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Gainward 6800GT 2400/Ultra Golden Sample Review |
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Written by Phyro
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Wednesday, 29 September 2004 |
NeoSeeker put up a nice
review on the Gainward 6800GT 2400/Ultra Golden Sample. When it comes to nVidia board partners, there are
a few stand outs. These partners go above and beyond the norm in terms of
performance or customer service. BFG Technologies is one of those partners that have impressed
us in both departments; their focus on both of these segments have garnered them
quite a following here in North America. Today however, we take a look at a
board from another one of nVidia's partners. Gainward is another one of the increasingly rare graphics
manufacturers that are devoutly loyal to one camp and Gainward has their foot firmly
planted on nVidia's side which
bodes well for nVidia. Gainward was the only company
that released a true single slot 5950 solution; yes there were pseudo single
slot solutions from other manufacturers but Gainward managed to leave the adjacent PCI slot usable unlike
others. Gainward also
released exotic watercooled versions of their products a trend that is just
beginning to gain traction amongst other companies.
 Gainward 6800GT 2400/Ultra Golden Sample
The 6800GT has spawned some great parts from nVidia and its board partners. The free reign that nVidia has given to board partners regarding clockrates have so far turned out to be very good for consumers. It almost seems that a stock 6800GT is not good enough as there is not enough value added and the Gainward 6800GT 2400/Ultra Golden Sample exemplifies this. An guarentee on a slightly overclocked card is already a plus but here we have a part that is Guarenteed to hit 6800 Ultra speeds for sub Ultra prices. LCD users can also rejoice because this is one of the few 6800GT cards to feature dual DVI outputs instead of the usual VGA/DVI combo. This all sounds great but as with life there are always a few catches.The 2400/Ultra plumped out a bit and has gone from a single slot solution to a dual slot. This means that nearly all SFF users will not be able to use this card save for the Condor. This is no different from a regular Ultra solution however.
There is a 40$ price premium on top of a regular 6800GT. This is almost half way between the GT and the Ultra. For some, making that final leap to the top of the mountain may be a preferable route.
The Golden Sample is significantly louder than the 6800GT and even a regular Ultra. For those that are populating their cases with Tornados or Deltas I do not think that this is a major impediment. For those who are investing in Panaflos and are trying to quiet down their PCs, the Gainward 2400/Ultra should be avoided.
Unlike some of the overclocked cards we have seen, the clockrates are not set automatically with the nVidia drivers but still require the end user to overclock the card manually.
Gainward has put together a nice package that enthusiasts should dig; especially those on the European shore because they should be seeing Doom 3 as an additional pack-in. We always like to see and encourage non-reference solutions and Gainward never fails to disappoint on that front; we have a reference board layout with the Golden Sample but the styling and cooling of the 2400/Ultra is unlike any card from any competitor out there. The trademark red of the Gainward lineup shows up with the anodized aluminum parts as well as the red leds on the fans. As stated, the Gainward is not a solution for everyone but for the enthusiast gamer. If the loss of a PCI slot and fans on the noisy side are not problems, then this is the 6800GT card to get.
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