ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb
Today, we've got another GeForce 8800GT by ASUS at our test lab. Although we are already familiar with video cards of this series and it's hard to amaze us by that, the interesting point in ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb is the twice as much of the video memory than that of the "regular" GeForce 8800GT. This amount of memory can't be treated as an excess - just recall our recent review where we described the issue of memory lack in games powered by Windows Vista. Even in the lighter modes with the FSAA disabled, the video memory usage is closely approaching 512 MB, which we also described recently. So, who knows - perhaps in the future Far Cry 2 game there will be a lack of video memory. In fact, these are merely future forecasts, so we'll be exploring the novelty by ASUS not only in terms of the increased onboard memory capacity but also in terms of the quality of the cooling system and overclocking. OK then. Off we go!
The box for ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb is traditionally large like almost all the boxes for video cards by this manufacturer. The front side of the package is decorated with the image of a lady archer and lists the key specifications of the video card. The manufacturer paid a special attention to the 1 GB of video memory, which is seen through the mention of the capability to play games at the maximum quality settings due to this innovation. Actually, this is partly true.
The reverse side of the box deals with ASUS' proprietary utilities which we examined as well as other proprietary information.
Almost all huge boxes by ASUS are equipped with this "feature" - they open up like books. On the centerfold, the manufacturer describes its proprietary utilities and provides their illustrations.
The package bundle of the video card is extended:
- power supply adapter for PCI-Express video cards;
- S-Video/Component out adapter;
- DVI -> D-Sub adapter;
- drivers CD;
- Documentation CD;
- wallet for 16 CDs;
- brief installation guide.
ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb looks almost the same as the recently reviewed ASUS EN8800GS TOP. The secret of such similarity is simple – both the video cards are made on the base of the same PCB and equipped with absolutely the same cooling systems. But the cheaper EN8800GS TOP offers two (not unsoldered) memory chips near the bracket with interface connectors.
The reverse side of the video card makes no difference from that in ASUS EN8800GS TOP, except the different marking label. Lastly, we note that both EN8800GT 1Gb and EN8800GS TOP are made following ASUS' proprietary design. Apart from modifications in the PCB wiring, engineers at ASUS equipped the two video cards with a 3-phase subsystem for the power supply of the GPU, instead of the 2-phase subsystem as provided by NVIDIA's reference design. In theory, such a move should result in better overclocking of the video card, but as the practice showed, that is far not always true.
The cooling system of ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb is made up of two parts. The first part is the system for cooling the GPU, fully made of an aluminum radiator and a fan with the diameter of the impeller being 75 mm (like that on 80 mm fans). The radiator is fully painted in golden color and is free of any additional processing of the base. The graphic chip is contacted by the radiator through a solid grey mass, as can be seen on the photo.
The second part of the cooling system rejects heat from the power components of the power supply subsystems and is designed from a golden radiator and a decorative lid with the "ASUS" logo on. The radiator contacts the items being cooled through a soft white washer which is really tender, and after the first removal of the radiator it tore up.
In conclusion, we note that both the cooling systems are fastened with spring-loaded screws.
This is how ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb looks without the cooling system. To the left, there is the G92 GPU, with eight memory chips positioned around in circle which make up the 1 GB of video memory. To the right, you can see the power supply items which are cooled by a smaller radiator. They are easy to note – parts of the heat-conductive washer left on them.
The memory chips are made by Qimonda and offer 1.1 ns access time, which is equivalent to the effective frequency 1800 MHz. Now, let's verify the efficiency of the cooling system and the overclocking capability of the video card.
Efficiency of the cooling system and overclocking
We already tested a similar cooling system in the review on ASUS EN8800GS TOP but that time we took the temperature readings with ASUS Smart Doctor, and this time we'll be using Riva Tuner 2.07. Since ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb is made following ASUS' proprietary design, Riva Tuner is unable to read the temperature of the GPU immediately. To fix this shortcoming, we should modify the "default" source value to "NV ThermalDiode.dll:0".
That done, the graph will start displaying the temperature of the GPU and taking the readings from the temperature sensor integrated into the core. Further results are a matter of skill. As usual, we'll be warming up the video card with the game Oblivion set to the maximum quality. Here is the result:
Starting from 51 C at rest, the card warmed up to 80 C. At the same time, the speed of the fan of the cooling system remained unchanged to ear, so we can say that ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb is quiet enough - at least, you can play a game or watch a film without being distracted by the CPU unit.
As regards overclocking, the new product did not please us at all. It nominal frequencies amount to 600 / 1500 MHz for the graphic chip and 1800 MHz for the memory. Note that they match the clock speeds recommended by NVIDIA. We were able to overclock to … 600/1728 MHz for the graphic chip, and the video memory wouldn't overclock at all. Therefore, we have to admit that our specimen of ASUS EN8800GT 1Gb almost won't overclock. Although, it may be possible that we got a specimen of the video card, unsuccessful in terms of overclocking.
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