GeForce 8800 GT Round-Up: Asus, EVGA, MSI

Name: GeForce 8800 GT Round-Up: Asus, EVGA, MSI - Page 9
Brand: GeForce

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, January 03, 2008, 08:00 AM EDT

Performance Summary: The three GeForce 8800 GT cards tested for this article performed as expected throughout our entire battery of benchmarks. The highest clocked card of the three, Asus' EN8800GT TOP, finished slightly ahead of EVGA's e-GeForce 8800 GT KO, which in turn finished slightly ahead of the MSI NX8800GT. In terms of the GeForce 8800 GT's performance in general versus its main competition, for the money, the GeForce 8800 GT is the card to own.

ASUS EN8800GT TOP:
The Asus EN8800GT TOP is an excellent graphics card. Due to its relatively high clock speeds, it finished in the lead in the vast majority of the benchmarks we ran, and it always outpaced its lower-clocked GeForce 8800 GT-based competition. It also had a great bundle that included a full version of a current DX10 title, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. The Asus EN8800GT TOP's high clock speeds and bundle, however, also make it the most expensive card of the bunch, that is if you can find it. Only one seller was offering this card via our Pricegrabber search engine at a price of $330. When availability improves, we expect the card's street price to settle in around $299 though.


Great Bundle Highest Clock Speeds Strong Performance	"Only" a 3-Year Warranty Availability What's with the HUGE box?

EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT KO:
Although Asus' offering ended up being slightly faster, EVGA struck a nice balance with their e-GeForce 8800 GT KO. This was the second fastest card of the bunch (by an ever so slight margin), but it has the best bundle and also has the best warranty. Availability is scarce at the moment, but according to Pricegrabber, this card can be had for about $290. That makes the e-GeForce 8800 GT KO more affordable than Asus' offering, even though it has a more complete bundle and longer warranty. All things considered, we can't help but recommend the EVGA e-GeForce 8800 GT KO for enthusiasts in the market for a quality GeForce 8800 GT card.


Best Warranty Great Bundle High Clock Speeds Strong Performance	Availability Not as fast as Asus' card

MSI NX8800GT:
At about $279, the MSI NX8800GT is the least expensive of the factory-overclocked GeForce 8800 GT cards we tested here. Although its lower clock speeds put it behind Asus' and EVGA's offerings in terms of performance, this card is still a great performer and much faster than stock "reference" GeForce 8800 GT cards. Like the other cards, availability is somewhat limited, but for under $280 this card is worth every penny. Ultimately, we feel EVGA's entry offers a better value if you account for its bundle and warranty, but you can't go wrong with any of the GeForce 8800 GT cards we've shown you here today.


Lowest Price Strong Performance	Availability Basic Bundle

Tags: Asus, MSI, GeForce, evga, round-up, MS, VGA, force, GT

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com