Comment Thread for EVGA 8800GTS (w/ 112SPs) Review

[SKYMTL]

Well guys, this is the one you have been waiting for. EVGA's brand new 8800GTS 640MB SSC Edition with 112 Stream Processors has gone through our battery of tests and the review is UP.

This thread can be used for questions and comments but I will also be posting updates to the review here as well.

Here it is: EVGA 8800GTS 640MB (w/112SPs) SSC Edition Review

[belgolas]

Thanks for the review. I think you are the only one to review this card. Well it was interesting but I am waiting to step up to the new G92 GTS if they are good.

[SKYMTL]

I am the only one to review ANY of the 112SP 8800GTS cards....I think.

[belgolas]

thats what I meant.

[Delavan]

SKYMTL,

It's, as always, a great review. To the point, good pictures and objective comments...

The thing I DON'T understand about this card is that I seen it listed at NCIX and TigerD and both retailers are posting specs of 96 SP's for this card ,bandwidth is advertised at 72GB/sec (instead of 64GB/sec for vanilla 8800GTS640).

I'm interested in learning more about this card( for my cousin's rig), as the 8800GT is backordered big time, and I like this idea of having provision for higher res ( more memorybandwidth, bigger frame buffer) if I switch to a bigger screen down the road.

I just don't want to be stuck with a card that is supposed to have 112SPs and shows as a 96SPs.

Do you think it's just a typo/mis-understanding from the e-tailer's side of the house?

Edit...eVga's site tells that the 640-P2-N829-A1
EVGA | Multimedia Solutions
has 96 SPs also... is is the same sku as the one you've been reviewing?

PLZ help me clear this out!!!

P.S. I can't wait for the OC numbers!!!

[SKYMTL]

To tell you the truth it is because NO ONE has updated their sites concerning this card. It launched very, VERY quietly so it would not take any steam out of the 8800GT launch. The original documentation that came with the card says that it has 96+ Stream Processors / Shader Units and it is indeed more than 96...there are 112. I have verified that the 3 different models I have listed in the review (from EVGA, BFG and XFX) all have 112 SPs.

[Delavan]

Ok, so are all of those new 112SP ones have the A2 core? I think that from your review of this card, the unit reviewed ahd the A2 core. That could mean that A3 cores are laser-cut (crippled to 96SPs) and cannot be soft-modded to 112SP.

I realize that your're on it, like you already mentionned. It would be sweet to "Bios-flash" my 8800GTS 640 to SSC specs!!!!

[Thund3rball]

Great review you really cleared up the confusion surrounding the "new" GTS. As mentioned above this card has a LOT of people wondering about flashing their current GTS. I think we'll probably see more of that than actual sales if it works. Still you are right it bridges the gap fairly nicely from GT - GTX in price and performance. But I am still totally psyched about my 8800GT SC that is at this very moment on a truck in the lower mainland on its way to ME ME ME. *OMG fainting...*

[SKYMTL]

Here is the long and the short of it: this A2 G80 core has the additional shader processors unlocked so to speak. That being said I am reasonably sure (more like 99% sure) that the SPs on the other G80 cards are laser cut rather than being locked through the BIOS. We are currently working on seeing if a BIOS flash actually works on a regular 8800GTS 640MB card but I am almost positive that it will not. :(

[belgolas]

Well I still think the 512mb GTS is coming out because it says it on the website.

5 HD DVD / Blu-ray Video Playback on NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB and 8800 GT is classified as Excellent. HD DVD / Blu-ray Video Playback on NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra, GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB/640MB are classified as Good.

But they edited their site so it just says the GT.

[SKYMTL]

Funny how everyone jumped on that but no one thought it may have been a typo?

[musek]

So, in Your opinion, we shouldn't be waiting for G92 8800GTS?

If so, then its quite dissapointing... I live in Poland and here the avalability of 8800GT is !! T.R.A.G.I.C.A.L. !! Even if some store sells it - the price is... Well - ~1000PLN (which equals ~367 canadian dollars for 8800GT while typical salary is ~1500PLN - 550can.d.!) is 'a little bit' too much IMO. I was really hoping, that G92 GTS will come in greater number and less abnormal price pumping by resellers due to bad avalability. :/


BTW - great review. Also can't wait to see those OC numbers. Especially i wonder how those graphs will look with SSC@~1500MHz Shader Clock ;)


Namaste,
musek

[SKYMTL]

I can't say anything about upcoming products whether they exist or not.

Yet, sometimes I have to question the use of waiting for what amounts to rumors and not much else. If we all did that, no one would ever buy another GPU, CPU or ram because something bigger and better wil always be around the corner. Sure, I am positive Nvidia has something coming that will knock our socks off...and so will ATI. But there is one thing you should ask yourself....

Will it cost less than $450?

[belgolas]

I am waiting because of my step up program with EVGA. That is the reason why I bought my 8800 GTS 329 mb as a card that will last till I step up. So I wait.

[shaolin95]

Why not make this a fair comparison in order for users to realize what real benefit they can get by getting this card over the 8800GT. Why compare and overclocked 8800gts to a plain vanilla 8800gt? Doesnt make sense to me.
Almost everyone is getting 700mhz with the 8800gt and thats evga's fastest so why not run tests for that one and see how things look...that will give us a better reference.

Regards