Need info on 8800GT

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ffaucg

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There are way too many choices to pick from on newegg for the 8800GT. Besides buying by the way of which card is the cheapest, I would like to know the opinions of the forum as to which card is the most silent. Also there are some cards that lists different core and memory clocks. So I'm a bit confused. Can anyone give me a hand?
 
I tend to ignore clock speeds when buying cards. Buying pre-overclocked cards aren't worth it. Usually you can buy the lower clocked cards and just do the overclocking yourself.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127329

I would probably go with that card. The cooler is very nice, and quiet. Avoid the XFX cards with this cooler, their coolers are very loud on the 8800GT, and the fan can't be controlled.
 
ffaucg said:
There are way too many choices to pick from on newegg for the 8800GT. Besides buying by the way of which card is the cheapest, I would like to know the opinions of the forum as to which card is the most silent. Also there are some cards that lists different core and memory clocks. So I'm a bit confused. Can anyone give me a hand?
Click to expand...

As far as brand goes, they are all the same. The card will be exactly the same, is it eVGA, XFX, BFG or whatever. The only thing that differs, is the sticker on the cooler, warranty and bundle that comes with the card, so be sure to check each and choose which one suits you best. IMO, don't get overclocked cards. You are paying a premium price, for something you can easily do at home.

The stock cooler isn't the best and can get noisy, if you increase the fan speed, but the GT is a single slot solution, so you shouldn't expect much from it. There is a revised cooler that supposedly is better, but I'm not sure if they identify the card differently because of the new cooler.

Either way, you are better off in replacing the stock cooler with something like an Accelero S1, which can work passively.
 
Lets start:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8800gt.html This is the reference Nvidia design of the card with respect to cooling. If you see a card that looks like this one, it is the same as the reference Nvidia design, but with a different sticker. I have bought a BFG 8800GT a few days ago and it is very quiet at idle and in games. However, it occasionally becomes loud for a short period of time in games like Crysis, which are very demanding. The temperature of the GPU ( the card's processor) becomes very hot as well, like 80+ degrees Celcius. You can either buy an aftermarket cooler, like the Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 or a Thermalright HR-03. I think Hardocp itself did a 8800GT cooling comparison pretty recently so you should check that out. Instead of upgrading, you can also get a 8800GT that comes pre-installed with aftermarket cooling, basically any card that doesn't look like the reference design will be quieter than the stock card at full load. To make sure, however, you should research the card and make sure that it is truly quiet.

As for the cards that list different core and memory clock than usual, those are just pre-overclocked cards that you can buy. In my opinion, they're not worth it because you can do it yourself, if you're inclined. Other people like the peace of mind that their card is fully under warranty while also being overclocked. It's up to you to decide whether it's worth it to you or not.
 
wow thanks for the speedy replies
quick question, so the stock speeds for core and memory clock are 600 and 1800?
 
Correct, the stock speeds are 600/1800.

And no, not all manufactures are the same. Several use different PCB designs.
 
Most silent?

I have this card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134035
Even with NO fan it runs cooler than any of the stock cooling options.

I am VERY happy with it. Its a bit more than the cheapest of the other 8800 GT's (still under $200 AR) but the cooler is worth about $20 alone.

SLI can be done with an aftermarket bridge. Obviously not for small cases.

And NO, ECS is NOT crap. I think the card might even be rebadged.
 
I think I've narrowed down my choices further, I'm aiming to get a card that's not the stock fan design.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...21224,N82E16814122047,N82E16814141074&bop=And

These are the one's that are still in my list, although I can't say I like ECS's engine design or the fact that their website doesn't even list it's core and memory clocks.

-edit-
I've narrowed my choices down to MSI, Gigabyte, and ASUS.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...27329,N82E16814125088,N82E16814121224&bop=And
 
hardware_failure said:
Most silent?

I have this card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134035
Even with NO fan it runs cooler than any of the stock cooling options.

I am VERY happy with it. Its a bit more than the cheapest of the other 8800 GT's (still under $200 AR) but the cooler is worth about $20 alone.

SLI can be done with an aftermarket bridge. Obviously not for small cases.

And NO, ECS is NOT crap. I think the card might even be rebadged.
Click to expand...

thanks, with the mail in, its just right.
but the high up front price is a big problem.
 
the galaxy cards are a lottery but if you get one with the sweet roundy-fin heatsink and the volt mod pins intact, you've got a winner.

it kills my evga 8800gt ssc which i've had from initial launch(+days to step, cooler v 1.0) on overclockabilty. i really don't think the fan's controllable on the galaxy though some tell me otherwise, but it's whisper quiet anyways and the card never rises above 50C. i think palit has the same cooler, actually.

the evga 8800gt has always stayed cool with the help of rivatuner/nbitor/nvflash, i never see temps over 70C on it, completely stock hardware setup. fan is really annoying over 40%, in my opinion, but to game at the overclock i have it's gotta be at least 40%

the evga brings down the speed i could have with twin galaxy's (of this model).


rivatuner/atitool/nbitor/nvflash though, for sli setups of different card types ftw. 700/1720/1000 is a nice speed.


keep in mind i have a cm690 optimized for airflow with 7 120mm fans tho, on a fan controller of course. :)
 
Silus said:
As far as brand goes, they are all the same. The card will be exactly the same, is it eVGA, XFX, BFG or whatever. The only thing that differs, is the sticker on the cooler, warranty and bundle that comes with the card, so be sure to check each and choose which one suits you best.
Click to expand...



i agree with alot of what you're saying but i can't agree with this, just because of the "whatever" you threw in there. :D
 
Gam3theory said:
Get the 8800GTS (G92), it has better performance than the GT and it has a dual slot cooler. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...AFC-hardOCP&cm_mmc=AFC-hardOCP-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA

Use Code- "EVGAN841" in the cart and it will come out to $207.14 AR(after rebates)

This is a special promo that the Newegg Webmaster posted and it ends tomorrow.
Click to expand...

how cool quiet does it run? do you know?
that asked.. from the anandtech reviews, i could hardly spot a difference between the two cards...
 
Gam3theory said:
Get the 8800GTS (G92), it has better performance than the GT and it has a dual slot cooler. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...AFC-hardOCP&cm_mmc=AFC-hardOCP-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA

Use Code- "EVGAN841" in the cart and it will come out to $207.14 AR(after rebates)

This is a special promo that the Newegg Webmaster posted and it ends tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Thats the kind of deal I was waiting for, I missed out on the buy.com thing. Ordered two :)


The 8800GTS has much better cooling compared to a 8800GT, I haven't heard of heat issues at all with any 8800GTS.
 
snaggletooth said:
i agree with alot of what you're saying but i can't agree with this, just because of the "whatever" you threw in there. :D
Click to expand...

You got it wrong. It doesn't matter which brand you choose, because the card is essentially the same. What changes is warranty, customer service and bundle, which is obviously taken into account when buying a card. But considering the card only, it doesn't matter if it's eVGA, XFX, BFG or "whatever".
 
Silus said:
Which translates into nothing, in terms of performance.
Click to expand...

more to do with good OC and lower failure rates.

look, if the spec says get X type of capacitor, then does it matter if this made in china or japan if both make it? YES!!! the japanese caps will last longer and are more tolerant. this is not even a debate, its a fact. i know capacitors and some electrical circuitry. a cheap OEM will go for the bottom line, thats it.
if they can buy a reference part cheaper, they will! quality is not really an issue, cheap mass production is what drives them. some one who gives a lifetime warranty will not want to ever actual provide it. so they will use slightly better parts if those parts will guarantee lower failure rates.

in the end,m, you are looking at at most 10% increase in performance if you OC (10% is a random number but i think that a 600 MHz core OCed to 660 will give you 10% performance)
 
If you want an 8800GT with very decent factory cooling, look closely at the MSI or the ECS.

If you're wanting a lifetime warranty, then get the eVGA and an AC S1.
 
Silus said:
You got it wrong. It doesn't matter which brand you choose, because the card is essentially the same. What changes is warranty, customer service and bundle, which is obviously taken into account when buying a card. But considering the card only, it doesn't matter if it's eVGA, XFX, BFG or "whatever".
Click to expand...



i can't seem to find a physical voltage jumper anywhere on my evga 8800gt ssc... whereas there is one on my galaxy 8800gt.

i believe that counts as a major difference. (which, in fact, i mentioned in my original post)
 
snaggletooth said:
i can't seem to find a physical voltage jumper anywhere on my evga 8800gt ssc... whereas there is one on my galaxy 8800gt.

i believe that counts as a major difference. (which, in fact, i mentioned in my original post)
Click to expand...

very interesting about that galaxy 8800gt, which type of galaxy 8800gt that has a voltage jumper? or is it all of galaxy 8800gt?

concerning brand selection, i found this :

bryanwumf@hardwarezone said:
The eagle uses a non reference design with 3 phase power and samsung 1.0ns rams.

Heatpipe cooling and relatively silent fan. Full solid caps etc. Sounds too good to be true? I think it is.

The voltage that goes into the Eagle's G92 core is around 1.3v instead of 1.05 on standard 8800GT from major brands.

So does that mean it'll overclock very well? Sadly, no. The higher voltage is used to compensate either a very very poorly designed card or some nvidia rejected/poor binned cores.

The heatpipe HSF is necessary to keep the core cool for normal usage due to the high core voltage.

Is this a good card? If you don't mind the slightly higher vcore (higher power consumption and the heatpipe cooler whose function is (i think) negated by the high vcore), this should be a decent card to run at stock values.

OCbility: less than (700 core, 1700 shaders, 1000rams).
Click to expand...

also, how can i use my used zalman ramsink if i'm to buy 8800gt and replace the stock cooler?
 
nösferatu;1032282381 said:
How can I use my used Zalman ramsink if I'm to buy 8800GT and replace the stock cooler?
Click to expand...

The AC S1 comes with ramsinks, but if you want to use your Zalman ramsinks, you can get a thermally conductive adhesive, like Arctic Silver.
 
unfortunately, anything other than thermaltake mx2 and arctic silver thermal grease are very hard to find here.
can i just use that instead?

thanks.
 
So the MSI 8800GT seems to have the best value if the cooler is a VF1000?


A little off topic, but how does the 8800GT stack up against the GTS G92 in performance?
 
CoolGuy90 said:
So the MSI 8800GT seems to have the best value if the cooler is a VF1000?


A little off topic, but how does the 8800GT stack up against the GTS G92 in performance?
Click to expand...

close, but the gts has more shaders. thats the primary benefit.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=4

the core and memory speed is usually a bit faster also.

if you are asking about the newegg deal, i would say jump on it.
a month ago the same card cost 250, now it costs the same as a GT, and its better.

also, whats your monitor resolution?

If youre looking for a good value, and dont have the witcher, then MSI is the way to go.
(but its probably the US "cencored" Witcher.)
 
CoolGuy90 said:
So the MSI 8800GT seems to have the best value if the cooler is a VF1000?


A little off topic, but how does the 8800GT stack up against the GTS G92 in performance?
Click to expand...

They're close. And to be honest, you can probably find a GTS 512MB for just a little bit more than the price of an 8800GT + AC S1

eVGA 8800GTS $230 after MIR

eVGA8800GT $175 after MIR
AC S1 $25

The 8800GT+S1 will have superior cooling compared to the stock 8800GTS, but if that's not of concern and you have the extra $30, then getting the 8800GTS might be the route to go if you want the smidge more performance it offers.
 
Megalomaniac said:
theres a coupon for that GTS that knocks it down by another 30 bucks.
look in the hotdeals section.
ECS GT costs 194 after MIR
eVGA GTS costs 199 after MIR

ps. thanks for the tweak town link
Click to expand...

Now THAT is a KILLER deal! :cool:

I'm going to reiterate the advantages of the 8800GT+S1, though. Running passive, I get average temps of 43C/54C idle/load (at 74F room temp). Much better than what the 8800GTS cooler can provide (although the GTS HSF does vent externally). Makes for a tough call, imo.
 
Megalomaniac said:
close, but the gts has more shaders. thats the primary benefit.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=4

the core and memory speed is usually a bit faster also.

if you are asking about the newegg deal, i would say jump on it.
a month ago the same card cost 250, now it costs the same as a GT, and its better.

also, whats your monitor resolution?

If youre looking for a good value, and dont have the witcher, then MSI is the way to go.
(but its probably the US "cencored" Witcher.)
Click to expand...

My monitors native is 1680x1050.
 
CoolGuy90 said:
My monitors native is 1680x1050.
Click to expand...

hmm neither there nor here.

well, i look primarily at crysis and world in conflict - these games are the most recent hogs, so if you want to run them, you need every frame. you will get 5 fps more with the GTS (roughly) when the games run in Sub 60FPS to begin with, thats noticeable.

and a bit at oblivion (fallout 3 will use the same engine)

heres what convinces me.
CSS i play, with shadows on, i can usually spot an enemy around the corner (their shadow gives them away) this requires a bit more power, else the fps suffers.
turn on you games to high, and see the difference (yes, even if its slow, just look at the details and compare them to Medium). if you want that, then get the GTS, you might not get it, but you will have a greater chance of getting there.

The ECS i think is great, and could be OCed a lot more. (also the upfront price is more)
The GTS is factory OCed, so who knows. you will need to turn up the fan to get more.
Value wise, the MSI wins out hands down.
It has a Zelman heatsink, simply re branded and a free game.
 
Megalomaniac said:
hmm neither there nor here.

well, i look primarily at crysis and world in conflict - these games are the most recent hogs, so if you want to run them, you need every frame. you will get 5 fps more with the GTS (roughly) when the games run in Sub 60FPS to begin with, thats noticeable.

and a bit at oblivion (fallout 3 will use the same engine)

heres what convinces me.
CSS i play, with shadows on, i can usually spot an enemy around the corner (their shadow gives them away) this requires a bit more power, else the fps suffers.
turn on you games to high, and see the difference (yes, even if its slow, just look at the details and compare them to Medium). if you want that, then get the GTS, you might not get it, but you will have a greater chance of getting there.

The ECS i think is great, and could be OCed a lot more. (also the upfront price is more)
The GTS is factory OCed, so who knows. you will need to turn up the fan to get more.
Value wise, the MSI wins out hands down.
It has a Zelman heatsink, simply re branded and a free game.
Click to expand...

Well the only pc game I play now is CSS. Since they both are 512MB and the difference is very small, I might go with the MSI 8800GT. The cooler would be much better than the other stock 8800GT coolers.
 
ok, quick question, i'm using 1280x1024 at best, and sometimes 1280x864, am i better off buying 9600gt instead of 8800gt?

please note that i'd always keep my 4AA + 16AF on.
 
nösferatu;1032287852 said:
ok, quick question, i'm using 1280x1024 at best, and sometimes 1280x864, am i better off buying 9600gt instead of 8800gt?

please note that i'd always keep my 4AA + 16AF on.
Click to expand...

Depends on what games you play. When I had SLI'd 7800GT's, I never went above 1280x1024 with moderate to high levels of AA and AF. Now that I have an 8800GT, I can play the same games at 1280x1024 to 1600x1200 with the same or higher AA and AF settings with no problems. This is on an old 19" CRT and the system listed in my sig.

Examples of games I play:
SC:CT
GTA:SA
COD4
HL2
Pirates!
Jedi Academy


I have a friend that recently upgraded to an 8800GT and got a 22" LCD (1680x1050) that plays pretty much the same games with others such as WOW, The Witcher, NWN2, and a few others. He initially was playing most games at 1280x1024 after the upgrade until I told him to set the res to 1680x1050. He was skeptical about the 8800GT being fast enough, but switched the res and was impressed that all his games still run with no problems. Almost the same system as mine, but with a 5000+ BE.

It's all a matter of math:
1280x1024 = 1,310,720 pixels
1680x1050 = 1,764,000 pixels

That's roughly a 33% difference, and the 8800GT certainly has the muscle to do it with the games listed.

Referencing the TweakTown comparison, the 8800GT runs cooler (albeit with a Zalman cooler fitted from the factory), draws less power, and produces less fan noise than the 9600GT.
Performance wise (1680x1024 in XP except for Crysis), the 9600GT falls behind the 8800GT by roughly:
WiC - 37%
U3 - 10%
HL2:EP2 - 31%
Crysis - 5%

If you are certain you will only use a max of 1280x1024 with 4x AA and 16x AF, then you might as well flip a coin between the two cards.
 
thanks for your explanations, i bought 8800gt just about an hour after i post my question (it was a "quick" question indeed, heh).
the cheapest 9600gt was only $15 away from eagle-branded aka. the cheapest 8800gt, so hell yeah, 8800gt ftw!.

3dmark2006 (just for some reference/comparison) shows 11xxx overall, 52xx on sm2 and 41xx on hdr/sm3, kinda low right? and this is on xp32, 169.21.

right now i'm just heating up this new card, so far never touched 65 c with the most gpu-heater scene on titan quest:it.
exactly the same scene where my old card(still in sig) would go all the way up to 75 c. looks like the huge cooler that they slap on their eagle 8800gt get quite impressive.
 
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