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PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB Video Card Review

Nov 5 2007, 12:00am CST | by

PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB Video Card Review
 
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Today we are looking at the latest video card from NVIDIA the 8800 GT. The 8800 GT we will be looking at here is a stock clocked video card from PNY called the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB. The PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB carries a very affordable price of $269.99 and has some serious performance. Read on for all the details on the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB.

Gallery

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PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ReviewPNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB Video Card ReviewPNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB Video Card Review

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB has a core clock speed of 600MHz, a memory clock of 1.8 GHz and a shader clock of 1500MHz. The card has 512MB of memory and a 256-bit memory interface. The fill rate for the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB is 33.6 billion pixels/sec and the memory bandwidth is 57.6GB/sec. One of the best features of the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB is that it is a single slot card and only requires one power cable to operate.

This card supports SLI and DirectX 10. All the features of this card are shared in common with the other 8800 series graphics cards on the market save one notable feature. The 8800 GT is the first video card from NVIDIA to be compatible with PCI Express 2.0 offering twice the bandwidth of current PCI Express slots. The PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB is fully backwards compatible with PCI Express 1.0 as well. The card is also HDCP capable for watching protected HD films on your computer.

Test Machine
Before we get into the benchmarks for the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB, we need to talk about the specifications for the test machine used in this review. The system specifications are as follows:

  • CPU- Intel QX6850
  • Mainboard- XFX 680i
  • PSU- PC Power and Cooling 1KW
  • Display- Dell 30-inch
  • OS- Windows XP Pro

Benchmarks & Testing
To test the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB I will be using 3DMark06, FEAR, Bioshock, and Enemy territory: Quake Wars. The first test up is 3DMark06.

3DMark06
For testing with 3DMark06, I ran the application at default settings and used default settings within the NVIDIA control panel. The 3DMark06 results are as follows:

  • Total 3DMarks- 12812
  • SM2.0- 5342
  • HDR/SM3.0- 5129
  • CPU- 4577
  • Return to Proxycon- 43.409
  • Firefly Forest- 45.622
  • Canyon Flight- 49.022
  • Deep Freeze- 53.558
  • CPU1- 1.531
  • CPU2- 2.189

To say that the numbers from the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB are impressive would be an understatement. This card is seriously fast. To compare the XFX 8800 Ultra XXX tested on the same test machine scored 14378 total 3DMarks. The XFX 8800 GTS 320MB Fatal1ty video card I recently tested scored 12717. To put that last score in perspective, remember that the XFX 8800 GTS 320MB Fatal1ty graphics card is hands down the fastest 8800 GTS 320MB card on the planet and highly overclocked whereas the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB is totally stock running NVIDIA reference clocks.

FEAR
The next test up for the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB is with FEAR. To test with FEAR I used the in game test loop and used a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200, 16x AF, 4xAAm with all settings on max. The in game test loop recorded the following information:

  • Min- 30 fps
  • Avg- 60 fps
  • Max- 134 fps

The percentages show that the frame rates never dipped below 25 fps, 26% of the time the frame rate was 25-40 fps, and 74% of the time frame rates were greater than 40 fps.

Bioshock
The next gaming test up was with Bioshock. I ran the game at 1920 x 1200 with all settings on high. I used Fraps to record frame rate data while playing a level starting at Fountain Fisheries. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

  • Min- 31 fps
  • Avg- 45.382 fps
  • Max- 69 fps

Quake Wars
The final game test was with Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. I ran the game with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200, shaders on ultra, 8x AA and all settings on high. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on a single player map on Australia. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

  • Min- 16 fps
  • Avg- 52.671 fps
  • Max- 62 fps

Final Thoughts
In the end I was very pleased with the performance of the stock clocked PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB video card. This card carries a bargain price that most gamers can afford and provides performance that is better than many video cards costing more money. The stock PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB ran impressively close to the super expensive and high-end XFX 8800 Ultra XXX in 3DMark06. If you have a video card on your Christmas list this year, the PNY XLR8 8800 GT 512MB will definitely allow you to play all this year’s hottest games.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

  • Superb performance
  • Great price
  • Single slot design

Cons

  • No bundled games

Verdict

 

<a href="/latest_stories/all/all/3" rel="author">Shane McGlaun</a>
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.

 

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