Specifications, the card, consumption, tests

Spécifications

For specifications, the GeForce 8800 GT is close to the GeForce 8800 GTX in terms of calculation power and texture filtering : however, it is very far in memory bandwidth as its bus is limited to 256 bits. It’s the same situation for the Radeon HD 3800 compared to the Radeon HD 2900 XT. The HD 3870 is slightly ahead while the Radeon HD 3850 is slightly behind in terms of raw power.

The GeForce 8800 GTS 512 has very high calculation power and dethrones the Ultra in this characteristic with 7% more. On the other hand, it relatively weak with 40% less bandwidth.

The card

For this test, Point of View was the first to provide us with a sample of its GeForce 8800 GTS 512 EXO Edition which has increased frequencies.

These go from 650/1625/970 to 700/1750/1000 or respective overclocking of 7, 7 and 3%. From this, we noted gains from 2 to 5% depending on the game and compared to cards with standard specifications.



Point of View includes DVI to VGA and DVI to HDMI adaptors, a PCI Express power connector, and the game The Settlers – Rise of an Empire. All of this is announced by the manufacturer for 305 €.

While the card is still in the "silent" category, it is not as quiet as the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra because the fan turns faster in idle. This could be due to a different setting on the part of Point of View that wanted to assure sufficient cooling of its card.

In terms of overclocking, there is currently no program that allows independently modifying the 3 frequencies of this GeForce 8. Through Nvidia’s control panel we were able to carry out a very small overclocking. We were thus able to go from 700 to 730 Mhz for the core and from 1000 to 1050 MHz for memory, which of course couldn’t go much higher given that this was 1.0 ns GDDR3 like with the GeForce 8800 GT.


On the left, the GeForce 8800 GT’s memory, on the right, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512’s. They are identical.
Finally, note that while the PCB is identical to that of the GeForce 8800 GT, the power stage is complete on the GTS 512 while this wasn’t entirely true for the former. In this way, enough power should be ensured given consumption that should be logically higher.


On the left, the PCB of the GeForce 8800 GT, on the right, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512’s.

Power consumption

We evaluated the power consumption of the different cards. Measurements were taken at the wall socket, in order to have the total power consumption of the power supply, in this case, an Enermax Galaxy 850W.


A large advantage of 65 nanometers is that power use is greatly reduced. While consumption is still relatively high and requires a PCI Express connection we are very far from the extremes of the GeForce 8800 Ultra and Radeon HD 2900 XT.

Consumption in idle is strongly reduced which is a very good thing. In stand-by a GeForce 8800 Ultra consumes 50 watts more than an 8800 GT and 43 watts more than the GTS 512, which however has very high calculation power!

It’s the same for the Radeon HD 3870. In idle, the consumption of the Radeon HD 3870 is extremely low and even lower than that of the GeForce 8800 GT. This is great news. An inactive Radeon HD 2900 XT wastes 60 watts more! To obtain this result, AMD introduced Powerplay to GPU desktops. Thus 2D and 3D frequencies are different and the GPU dynamically changes this parameter depending on the graphic load. If you are watching a game introduction at 30 fps, the GPU doesn’t need to go up to the same frequency that demanding gamers need to play, for example, at 100 fps. We can only ask why this wasn’t done earlier?

The tests

For this test, we used 10 games, four of which support DirectX 10. All tests were carried out in 1920x1200 and 1280x1024 with anisotropic filtering activated when an option in the game. HDR was activated every time when available.

Finally, transparency/adaptive antialiasing were activated in multisampling mode as Nvidia has just implemented a new and more efficient version in its drivers. For AMD, it is forced in many games and its activation is now possible via the control panel.

Of course, all updates to Windows Vista relative to performance were installed.

Test configuration

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6850
nForce 680i SLI EVGA
2 GB DDR2
Windows Vista
Forceware 169.04 (169.05 for Crysis)
Catalyst 7.10 beta

Note that we set the Point of View card to standard frequencies for the test via a modification to the bios.

HD Video

HD video

While the first cards of any given generation are generally very poorly equipped for HD video, luckily AMD and Nvidia take the time to correct this point on the following versions. In this way, while the GeForce 8800 GTS/GTX/Ultra and Radeon HD 2900 XT are not very efficient in terms of the acceleration of HD video decoding, the GeForce 8800 GT and Radeon HD 3800 correct this defect. You may recall, AMD has the advantage of entirely managing VC-1 decoding in addition to h.264 while Nvidia does only completely cover the latter.

We measured the performances of the different solutions in reading two HD DVDs, one in VC1 (King Kong) and the other in H.264 (Babel). The test configuration was changed and was now based on a Core 2 Duo E6400. For software, we remained in Windows Vista and used Power DVD version 3104 and in version 3501 for the Radeon HD 3800 which is incompatible with the previous version.


The new cards live up to their expectations here.

We also took a look at video quality and based our evaluations on the analysis tests of the HD HQV suite (go here for the details of these tests).


GeForce 8800s based on the G92 have the same behavior as the GeForce 8600 GTS. The rest of the GeForce line has problems with inverse telecine and doesn’t manage to reproduce these videos in high enough quality.

The 4 Radeon HDs obtained a score of 100, the difference being in terms of digital noise reduction. For Nvidia, this is activated with drivers in the control panel with a setting between 0 and 100 and set too high it can produce visual defects. We settled for 51%. Note that this test is subjective and that in some videos it’s best to be able to deactivate this effect when noise can benefit display of a movie. With the latest AMD beta drivers used for this test, you can also adjust the noise algorithm via Catalyst.

Enemy Territory : Quake Wars

Enemy Territory : Quake Wars

While Quake Wars is based on the Doom 3 engine, it has undergone some evolution such as megatexturing which facilitates the work of artists ; however, there is the additional cost in terms of decoding and access to megatextures. In the end, Quake Wars is a little more resource heavy than Doom 3 or Quake 4.

We saved a demo in a sequence versus 4 bots. Given that artificial intelligence was not calculated in the timedemo, results were less affected by the CPU than in actual gameplay or at least in this case versus our bot adversaries.

All parameters were set to a maximum in the game including 16x anisotropic filtering. The patch 1.2 was used.


In this first test, the GeForce 8800 GT and GTS 512 are found halfway between the GTS and GTX. The Radeon HD 3870 is equivalent to the Radeon HD 2900 XT and therefore is on the same level as the 8800 GT in 1280x1024 and the 8800 GTS in 1920x1200. The Radeon HD 3850 is 15 to 20% behind due to the fact that Quake Wars is very dependent on the memory bandwidth. On the other hand, it is far ahead of the GeForce 8600 GTS and Radeon HD 2600 XT.


Once antialiasing was activated, performance reductions are slightly greater for the Radeons. The GeForce 8800 GTS 512 is 10% below the GTX.

Half Life 2 - Episode 2

Half Life 2 Episode 2

Still based on the Source Engine, Half Life 2 Episode 2 doesn’t really have anything new on the technological level. It simply optimizes and more heavily relies on the engine’s capabilities, making the game more resource heavy than its previous versions. We carry out a demo with all game options set to a maximum including anisotropic filtering which is in 16x.


The GeForce 8800 GT is on the heels of its bigger sibling and clearly puts some distance between it and the 8800 GTS /Radeon HD 3850. Calculation power seems of utter importance in Half Life 2 Episode 2, to the point that the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 surpasses the GeForce 8800 Ultra !


It’s the exact same situation once 4x antialiasing is activated, except the Radeon HD performances are even more impacted. In this case, the Radeon HD 3870 is equivalent to the GeForce 8800 GTS. Finally, the GTS 512 is ahead of the GTX.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

We carry out an identical movement and measure the framerate with fraps. The test was done in high quality, complete dynamic lighting, and high detail followed by another session in medium quality, complete dynamic lighting, maximum details (anisotropic filtering 16x) and foliage shadows. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. uses an engine based on differed rendering, which is fundamentally incompatible with MSAA and makes the use of antialiasing impossible. A type of filtering of edges carried out with a shader can be activated but results are mixed. The 1.00004 patch is used.


The GeForce 8800 GT and GTS 512 are found between a GTS and GTX. The GeForce 8800 GTS 320 is far behind, 320 MB being insufficient for this game. Overall, the Radeons are in the distance and this game seems to prefer the GeForce. In this test, the Radeon HD 3870 is equivalent to the Radeon HD 2900 XT.

Rainbow Six : Vegas

Rainbow Six : Vegas

The first PC game based on the Unreal Engine 3.0, Rainbow Six : Vegas is still a very resource heavy game. We measure performances in the introductory scene. The HDR mode is activated as it is more or less obligatory as without it banding is very noticeable. Shadows are set to “low” because a higher quality in this domain lowers performance too much in certain areas.


Originally designed for the Xbox 360, this game seems to have a natural affinity to the Radeon HD which has a similar architecture to the game console’s graphic chip. The Radeon HD 2900 XT and HD 3870 finish first for once. The GeForce 8800 GT is very close to the 8800 GTX while the GTS 512 surpasses the two as calculation power is of high importance here.


The game does not support antialiasing but Nvidia has implemented it to drivers like it does with Oblivion. This is contrary to AMD who unfortunately didn’t make this effort. Here, the GeForce 8800 GT and GTS 512 are situated halfway between the GTS and GTX. The GTS 320 does not have enough memory to launch the game in 1920x1200.

Oblivion

Oblivion

We saved a specific movement in order for it to be always identical and the test reproducible. Of course, HDR was activated.


Given that Oblivion is very dependent on calculation power in HDR mode, the GeForce 8800 GT places close to the GTX, the GTS 512 surpasses the Ultra, and the Radeon HD 3870 finishes with the Radeon HD 2900 XT.


Once FSAA 4x is activated, the 2 Radeon HD 3800s surpass the Radeon HD 2900 XT (especially the 3870 which is ahead of the GeForce 8800 GTX). The 8800 GTS 512 and Ultra are on top.

Colin McRae DIRT

Colin McRae DIRT

To test Colin McRae‘s latest opus which is very resource heavy we carried out a well defined sequence in high quality mode. Note that the activation of antialiasing is highly recommended given the way menus are rendered and because post processing effects amplify aliasing. The patch 1.2 was used.


Once again, the GeForce 8800 GT places between the GTS and GTX while the GTS 512 is ahead of all of them. The Radeon HD 2900 XT and Radeon HD 3870 are on the same level as the GeForce 8800 GTS and the HD 3850 is slightly behind.


No big change with antialiasing except that the 320 MB of the GeForce 8800 GTS 320 aren’t enough.

Bioshock

Bioshock

The first game based on the Unreal Engine 3.0 to support DirectX 10, Bioshock has great graphics even in DirectX 9 mode while it is less resource heavy than Rainbow Six : Vegas. We carry out a well defined sequence of movement with all options pushed to a maximum.


In DirectX 9 mode, the Radeon HD 2900 XT is rather fast and very close to the GeForce 8800 Ultra. The Radeon HD 3800 have lower performances but although the HD 3870 is behind the GTX and GTS 512, it still surpasses the GeForce 8800 GT. The Radeon HD 2600 XT is ahead of the GeForce 8600 GTS but these 2 cards remain largely behind.


Like with Rainbow Six : Vegas, Nvidia allows the activation of antialiasing for this game which doesn’t normally support it while AMD doesn’t offer this option. Also, for some unknown reason, it was impossible to activate antialiasing on the GeForce 8800 and 8600 GTS.


In DirectX 10 mode, GeForce 8 performances are similar to what we obtained in DirectX 9. On the other hand, for the Radeon, performances are strongly reduced for the Radeon HD 2900 XT while more moderately so for the Radeon HD 3800s. In the end, the 3870 surpasses the HD 2900 XT in this test.

Note that it is not yet possible to activate antialiasing in DirectX 10 mode for Nvidia and AMD.

Company of Heroes

Company of Heroes

Given that Company of Heroes received a DirectX 10 patch that adds a real plus on the graphics level, we decided to add it to our test protocol. All graphic settings were pushed to a maximum except for terrain details which remained on High (Ultra mode is reserved for DirectX 10). Textures were also limited to High, because the game indicates a lack of system memory for the GeForce in DirectX 9 mode with Ultra textures.

We run the integrated test on version 1.71.


The GeForce 8800 GT is just barely ahead of the Radeon and largely surpasses the 8800 GTS. The Radeon HD 3800s finish between the GeForce 8800 GTS and GT. As for the new GTS 512, it is almost equivalent to the GeForce 8800 Ultra.


Once 4x antialiasing is activated, Radeon HD 2900 XT performances plummet while those of the GeForce 8 line show consistent results.


In DirectX 10, performances are clearly inferior as the engine displays more advanced graphics. The Radeon HD 3870 surpasses the Radeon HD 2900 XT and places next to the 8800 GTS.


The standings are identical with antialiasing and a comparatively larger reduction in performance for the Radeons. Note that the GeForce 8600 GTS and Radeon HD 2600 XT quickly show their limits and are very far behind. The GTS 512 finishes just behind the GTX while it was ahead in the other modes.

World in Conflict

World in Conflict

Very resource heavy and with nice graphics, it’s only natural World in Conflict joins our test suite. We carry out the internal test with the patch 1.0002. All game options are pushed to a maximum.


The Radeon HD 2900 XT and HD 3870 finish with the GeForce 8800 GTS, at least in its 640 MB version. The 320 MB model is left behind due to insufficient memory. The best GeForce 8800s are CPU limited here.


With antialiasing 4x, the GeForce 8800 GT seems to be only slightly limited by its memory bandwidth and is not that far from the 8800 GTS. The GTS 512 finishes between the GT and GTX while Radeon performances plummet here.


The performances of all cards are slightly reduced in DirectX 10 except for those of the Radeon HD 2900 XT which is more impacted. For this reason the two Radeon HD 3800s are ahead.

This is the one and only time that the GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB surpasses the 8800 GT and is equivalent to the GTS 512 given that a reduced bandwidth and/or presence of "only" 512 MB most likely limit them a bit in these conditions. A problem seems to affect Radeon performances which are very low in these conditions. This is often similar with the 2 resolutions, which seems to suggest a bug in drivers.

Crysis - Demo SP

Crysis – SP demo

Although we don’t usually use demos in our test suite, it’s hard to pass up Crysis due to the fact that this game is so much awaited and redefines modern graphics quality. We carry out the internal test in DirectX 9 High mode (forced via the addition of –dx9 behind the executable) and in DirectX 10 Very High mode.


The GeForce 8800 GT is close to the GTX and just ahead of the Radeon HD 2900 XT and HD 3870. The HD 3850 is equivalent to a GeForce 8800 GTS. Note that only the GeForce 8800 GT/GTX/GTS512/Ultra allow playing in High mode and 1280x1024 and even then just barely. This game is very demanding on all levels including for memory because the 320 MB of the GeForce 8800 GTS 320 is already insufficient.


With antialiasing, a number of cards start to fall off. While the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra manage to do ok, the GT and GTS 512 plummet in 1920x1200 due to a lack of video memory. As for the Radeon HD 2900 XT and HD 3800, performances are cut in half!


With all details pushed to their limits and in DirectX 10, the GeForce 8800 GT is ahead of the Radeon HD 2900 XT and HD 3870 which are in turn equivalent to the 8800 GTS 640 MB. The 512 version is very close to the GTX.


And what about playing with all settings set to a maximum in 1280x1024 with the current biggest high end solution? Impossible and it’s a humbling experience for all cards. We can’t wait for the GeForce 9800 in SLI!

Recap

Recap

Although individual game results are interesting, we calculated a performance index based on all tests with the same weight for each game. A score of 100 was given to the GeForce 8800 GT in 1280x1024.


On average while the GeForce 8800 GT is 10% behind the GeForce 8800 GTX, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 is just ahead! The GeForce 8800 GT and above also finish ahead of the Radeon HD 2900 XT. The Radeon HD 3870 is just behind this last card and the "little" Radeon HD 3850 is equivalent to the GeForce 8800 GTS.


With antialiasing 4x filtering activated, the GeForce 8800 GT slightly varies its position between the GTS and GTX depending on the game. Either way, performances are still very good. The GeForce 8800 GTS 320 MB is clearly limited by its memory in this area. The GeForce 8800 GTS 512 is equivalent to the GTX in 1280x1024 but is limited by its quantity of memory in certain games in 1920x1200 placing it on average a little behind in this resolution. As for the Radeon HD 2900 XT, its bugged ROPs in terms of antialiasing forced AMD to use an alternative solution which is very flexible but it stifles performances. For this reason, the Radeon HD 3800 does relatively better despite its memory bus which is half the size. Thus on average, the 3870 is ahead of the Radeon HD 2900 XT. Nevertheless, the GeForce line always does better and the 8800 GT has a significant advantage over the Radeon HD 3800 in this area.

Note that the average scores of some cards was reduced because they aren’t capable of antialiasing in Rainbow Six : Vegas and Bioshock. However, in our opinion, excluding these games would not change the standings. You can consult this possibility here.


In DirectX 10, the GeForce 8800 GT and 512 GTS aren’t disappointing and are still between the GTS and GTX and ahead of the Radeon HD 2900 XT. This last card is in turn is surpassed by the Radeon HD 3870.


In DirectX 10 with FSAA 4x, the GeForce 8800 GT and GTS 512 are more limited by memory bandwidth and size; however, despite everything they are still equivalent to a GeForce 8800 GTS 640 MB. In these extreme conditions, the GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra hold an advantage while the Radeon HDs are behind.

Conclusion

Conclusion

As much as this GeForce 8800 GTS 512 is a good product (like all the new cards in this category), it also left a little to be desired. The difference with the GeForce 8800 GT is actually rather small (a little more than 10%) and in the areas where it had trouble, the new arrival doesn’t improve much. This is due to limited memory bandwidth as well as a size of 512 MB which is not enough in certain games in 1920x1200 once antialiasing is activated.


While we hoped to see Nvidia use very fast memory on this GTS to compensate for a bus reduced to 256 bits, this was not the case. In fact, the memory chips of the GeForce 8800 GT were simply slightly overclocked and the GeForce 8800 GTS 512’s performance gain compared to this previous model comes mainly from 23% higher computing power. This last improvement does however allow it to surpass the GeForce 8800 Ultra in certain conditions.

The increased price compared to the 8800 GT, higher power consumption and doubled size isn’t really justified in our opinion. The GeForce 8800 GTX and Ultra hold their advantage in extreme conditions and the GeForce 8800 GT has a better quality/price ratio all while offering capabilities in the same category as the 8800 GTS 512.

So our conclusion doesn’t change from our previous test – or at least if we based our evaluation on announced prices. GeForce 8800 GT supplies being very low compared to the demand has meant bloated prices, often surpassing 300 € or the amount of the overclocked Point of View GeForce 8800 GTS 512 tested here. Of course, at equivalent prices the latter has an advantage.


What is going to happen now? Will the 8800 GT finally be offered for the announced price? We would hope so but not to the point of believing Nvidia won’t find it more beneficial to allocate a maximum of chips to the GTS 512 instead of the GT. The first is more profitable while the second was mainly to counter AMD’s determined pricing strategy.

In other words, the immediate availability of the GeForce 8800 GTS 512 should be better. If you aren’t tempted by the Radeon HD 3870, you should look to the GTS 512, while waiting for the supply and demand of the GeForce 8800 GT to settle availability issues and establish a price below 250 €.