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ASUS EN8800GT TOP

 & Loyd Case loyd_case@ziffdavis.com

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS
 - ASUS EN8800GT TOP
4.0 Excellent

The Bottom Line

If you want a card that pushes the 8800 GT just about as hard as it will go, then this is the card you're looking for.

Pros & Cons

    • Seriously overclocked.
    • Good game bundle.
    • Pricey.
    • Performance not that much better than the EVGA card.

ASUS EN8800GT TOP Specs

GPU Engine Clock Speed: 700
Graphics Memory: 512
Includes DVI-I-to-VGA converter?: yes
Memory Clock Speed: 1000
No. DVI Output(s): 2
System Interface: PCIe
Video Inputs: Composite
Video Inputs: S-Video
Video Interfaces: Composite
Video Interfaces: S-Video
Video Outputs: DVI
Warranty: 36 months

When Nvidia launched the GeForce 8800 GT, we called it a "dramatic leap forward." While Nvidia's latest GPU isn't quite as speedy as their super high-end 8800 GTX and 8800 Ultra cards, it gives up only a little performance for most users. Toss in a svelte, single-slot package and Nvidia's PureVideo HD, and a relatively low price, and you've got a killer product.

Of course, it's so much a killer product that Nvidia apparently can't make enough of them. This has driven the price up from Nvidia's original projections of $200-$249. So finding an 8800 GT is something of a challenge.

Despite availability issues, we decided it was time to take a look at a number of different 8800 GT cards. Different manufacturers are bundling different games, as well as shipping at differing clock speeds. Plus, we wanted to exercise the 8800 GT in its various forms with some current generation games, in both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 mode.

Let's first take a look quick look at the speeds and feeds of the various cards. Then we'll check out performance in a variety of different games. After that, we'll dive just a bit deeper into the features of each card. — Continue reading on ExtremeTech.com

For more on the ASUS EN8800GT TOP, check out our sister site Extremetech.com

Final Thoughts

 - ASUS EN8800GT TOP

ASUS EN8800GT TOP

4.0 Excellent

If you want a card that pushes the 8800 GT just about as hard as it will go, then this is the card you're looking for.

About Our Expert

Loyd Case

Loyd Case

loyd_case@ziffdavis.com

Loyd Case came to computing by way of physical chemistry. He began modestly on a DEC PDP-11 by learning the intricacies of the TROFF text formatter while working on his master's thesis. After a brief, painful stint as an analytical chemist, he took over a laboratory network at Lockheed in the early 80's and never looked back. His first "real" computer was an HP 1000 RTE-6/VM system.

In 1988, he figured out that building his own PC was vastly more interesting than buying off-the-shelf systems ad he ditched his aging Compaq portable. The Sony 3.5-inch floppy drive from his first homebrew rig is still running today. Since then, he's done some programming, been a systems engineer for Hewlett-Packard, worked in technical marketing in the workstation biz, and even dabbled in 3-D modeling and Web design during the Web's early years.

Loyd was also bitten by the writing bug at a very early age, and even has dim memories of reading his creative efforts to his third grade class. Later, he wrote for various user group magazines, culminating in a near-career ending incident at his employer when a humor-impaired senior manager took exception at one of his more flippant efforts. In 1994, Loyd took on the task of writing the first roundup of PC graphics cards for Computer Gaming World -- the first ever written specifically for computer gamers. A year later, Mike Weksler, then tech editor at Computer Gaming World, twisted his arm and forced him to start writing CGW's tech column. The gaming world -- and Loyd -- has never quite recovered despite repeated efforts to find a normal job. Now he's busy with the whole fatherhood thing, working hard to turn his two daughters into avid gamers. When he doesn't have his head buried inside a PC, he dabbles in downhill skiing, military history and home theater.

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