New Ultra High End Price Point With GeForce 8800 Ultra
by Derek Wilson on May 2, 2007 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Performance
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a relatively new benchmark for us, and we are working on tweaking it. Currently we just run in a straight line through grass and trees toward some buildings and people using FRAPS to record framerate. For this test, we've turned everything up as high as it can go (except the in game AA setting) and enabled grass shadows.
While MSAA is not supported due to the deferred rendering model used, playability at extreme resolutions is already pushed to the limits. In this game, edge antialiasing is not really an issue for us, as level design is quite good at avoiding extremely high contrast edges. Thin lines are a problem, so some sort of real AA would be nice. The in game AA setting isn't very good quality and doesn't do anything for thin lines.
Our performance tests show another case where the 8800 Ultra is within 10% of the performance of the 8800 GTX. As with our other run through FRAPS test in Oblivion, the EVGA card and the 8800 Ultra trade places going from 16x12 to 19x12. This test does seem to be more consistent than Oblivion, but with anything FRAPS, we do give it a little more leeway. But once again our conclusion is that the overclocked EVGA 8800 GTX and the 8800 Ultra perform the same.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a relatively new benchmark for us, and we are working on tweaking it. Currently we just run in a straight line through grass and trees toward some buildings and people using FRAPS to record framerate. For this test, we've turned everything up as high as it can go (except the in game AA setting) and enabled grass shadows.
While MSAA is not supported due to the deferred rendering model used, playability at extreme resolutions is already pushed to the limits. In this game, edge antialiasing is not really an issue for us, as level design is quite good at avoiding extremely high contrast edges. Thin lines are a problem, so some sort of real AA would be nice. The in game AA setting isn't very good quality and doesn't do anything for thin lines.
Our performance tests show another case where the 8800 Ultra is within 10% of the performance of the 8800 GTX. As with our other run through FRAPS test in Oblivion, the EVGA card and the 8800 Ultra trade places going from 16x12 to 19x12. This test does seem to be more consistent than Oblivion, but with anything FRAPS, we do give it a little more leeway. But once again our conclusion is that the overclocked EVGA 8800 GTX and the 8800 Ultra perform the same.
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ssidbroadcast - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
$300-$200 more for an overclock? That's it?For that much more money, buy a GTX, take off the stupid heatsink that takes up a whole slot, and spend the extra 200-300 on a decent water cooler.
nVidia is getting just plain arrogant now. C'mon, AMTi... pull it together!
MadBoris - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
Obviously it's the best nvidia could do with the time they had to compete with the R600. They came out with something to maintain perfromance crown, better than nothing.Obviously not worth the price...
Question is...HOW DOES THIS CARD OVERCLOCK?
How fast can this card really go with core and mem?
sxr7171 - Thursday, May 3, 2007 - link
Yeah it is a trophy card. They had to do it for good PR. Now if anyone actually buys it, I guess that's a bonus for Nvidia. There are a good number of people in the world with more money than they know what to do with. This is for those people who buy $300 shirts regularly or don't think twice before dropping $20,000 on a sofa.bob4432 - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
this kind of b.s. from a company will mean i will probably never buy another nvidia gpu, and after my next build another m/b based on their chipset. this is a complete joke and i can't wait for amd/ati to put out something soon. the x1950x is a good card but needs a big brother that is dx10.this has got to be the dumbest thing i have seen since the killernic...this move should even make the fanboys question their allegiance.
sxr7171 - Thursday, May 3, 2007 - link
You are the fanboy for getting so riled up over this and thinking that you shouldn't buy Nvidia's currently superior products because of it. If you have $300 to spend on a video card, there is nothing that beats an 8800GTS now. What does Nvidia releasing a BS $830 card have to do with the excellent price/performance you have been able to get from their other products since late last year.The dumbest thing I have seen is people who will wait to buy something only from a specific company to get poorer performance for their dollar. It is the same kind of sucker who would buy the 8800GTX Ultra.
ss284 - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
This kind of BS happens because ATI can't come out with anything to beat the 8800gtx, even 6+ months after it was released. Nvidia is price gouging because they really have no competition. The R600 is a complete joke, hopefully the coming reviews will shed some light on why.defter - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
Can you tell me what is the difference between $999 Q6700 and $530 Q6600? The price difference is huge, $470...coldpower27 - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
Unlocked Multiplier and 266MHZ more.mlambert890 - Friday, May 4, 2007 - link
Also, the 266 Mhz more and the "Extreme" branding means that the silicon tested higher. People seem to not want to place value on that, but then they get pissed if they're the one that buys the cheap part that will NOT o'clock. If you opt for the budget version, just realize that its a gamble. The "Extreme" parts are essentially geared towards o'clocking and should oclock.For example, getting my QX6700 to 3.2 was effortless and 3.46 required only a minor voltage bump. On water and with a bit more voltage I can do 3.7 but it gets hotter than I would like so I keep it at 3.46. Many people do better than I with the QX6700. This is ALL just multiplier also... NO FSB o'clock so NO need for better RAM and a mobo that isnt picky with FSB o'clocking.
personally, I think there is a LOT of value in all of that. People who dont can buy the cheaper part and feel the Extreme is a "ripoff".
The QX6700 vs. Q6600 is NOT analgous to this situation with the 8800GTX Ultra. NVidia is being ridiculous.
Staples - Wednesday, May 2, 2007 - link
This is just like CPUs the past few years which are 10% faster, the price is usually 50% or more. This is getting crazy without ATI in the market.