PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB Graphics Card Review

Today we are going to look at a graphics card from PNY called the PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB. This graphics card is the new GTS from NVIDIA with less memory and more shader units. Previously we looked at an overclocked 8800 GTS XXX from XFX. The PNY card today runs stock clock speeds. Read the full PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB review for all the details.

Gallery

5 images

Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB has a clock speed of 650MHz on the core, 1625 MHz on the shader and 1940MHz on the memory. The card uses 512MB of memory with a 256-bit memory interface. The memory bandwidth is 62.1 GB/sec and the fill rate is 41.6 billion pixels per second. Read the specification section of this review for more details.

Test Machine
The test machine I will be using for this review has the following specifications:

• 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 GTS 512MB I will use 3DMark06, Quake Wars, Bioshock, and Crysis. The first test up is 3DMark06.

3DMark06
I ran 3DMark06 at default settings in the 3DMark06 application and in the NVIDIA control panel. The PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB scored as follows on 3DMark06:

• Total 3DMarks- 13905
• SM2.0- 5807
• HDR/SM3.0- 5680
• CPU- 4718
• Return to Proxycon- 47.780
• Firefly Forest- 48.995
• Canyon Flight- 55.005
• Deep Freeze- 58.589
• CPU1- 1.563
• CPU2- 2.279

To compare the XFX 8800 GTS 512MB XXX overclocked card I reviewed scored 14012 3DMarks, the XFX 8800 Ultra XXX scored 14378 3DMarks and the XFX 8800 GT 512MB XXX scored 13546 3DMarks.

Quake Wars
The next test up for the PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB is Quake Wars. I ran the game at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 8x AA, all settings on high and smooth foliage on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on single player Africa campaign. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 12
• Avg- 33.731
• 61- fps

Bioshock
Next up was Bioshock, which I ran at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200, all settings on high, high detail shaders on, high detail post processing on, real time reflections on, distortion on, and shadow maps on. I used Fraps to record frame rate data on the single player Fontaine fisheries map where you leave your weapons behind. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• min- 38 fps
• Avg- 55.656 fps
• Max- 82 fps

Crysis
The final game test up is Crysis. I ran Crysis at a screen resolution of 1920 x 1200 with 4x AA and all settings on medium. I used Fraps to record frame rate data from the point where you are inserted on the beach after the parachute drop. Fraps recorded the following frame rate data:

• Min- 13 fps
• Avg- 20.777 fps
• Max- 36 fps

Final Thoughts
I was surprised by the performance of the stock clocked PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB. It was very close to the performance of the overclocked XFX 8800 GTS 512MB XXX card I reviewed previously. The MSRP of the PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB is $369.99 from PNY.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

• Good performance

Cons

• No games bundled

Verdict
The PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB is a nice video card with performance very close to that of the overclocked 8800 GTS 512MB cards I have tested. The price of the card is good considering the performance and gamers looking for a performance video card for their gaming machines will be happy with the PNY XLR8 8800 GTS 512MB.

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