PCSTATS     
[X]   Directory of
Guides & Reviews

Beginners Guides
Motherboards by Brand
Weekly Newsletter
Archived Newsletters

+70 MORE Beginner GUIDES....
Asus EN8800GT TOP Geforce 8800GT 512MB Videocard Review
Asus EN8800GT TOP Geforce 8800GT 512MB Videocard Review - PCSTATS
The Asus EN8800GT TOP videocard is tweaked to 700 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory, up from the default 600 MHz core / 900 MHz memory settings.
 90% Rating:   
Filed under: Video Cards Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: ASUS Jan 03 2008   C. Sun  
Home > Reviews > Video Cards > ASUS EN8800GT TOP

nVIDIA put a smile on gamers around the world with its release of the 'G92' graphics core. Thus far, competition from the AMD camp has been pretty light, even though it has refreshed its product lineup recently. The nVidia GeForce 8800GT GPU offers gamers exceptional performance for a relatively low price point, and I think of all graphics cores on the market today it has the best value.

At the moment there are two G92 based products from nVIDIA, the GeForce 8800GT and the Geforce 8800GTS. Most of the attention has been focused on the 8800GT simply because it's slightly cheaper, and many GeForce 8800GT videocards have no problem overclocking to 8800GTS speeds! ;-) Finding an nVIDIA GeForce 8800GT videocard on the market isn't too hard, but expect these graphics cards to get snapped up rather quickly.

Whether you like it or not, with Microsoft holding firm on its "no DirectX 10 for WindowsXP" position, gamers have to upgrade to Windows Vista sooner or later. With DirectX 10 titles like BioShock, Unreal Tournament 3 and World in Conflict making waves the lure is certainly getting to strong to resist.

For this, you need a killer fast DirectX10 compliant videocard and a computer loaded with Windows Vista. Enter ASUS and a very strong contender for your cash - the PCI Express x16 ASUS EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A videocard. GeForce 8800GT-class videocards tend to overclock well, so it's no surprise that many come pre-overclocked from the factory floor. The Asus EN8800GT TOP videocard is tweaked to 700 MHz core and 1000 MHz memory, up from the default 600 MHz core / 900 MHz memory settings. Heck it's even faster than a Geforce 8800GTS's 650 MHz core and 970 MHz default clock speed! Oh Asus, how you spoil us gamers!

Asus EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A Videocard


Includes:

User's Manual, Driver CD, DVI to analog converter, S-Video Cable, Video Output Cables, SLI 6-pin power cable.

The Asus EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A videocard comes with 512MB of onboard memory and is priced at a reasonable $312 CDN ($310 USD, £154 GBP). That's about the middle of the pack for GeForce 8800GT videocards, and well below the price point of 8800GTS 512MB models. The EN8800GT TOP also comes with a full DirectX 10 copy of the video game Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts.

The Asus EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A videocard is quite obviously based on the nVidia reference design. More importantly, this videocard uses a single slot heatsink - particularly important if you expect to install it within a small form factor PC like the Shuttle SG33G50. It's a refreshing change from the dual slot heatsink strapped onto GeForce 8800GTX/GTS videocards.

Hidden under the large metal EMI shield is an aluminum heatsink which runs the length of the videocard. On the top right hand corner of the EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A videocard is a six pin PCI Express x16 power connector. Don't forget to plug that in before powering on the system or you'll make it angry. At the top left hand corner of the videocard you'll see the SLI bridge connector; the card can be run with one other GeForce 8800GT videocard in SLI mode for a little extra 3D goodness.

PCSTATS tests all graphics cards in a motherboard sitting on top of a desk, not in a case. Noise and noisy videocards are like water torture, so we can definitely say the Asus EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M/A is quiet running. The videocard heatsink is equipped with a 50mm PWM fan that is temperature controlled. For most of our test regime it ran at low RPM. There were a few instances when the fan had to spin up, and in those cases the EN8800GT TOP videocard was pretty loud. I doubt you'd notice when you're knee deep in the digital mud of a good DX10 game fighting off the enemy and reaching for a fresh mag... if you're like me, you're too engrossed by what's in front of your character to notice anything else.

Asus has done an excellent job at bundling software with its videocards, and we're definitely happy a copy of the DirectX 10 title Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is included here. The original Company of Heroes was acclaimed as one of the best real time strategy games of 2006, and I'm sure there are more than a few gamers looking forward to the sequel.

It's also nice that since the game is DirectX 10, it'll push the limits of the videocard harder than an older DirectX 9 game. Okay, a look at the NVidia G92 core is next, and then we'll dive into benchmarks and overclocking!

© 2023 PCSTATS.com Next Page >

 

Contents of Article: ASUS EN8800GT TOP
 Pg 1.  — Asus EN8800GT TOP Geforce 8800GT 512MB Videocard Review
 Pg 2.  nVIDIA G82 GeForce 8800GT Core
 Pg 3.  Overclocking the quick Asus Videocard
 Pg 4.  Videocard Benchmarks: 3DMark06
 Pg 5.  Videocard Benchmarks: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
 Pg 6.  Videocard Benchmarks: Quake 4
 Pg 7.  Videocard Benchmarks: FEAR
 Pg 8.  DX10 Videocard Benchmarks: Call of Juarez
 Pg 9.  DX10 Videocard Benchmarks: Lost Planet
 Pg 10.  Advanced Videocard Benchmarks: Quake 4, FEAR
 Pg 11.  PCSTATS Maximum Videocard Overclocking Chart & Conclusions

 
Hardware Sections 


 
PCSTATS Network Features Information About Us Contact
FrostyTech
PCSTATS Newsletter
Tech Glossary
Technology WebSite Listings
News Archives
(Review RSS Feed)
Site Map
PCstats Wallpaper
About Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise on PCSTATS

How's Our Driving?
© Copyright 1999-2023 www.pcstats.com All rights reserved. Privacy policy and Terms of Use.