November 2004 3Digest:
NVIDIA GeForce 6800 256MB GDDR3 (350/1000 MHz)
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This GPU is presented by ASUS V9999 Gamer Edition, 256MB, AGP.
Features:
- NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra (12 (3x4) pixel and 5 vertex pipelines), 350 MHz clock;
- 256MB GDDR3 memory in Samsung BGA chips. 500 (1000) MHz memory clock
- 256-bit bus;
- Peak fill rate in the multitexturing mode without optimizations is 4200 megapixels/sec and 4200 megatexels/sec.
By the end of the month the product costs $430-470, supports DirectX 9.0c 3.0).
This new-generation product supports all innovations, including shaders 3.0. 2.0ns fetch indicates the actual 500 (1000) MHz clock.
This card has GeForce 6800 Ultra PCB with two connectors for external power supply. Why did they made it so? First, note that the card has 256 MB of GDDR3. Besides, clocks raised to 350/1000 MHz. Does it make 12-pipeline GPU any better? A simple GeForce 6800 has only 700 MHz memory clock, so the difference is very noticeable. We have recently examined GeForce 6800 at various clock rates and found out that in all applications (excluding hi-res AA) this bandwidth at 700 MHz is enough even for a 12-pipeline GPU. This card is like a paradise, as bandwidth has higher limit, so more likely GPU itself (if CPU corresponds) will be a bottleneck. This should at once attract overclockers, because the GPU can be sped up considerably.
Besides, the card has Gamers Edition suffix that should stand for overclocker intentions. As you know, a usual GeForce 6800 has a simpler PCB and different power scheme that make it less overclockable. And here GeForce 6800 Ultra PCB doesn't forbid to feed it Ultra's power. Besides, separate power connectors provide improved stability.
So, this is like a GeForce 6800GT with 12 pixel and 5 vertex pipelines instead of 16/6.
You can read more on GeForce 6 Series in our reviews: Theoretical and analytical graphics card reviews containing functional analysis of NVIDIA GPUs
On November 10, 2004 the latest drivers from NVIDIA are 66.93, 67.02 for Windows XP.
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