Just went 8800GTX! Pics & Lots of Benchmarks

[Eliminator]

Well recently an EVGA rep (jAkUp) contancted me about trying to refund my import tax payments on the numerous broken cards I kept receiving. So instead I asked if I could do the Step-up program again. He said yes and here I am. Also it arrived by Purolator in 4 days and no import taxes. :D

Anyway I did a lot of testing and benchmarking to see just how much this card pwns the 7950GX2. For those of you that don't know, the 7950GX2 is the flagship card of the 7 series and it's basically two 7950GT 512MB cards stuck on one board with lower clock speeds.

Test Setup:
Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 3.4GHZ
Asus P5B Deluxe
2GB Corsair XMS2 6400C4 @ 850MHZ 4-4-4-12
eVGA 7950GX2 1024MB w/ Forceware 93.81 beta (imported SLI profiles from 162.18)
eVGA 8800GTX 768MB w/ Forceware 162.18 WHQL
Dell 2405FPW 24" 1920x1200
Creative Audigy 2 ZS
Windows XP SP2 32bit

Clocks & Settings:
CPU: 3.6GHZ (3DMark06: 7950GX2)
CPU: 3.5GHZ (Games: 7950GX2)
CPU: 3.4GHZ (3DMark06, Games: 8800GTX)
7950GX2 Stock: 500/1200, Overclocked: 594/1566
8800GTX Stock: 575/1800, Overclocked: 630/2100
- all gaming tests are run at 1920x1200
- all in-game settings are set to maximum unless specified

The reason the 8800GTX tests are done at 3.4GHZ is due to first the recent summer heat lowered my stable OC to 3.4GHZ and due to even more heat from the 8800GTX my stable is now 3.3GHZ ) :rolleyes:

Pics:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5785/20034211dq5.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3450/24404381ho5.jpg

I love the design. However, the card may look small but actually its gigantic. In fact I must be the luckiest person because I'm clearing the drive tray holders by only 2-3 mm. Card also runs pretty hot at about 65*C idle with fan at 100%.

Benchmarks:

3DMark06:
- default settings
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/1903/3dhz8.png

Not too shabby at all.


Chronicles of Riddick:
- in-game AF
- Softshadows ON
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4553/rid1ts1.png

- in-game AF
- Softshadows OFF
http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/7241/rid2xz5.png

Wow, suprised to the see the overclocked 7950GX2 keeping up with the stock 8800GTX.


Tomb Raider: Anniversary:
- 4xAA
http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/6112/tombqh5.png

Yet again the 7950GX2 is keeping up nicely here.


Medieval II Total War:
- 2xAA, 4xAF
- Shadows on extreme
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/1842/meduq7.png

Now the tables are starting to turn in more modern games. 63% improvement between the stock cards.


Call of Juarez DX9:
- in-game AF
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/5214/calljt0.png

A good 47% improvement on the stock cards.


Rainbow Six: Vegas:
- Motion blur OFF
- Shadows on HIGH
http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/7089/r61oy1.png

- Motion blur OFF
- Shadows on VERY LOW
http://img455.imageshack.us/img455/6577/r62bg4.png

8800GTX pulling ahead by 71/77% here between the stock clocks.

[Eliminator]

Splinter Cell: Double Agent:
- 8xAF
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6182/splzi6.png

WOW! Now THAT'S an improvement! The game is finally playable. A giant 171% improvement here on the stock levels. The 7950GX2 had SEVERE mouse lag here while the 8800GTX barely any.


FEAR Stress Test:
- 4xAA, 16xAF
- **Softshadows OFF
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/8892/fear1fv3.png
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/9414/fear2yh3.png

- 0xAA, 16xAF
- **Softshadows ON
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/4015/fear3vu3.png
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8837/fear4mi1.png

Well here we see the 7950GX2 about on par with the 8800GTX with AA/AF and no softshadows, but the 8800GTX pulls ahead a bit with softshadows and no AA.
**NOTE: In FEAR you can't enable AA and softshadows at the same time.


Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2:
- 8xAF
- **Dynamic Shadows OFF
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/620/grawmd1.png

A modest 45% increase on the stock levels.
**NOTE: Dynamic shadows are disabled due to the fact that current drivers after 158.xx have broken shadows in GRAW2.


Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion:
- Self shadows OFF
- Shadows on grass OFF
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7659/obl1uy0.png
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9315/obl2mo4.png

Now this is amazing. Outdoors we see a 91% improvement on the stock levels. The game runs like a dream on the 8800GTX. Not just because of the framerate but because it's so incredibly smooth. On the 7950GX2 it was pretty jerky outdoors and had some mouse lag as well.


Lost Planet Benchmark DX9:
- 8xAF
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/9219/lost1oz6.png
http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7716/lost2pv5.png

A nice boost here. About 20% more in the snow level compared to the caves.


Colin McRae Dirt Demo:
- Motion blur OFF
- Shadows on LOW
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6632/dirt1hm1.png

- Motion blur OFF
- Shadows on ULTRA
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/258/dirt2ng5.png

Roughly a 60% boost on average between the stock cards. This game really brings modern hardware to its knees. Although apparently the latest patch fixes some performance issues with Ultra shadows. The demo never received this patch.


Overlord:
- Forgot to run the stock 7950GX2 here
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6545/overnn5.png

A nice increase but interesting to see overclocking does almost nothing here.


Conclusion:
Overall I'm very pleased with the card. I'm happy that I don't have to bother with those SLI profiles anymore. Also mouse lag is gone now although that wasn't much of a problem with SLI but it was there. The card doesn't overclock as well as my 7950GX2 did in terms of gain but 630/2100 is not too shabby considering how hot this thing runs. I'm positively sure that it can go higher without volt mods if it had some better cooling.

[Bman212121]

*scratches head*

Glad you like the card, but I think most everyone around here knows how well it performs. ;)

[Eliminator]

well theres so many reviews but none of them seem consistent and in depth... its always the same games too... so the only way to truly see how it performs was for me to thoroughly test it in a variety games and settings

[Bman212121]

well theres so many reviews but none of them seem consistent and in depth... its always the same games too... so the only way to truly see how it performs was for me to thoroughly test it in a variety games and settings

I'd have to agree with you on that one. The only way to truely know for yourself is to do some benchmarking on your pc and see how well it runs. Hope you enjoy the card, I've loved mine. :)

[SLippe]

Welcome to the G80 World! :thumbsup:

[Eliminator]

I'd have to agree with you on that one. The only way to truely know for yourself is to do some benchmarking on your pc and see how well it runs. Hope you enjoy the card, I've loved mine. :)
thanks and i was going to record the test results anyway so i figured i might as well show it to everyone else

Welcome to the G80 World! :thumbsup:
thanks!:afro2:

[DRen72]

I give you super props for the awesome review. Even if its late to the show, thats an excellent review. Its clear you put time and effort into it and I respect that. Nice work!

[Eliminator]

I give you super props for the awesome review. Even if its late to the show, thats an excellent review. Its clear you put time and effort into it and I respect that. Nice work!
Thanks! yea it took me almost 2 hours to put the all the charts and comparisons together

[mullet]

Eliminator, good job dude!!!!! Thanks for posting well detailed benchmarks.

[shteve]

Nice work. I've made the same move myself, from a 7950GX2 to an 8800GTX and felt it was better (same monitor too ;) ) but cba to stick the old card back in to actually prove it.

[breathemetal]

Awesome review :mohawk:

My move from the ATI x850xt to the Foxconn 8800GTX OC was the best move I've made in a while :cool:

[Redeemed]

Awesome review :mohawk:

My move from the ATI x850xt to the Foxconn 8800GTX OC was the best move I've made in a while :cool:

Wow. I can hardly imagine the massive jump that was. That is beyond a night and day difference across the board. :lol:

I went from dual 7600GTs to dual 8800GTSs. Only running one GTS now cause the other is in use by another machine. ;)

[hirantha]

nice work with the benchmarks Eliminator

[Eliminator]

thanks for the feedback guys... nice to know some people are finding it useful and interesting :)

[jAkUp]

Nice card, and nice avatar :)

[Eliminator]

Nice card, and nice avatar :)
lol thanks.... i was trying to make a gif somehow but i failed :thumbdwn:

[Ambrose]

Hey thanks eliminator for the in depth review.

a couple questions...

What resolution were you running oblivion at? I run at 1680 x 1050 @ ultra settings w/ 8x aa and NO aa and get on average between 40 - 50 fps out doors. The game looks prettier with 4x aa (obviously) but it drops my fps down to 30 in a lot of out door vistas.

Also, I'm wondering how long you played Oblivion with your card OC'd to 630 core clock speed. I tried doing the same on the settings mentioned above and it played for about 30 minutes before crashing to desktop. I'd challenge you to put that OC to the test by applying similar settings and running the game for a good duration ;)

also, my card idles at 58ish @ 600 MHz, so I really want to OC it some more but for some reason it seems to crash in Oblivion after a period of time if its any higher than that. the memory frequency is at 1000. I'm using 166.22 WHQL. I guess this isn't much of a question lol so much as a wishful remark.

anyway glad you like your card. I upgraded from a 6800 ultra so I really can't wait to get my hands on a game that will put my card to the test.

cheers! :afro:

[Eliminator]

oblivion like all other tests was run at 1920x1200... for the test i was running patch 1.1... once i upgraded to patch 1.2 i lost about 20FPS in the same place outdoors but textures do look better... i havent tried playing long periods of time at 630/2100... thats more of a stable benchmark speed... for 24/7 use im currently at 600/1950 since i dont want it to heat up too much... with fan at 100% and clocks at 630/2100 the card idles around 65*C and load 85*C... card is rock solid at 600/1950 though for 24/7 use

[nekrosoft13]

good review.
glad you like your G80.

I need to install riddick again.

[Eliminator]

good review.
glad you like your G80.

I need to install riddick again.
yea riddick is one of the best FPS games ever

[nekrosoft13]

i just was unlucky and got the CD version, few months ago i lost the CD4. So will have to either get a copy of fourth disc or buy a new game.

[conroejoe]

well theres so many reviews but none of them seem consistent and in depth... its always the same games too... so the only way to truly see how it performs was for me to thoroughly test it in a variety games and settings


Thats why I actually bought a 2900XT to test out, everyone elses reviews just aren't telling me what I want to see. Especially when it's the same apps over and over and at astronomical resolutions. I wanted to see 1280x1024 with 4xAA/16AF and AAA or trans aa (nv) - the 2900XT is really weak at this resolution, but the GTS excels!

So far the GTS I have (648/1000) is really smacking it down. The 2900XT gains so little when overclocked, the GTS gains so much. AA performance is abysmal, hopefully they can correct that in a newer set of drivers, they've made progress but from my real world benchmarks they still need alot of work.

[conroejoe]

i just was unlucky and got the CD version, few months ago i lost the CD4. So will have to either get a copy of fourth disc or buy a new game.


(lee63) ...you already bought it once and it's only 1 disc

[conroejoe]

Hey thanks eliminator for the in depth review.

a couple questions...

What resolution were you running oblivion at? I run at 1680 x 1050 @ ultra settings w/ 8x aa and NO aa and get on average between 40 - 50 fps out doors. The game looks prettier with 4x aa (obviously) but it drops my fps down to 30 in a lot of out door vistas.

Also, I'm wondering how long you played Oblivion with your card OC'd to 630 core clock speed. I tried doing the same on the settings mentioned above and it played for about 30 minutes before crashing to desktop. I'd challenge you to put that OC to the test by applying similar settings and running the game for a good duration ;)

also, my card idles at 58ish @ 600 MHz, so I really want to OC it some more but for some reason it seems to crash in Oblivion after a period of time if its any higher than that. the memory frequency is at 1000. I'm using 166.22 WHQL. I guess this isn't much of a question lol so much as a wishful remark.

anyway glad you like your card. I upgraded from a 6800 ultra so I really can't wait to get my hands on a game that will put my card to the test.

cheers! :afro:


Looks like you are running Vista. Make sure to install the new patches for performance and reliability. I had so many games crashing due to the memory management in Vista and the new patches have corrected this. Anandtech has a great article on how Vista is now controlling it's memory usage. Before games (in a system with 2GB ram) Vista would try to exceed 2GB and CTD. They've controlled that problem now.

Here is a link to the article..http://anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=3060