our overclocked G80-based GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB which consumes 72 additional watts of power when switching from low to high-power mode, the G92-based GeForce 8800 GT only raises the level 54W under full load.
Please continue on to the next section as Benchmark Reviews literally uncovers the GeForce 8800 GT for a closer inspection.
ZT-88TES2P-FSP Detailed Features
So now that you're up to speed with the GeForce 8800 GT, it's time to take a closer look into the inner-workings. ZOTAC designs their ZT-88TES2P-FSP from the reference NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card, and aside from colorful decals the entire ZOTAC series looks identical.
Ever since the GeForce 8800 GTX and GTS were first released the double-size graphics card became a standard for design by both NVIDIA and ATI/AMD. Very few enthusiasts ignored the potential at the time, and many were quick to put the new G80 GPU into action. ZOTAC changes the landscape with their new GeForce 8800 GT 512MB ZT-88TES2P-FSP graphics card which is based on the more efficient G92 GPU and fits into a single slot expansion footprint. The efficient G92 GPU allows manufacturers to utilize a single expansion-unit height heatsink, which in turn takes away the ability to exhaust heated air outside of the case.
The underside of nearly every GeForce 8800 video card I have seen look identical. With the exception of a few manufacturer decals, the ZOTAC ZT-88TES2P-FSP is very much the same as NVIDIA's reference design. Once you remove the collection of twelve fine-threaded screws the heatsink portion of the graphics card can be separated from the PCB.
By design, the cast-aluminum heatsink is complimented with a copper insert where the base and G92 GPU mate together. Additional thermal conductive pads are strategically placed between key components such as DDR3 vRAM modules and the heatsink. ZOTAC also uses a pre-applied thermal interface material (TIM) between the GPU and the copper base inset into the heatsink. Considering that NVIDIA incorporated heatpipes in their last mid and high-end cooler designs, it comes as a surprise to me that something more exotic wasn't used to cool the GeForce 8800 GT series.
After a nice cleaning, the bare GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card was a lot more photogenic. Since the circuit board design offers such an ergonomic layout, aftermarket coolers have already become more available than the actual graphics card. Digressing for just a moment, I really want to see Arctic Cooling offer a rear-exhausting cooler for the GeForce 8800 GT. There are at least ten aftermarket cooling solutions for the GT after only two months past the launch date, and not one of them removes the heat from inside the case.
ZOTAC makes good use of the hardware NVIDIA offers them. In the image below you get a good (clean) look at the 65nm process G92 GPU, which in my opinion is as much an improvement to the industry as the 90nm process G80 was when the GeForce 8800 series launched. Offering 112 Stream processors, the ZOTAC factory overclocked G92 GPU operates at 660MHz.
A 256-bit memory bus allows the GeForce 8800 GT to offer 512MB in the ZOTAC ZT-88TES2P-FSP version. Qimonda supplies the DDR3 vRAM modules; a part that looks very similar to the Aeneon PC3-10666 we recently reviewed as part of our High-Speed DDR3 Overclocking and Review Series. ZOTAC did not overclock this portion of the product, which could indicate that it's already running near the maximum stable range of 1800MHz. However this could be great news for gamers and hardware enthusiasts wanting to get more out of their purchase, and Benchmark Reviews even has a step-by-step How-To Guide for such a project.
In our next section, Benchmark Reviews begins testing on the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card after we explain how it's all done here in our lab.
Video Card Testing Methodology
I will be testing and comparing the FOXCONN GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB against the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ZT-88TES2P-FSP PN:151-01080-076VU. The GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB version is currently the the most widely used video card since the introduction of the GeForce 8 series.
The synthetic benchmark tests in 3DMark06 will utilize shader models 2.0 and 3.0. Every test was conducted at the following resolutions: 1600x1200 (20.1/21" Standard LCD's), 1280x1024 (19" Standard LCD), and 1024x768 (17" Standard LCD). Each program will run after a system restart, and the the first benchmark for every test will be ignored. This process proved extremely important in the World in Conflict and Crysis benchmarks, as the first run served to cache maps; subsequent tests performed much better than the first. Each test will be run in succession three times, and the final results will be averaged.
Since all of these benchmarks represent different gaming engine technology and graphic rendering processes, I feel that this battery of tests will provide a diverse range of tests for you to gauge performance. Since most gamers and enthusiasts are still using Windows XP, it was decided that DirectX 9 would be used for all tests.
Using the GPU-Z utility available for free from our affiliate website techPowerUp!, we can verify the internal specifications for the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ZT-88TES2P-FSP PN:151-01080-076VU.
Note that the default GeForce 8800 GT core clock is 600MHz, while the ZOTAC ZT-88TES2P-FSP receives a factory overclock to 660MHz. The standard GeForce 8800 GT vRAM clock remains at 900MHz, however the shader clock is overclocked from 1500MHz to 1600MHz. The absence of a memory overclock is going to make for a challenge when we later release the updated version of our How To Overclock the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Series article.
The GeForce 8800 GTS is the direct competition for the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card. Although NVIDIA released a new 256-bit version of the card, the older 320-bit version (offered with either 640 or 320MB) is still the most widely used video card by PC gamers today. Note that the default GeForce 8800 GTS core clock is 500MHz, while the FOXCONN GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB has been carefully overclocked to 600MHz. The standard GeForce 8800 GTS vRAM speed is 800MHz and has also been overclocked to 1030MHz while the shader clock remains at the standard 1200MHz.
Benchmark Applications
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3DMark06 SM 2.0 Test (8x Anti Aliasing & 16x Anisotropic Filtering)
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3DMark06 HDR/SM 3.0 Test (8x Anti Aliasing & 16x Anisotropic Filtering)
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Company of Heroes v2.201.0 Performance Test (Shadow and Model Quality High, No AA, Texture Detail Ultra)
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World in Conflict v1.0.0.5 Performance Test (Very High Setting)
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Crysis v1.0.0.1 Benchmark (High Settings, No Anti Aliasing)
Test System
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Motherboard: ASUS P5K3 Deluxe (Intel P35 chipset) with version 0810 BIOS
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Processor: Intel E6550 Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz operating at 3.31GHz
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System Memory: Corsair PC3-14400 DDR3 1800MHz 2GB RAM Kit @ 1889MHz
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Video: FOXCONN GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB overclocked to 600MHz Core / 1030MHz RAM
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Hard Disk 1: Western Digital WD360GD 10,000 RPM SATA
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Hard Disk 2 (Paging File): Mtron MOBI 3000 2.5-Inch 16GB SSD MSD-SATA3025
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Optical Drive: Toshiba Samsung SH-S203 SATA 20x DVD R/W
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Power Supply: Hiper HPU-4M880 Type M PSU
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Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP-2 (optimized to 16 processes at idle)
Test Tools
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Extech Instruments EX-450 IR Non-Contact Thermometer
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ATITool v0.26 Graphics Card Utility for NVIDIA/ATI Products
Company of Heroes Benchmark Results
Company of Heroes is Relic's first title to make use of a new type of engine, known as the "Essence Engine". This engine was designed and coded from scratch by Relic in order to make use of special graphical effects, including high dynamic range lighting, dynamic lighting & shadows, advanced shader effects and normal mapping. COH is rendered in 3D with intricate detailing on the infantry, vehicles and structures while still retaining a solid frame-rate, without, Relic claims, the need for a high-end gaming system. It claims that there are nearly 2,000 different animations for a basic infantry unit alone.
Company of Heroes also utilizes the Havok 3 physics engine, giving it a more realistic physics system than previous RTS games. Parts of buildings can be destroyed by grenades, satchels or mortars, and tanks can drive through sections of walls or other barriers. Smoke created from explosions is programmed to behave as realistically as possible and can even be influenced by wind. Debris is also influenced by explosions; a blast can send barrels flying and shower troops in dirt, whilst leaving behind a large crater. When infantry are bombarded by artillery, body parts sometimes detach and are dispersed over, and some units even getting thrown about in the immediate area. Bridges and buildings can be destroyed by engineers using demolitions.
In our first series of benchmarks for Company of Heroes (v2.201.0), the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT performed nearly identical to the older GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB. At 1024x768 resolution, there should be a much larger disparity between test results. At the lower resolutions, a game that is more GPU dependant than CPU dependant will show favor to the results.
There might be more explanations, but I can only think of two possibilities:
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The Essence engine in CoH doesn't stress the 8800 series of video cards like other games, especially since all graphics cards down to the NVIDIA GeForce3/Ti series are supported by the game.
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THQ and Relic have optimized the game (there have been countless patches) to use a maximum frame rate and thus restrict the results to a more narrow range.
At any rate, the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB does show that a minor performance difference over the overclocked GeForce 8800 GTS, even if CoH makes it look much less than it is. In our next benchmark tests, World in Conflict offers a more contrasting view between the two video cards.
World in Conflict Benchmark Results
The latest version of Massive's proprietary Masstech engine utilizes DX10 technology and features advanced lighting and physics effects, and allows for a full 360 degree range of camera control. Massive's MassTech engine scales down to accommodate a wide range of PC specifications, if you've played a modern PC game within the last two years, you'll be able to play World in Conflict.
World in Conflict's FPS-like control scheme and 360-degree camera make its action-strategy gameplay accessible to strategy fans and fans of other genres... if you love strategy, you'll love World in Conflict. If you've never played strategy, World in Conflict is the strategy game to try.
Personally, I think WiC is going to be one of the most popular games of 2007... and it deserves every bit of attention it receives.
First tested was the 1024x768 resolution. Based on the test results, it's clear that WiC doesn't place a limit on the maximum frame rate. The average frame rate showed that the ZOTAC ZT-88TES2P-FSP could noticeably outpace the overclocked GeForce 8800 GTS by over 12% with the settings on Very High.
A cautionary word about maximum frame rates is necessary, however. Although these readings are worth noting, the maximum framerate is nearly worthless in determining GPU power. The reason for this is simple: those maximum frame rates are collected from scenes with little to no movement or graphical demand. Obviously this shifts the importance over to the minimum framerate, which will indicate how smooth the performance will remain under heavy demand.
With a balanced demand for CPU and GPU power, the 1280x1024 resolution proved to be the turning point for performance. While still excellent, the average frame rate gave the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB graphics card more than a 13% performance advantage.
At the highest settings the Masstech engine begins to strain the two GeForce 8800 series products. The ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB offers a small and nearly negligible advantage over the GeForce 8800 GTS with a two frame per second difference in the average frame rate. World in Conflict did its best, but Crysis will certainly apply the pressure needed to create a noticeable difference between the two.
Crysis Benchmark Results
Crysis uses a new graphics engine: the CryENGINE2, which is the successor to Far Cry's CryENGINE. CryENGINE2 is among the first engines to use the Direct3D 10 (DirectX 10) framework of Windows Vista, but can also run using DirectX9, both on Vista and Windows XP.
Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA, has spoken on the subject of the engine's complexity, stating that Crysis has over a million lines of code, 1GB of texture data, and 85,000 shaders.
To get the most out of modern multicore processor architectures, CPU intensive subsystems of CryENGINE 2 such as physics, networking and sound, have been re-written to support multi-threading.
Even without Anti-Aliasing turned on, Crysis keeps both of these mid-range GeForce 8800's below 60 FPS. It's clear that the CryENGINE2 is a heavy hitter, as the ZOTAC 8800 GT outperforms the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB by almost 28%. Even with more vRAM available to it, the older 8800 GTS just cannot offer the performance of the G92 GPU.
At 1280x1024 resolution, the results are still excellent but nearing the 30 FPS performance threshold for acceptability. In terms of performance, both product maintain the same ratio which still gives the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB over a 27% frame rate improvement.
Surprisingly, the two GeForce 8800 series products maintained a constant performance ratio between one-another throughout the Crysis benchmark testing. Measuring over 26% performance improvement over the GeForce 8800 GTS, the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT ZT-88TES2P-FSP was just barely able to maintain the acceptable frame rate of 30 FPS.
In our next test series, 3DMark06 offers synthetic benchmarks to the results.
3DMark06 Benchmark Results
3DMark is a computer benchmark by Futuremark (formerly MadOnion) to determine the DirectX performance of 3D game performance with graphics cards. 3DMark06 uses advanced real-time 3D game workloads to measure PC performance using a suite of DirectX9 3D graphics tests, CPU tests, and 3D feature tests.
3DMark06 tests include all new HDR/SM3.0 graphics tests, SM2.0 graphics tests, AI and physics driven single and multiple cores or processor CPU tests and a collection of comprehensive feature tests to reliably measure next generation gaming performance today.
Here at Benchmark Reviews, we believe that synthetic benchmark tools are just as valuable as video games. Since the same test is applied in the same controlled method with each test run, I believe 3DMark is a very reliable tool for comparing graphic cards against one-another.
Using a 1024x768 resolution as a starting point, the maximum settings were applied which included 8x Anti-Aliasing and 16x Anisotropic Filtering. At this level, the GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card performed over 10% better than the GeForce 8800 GTS in the SM 2.0 tests and only 4% better than the GTS in the HDR/SM 3.0 tests.
Bumping the GPU strain up a notch with 1280x1024 resolution the scores remain relatively comparable in terms of performance ratio. The ZOTAC 8800 GT performed 11% better in the SM 2.0 tests and 5% in the HDR/SM 3.0 tests.
Finishing our series of benchmark tests the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card showed a prevailing strength against the aging GeForce 8800 GTS. In the 1600x1200 tests the GT outperformed the GTS by almost 18% in the shader model 2.0 tests and nearly 8% in the high dynamic-range / shader model 3.0 tests.
In the next section Benchmark Reviews gives a detailed look into the operating temperatures of the GPU and component zones for the Geforce 8800 GTS.
GeForce 8800 GT Temperatures
This section is probably the most popular for me, as a reviewer. Benchmark tests are always nice, so long as you care about comparing one product to another. But when you're an overclocker, or merely a hardware enthusiast who likes to tweak things on occasion, there's no substitute for good information.
Benchmark Reviews has a very popular guide written on How To Overclock the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Series, but it was published shortly after the 8th generation of GeForce products was launched. Currently we are preparing for a more updated article, with additional information on shader overclocking and temperature control.
Once published, you can expect more information like you see below for several different video cards.
To begin my testing, I used ATITool v0.26 to record GPU temperatures at idle and again at high-power 3D mode. The ambient room temperature was a cool 18.2°C and the inner-case temperature hovered around 30°C. The ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card recorded 56°C in idle 2D mode, and increased to 93°C in full 3D mode. After recording the GPU temperatures as reported by ATITool, I used my Extech Instruments EX-450 IR Non-Contact Thermometer to capture the exhaust vent temperatures. At idle, the ZT-88TES2P-FSP produced 41°C and under full load it increased to 69°C.
What becomes clear to me is how much heated air is re-circulated back into the case. The unfortunate truth is that it's exhausted into an area close to the expansion slot mounting plate, where very few fans can cool. Fortunately for me however, the Lian Li PC-B20A Aluminum Mid-Tower ATX Case I used to record these results has the BS-03 kit (included optional patent cooling slot kit) which mounts directly in front of the exhaust port on the graphics card and draws the heated air directly out of the case.
8800 GT Temperature Zones
Using the non-contact IR thermometer to record temperatures on the "top" side (when mounted into the motherboard) I discovered several hot spots in unlikely locations. If you study the image above, which uses the reference NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT circuit board layout, you'll discover that the right side of the video card is seriously under-cooled.
The detailed high-resolution temperature zone image is available to anyone who wishes to request it via e-mail only, but the image above should give an excellent idea as to where an overclocker may want to give extra attention in their next project.
Continue to the conclusion in the next section, where I share my thoughts on the ZOTAC ZT-88TES2P-FSP and give more comparative details between the new mid-level king.
ZT-88TES2P-FSP Final Thoughts
Since the days of Battlefield 2 there haven't been very many games to seriously stress mid and high-performance video cards. The Battlefield 2142 was more of a lukewarm please-all with nearly no landscape to speak of, and until EA and Crytek GmbH came along with Crysis there hadn't been any major milestones to speak of for almost three years. Company of Heroes was (and to some players it still is) one of the most popular games of 2006, but its scalable Havok game engine allowed just about anyone with a personal computer to play the game. World in Conflict could very well be characterized as the CoH for 2007, especially since CoH: Opposing Fronts offered almost nothing new to gamers in regards to performance. WiC is equally scalable, but the large world-scape can have a greater impact on frame rate. When it comes down to PC video games, there are only a handful of titles that stand out more than those which I have tested here in this review. The important message is that the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ZT-88TES2P-FSP PN:151-01080-076VU can handle them all at nearly their highest settings without dropping below the acceptable 30 FPS level.
Since the GeForce 8800 GT is presently third in line for the NVIDIA throne, the series is squarely aimed at the upper middle-end performance segment. Some (but not many) gamers have stepped up to the overpriced GeForce 8800 Ultra, and only a few more went as far as the GTX. For over a year now the GeForce 8800 GTS has been the best selling card within the 8 Series lineup, and now it has been replaced by the GeForce 8800 GT. Unlike the GeForce 7900 GT of the past generation, the new 8800 GT offers tremendous performance and power efficiency with a slight reduction in cooling fan noise.
ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT Conclusion
Like nearly all GeForce 8 series of graphics cards, the product presentation is inviting and informative to the consumer. Plainly stated on the retail box is everything from the basic features to the advanced details and specifications. ZOTAC has done a great job of packaging the ZT-88TES2P-FSP (PN:151-01080-076VU), and the colorful design add to the excitement.
I consider the entire pre-G92 GeForce 8800 series to be very attractive as a whole, primarily because of the double-height heatpipe cooling. While the general appearance of the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card is attractive, the plastic shell covering the heatsink gives this product too much of a plastic look... very similar to what NVIDIA did with the 8800 Ultra's cover. Overall I think the look will work, but it's tough going from a high-tech middle-end product to a rather low-tech looking middle-end product; even if it is much better on the inside.
Unlike the higher-end 8800 series GeForce products, the 8800 GT does not expose any electronic components. I once owned the GeForce 8800 GTX, but after a errant SATA cable swiped off one of the capacitors, I learned that perhaps I was better off with a graphics card using a smaller footprint. ZOTAC has constructed the ZT-88TES2P-FSP to sustain above-average abuse, and since there are no exposed components there is very little chance that you'll have to RMA a product that falls apart on you. The fully covered 8800 GT will work very well in cramped environments where the video card will be in contact with cables and components.
In regards to performance and functionality, the praise due to the ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT ZT-88TES2P-FSP is well earned. Almost half the size and power consumption, and at a third the cost, ZOTAC offers a product that easily out-performs an extremely overclocked GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB version graphics card. If that wasn't enough, this video card comes factory overclocked with additional headroom to exert more performance (which we have done in a follow-up article).
Presently ZOTAC is an just beginning to enter the US marketplace after a successful introduction at CES'07 and brand name launch at Cebit 2007. Pricing is expected within the $250~$260 range, which is very similar to industry-wide pricing of the GeForce 8800 GT. When you consider that the entire 8800 GTS series still sales for more the $360, the value becomes clear in a product like ZOTAC's GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ZT-88TES2P-FSP. I suspect this will be the next video card of choice, and the constant product shortages with most retailers appear to confirm my suspicion. Presently the ZOTAC 8800 GT is available at NewEgg for $234.99.
In conclusion, my recommendation is to get your own ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card as soon as you can. I don't mean that statement to be an advertisement for ZOTAC, not that they'll mind it, but quite frankly I am so impressed with the mighty little ZT-88TES2P-FSP that I am already planning on purchasing another for an SLi set (and some extreme overclocking). With performance on par with the GeForce 8800 GTX, and exceeding the 8800 GTS, you can imagine how popular this model will be to enthusiasts and gamers looking for solid performance at a value-based price. I completely endorse the GeForce 8800 GT!
Pros:
+ Excellent value for performance-minded gamers
+ Supports DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0
+ 660MHz GPU / 1800MHz GDDR3 vRAM
+ Features NVIDIA PureVideoTM HD Technology
+ 3rd best NVIDIA video card available at time of writing
+ Extremely quiet fan under normal operation
+ Single 6-pin PCI-E power connection
+ SLi Certified graphics solution
+ Well-built durable construction
+ Power efficient 65nm G92 GPU
+ Less expensive high-performance alternative
+ PCI Express 2.0 interface
Cons:
- Limited early availability
- High temperatures under full load
- Lacks HDMI output
- Heatsink does not exhaust out of the case
Ratings:
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Presentation: 9.25
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Appearance: 8.75
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Construction: 9.25
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Functionality: 9.25
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Value: 8.50
Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.
Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.
Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.
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