Most of us have already seen the G92 based GeForce 8800 GT offerings from various manufacturers. Maybe you have, like others, made the mad rush to grab one whilst stocks were low during initial launch. Regardless of maker, every GeForce 8800 GT was always based on the reference PCB design from NVIDIA. We used was because XpertVision is just about to change that with the GeForce 8800 GT Sonic version. As it currently stands, XpertVision is using a slightly modified PCB that should allow greater stability and overclocked settings. And although a change has also been done by NVIDIA to make the cards cheaper, XpertVision took another route for teh better. - VR-Zone

XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic Graphics Review

The GeForce 8800 GT arrived in a shiny box clearly stating the higher clock speeds that XpertVision has programmed into the card at the factory. Opening the box yields a radically different looking card. Gone are the whining single slot stock coolers and reference PCB's. In its place is a quieter dual slot cooling solution, and a brand new in-house PCB design from XpertVision. A conventional fan instead of a cross blower means more peace for your ears. An aluminium heatspreader offers cooling for the memory chips. Not only does the Sonic version has 3-phase power regulation for the GPU, the inductors are bigger too.

Pulling the bars is all it takes to squeeze a little more out of the heavily engineered XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic, using RivaTuner. In no time, the GeForce 8800 GT Sonic was cruising at 777MHz core, 1782MHz shaders, and 2234MHz memory clocks with the fan to spin at 100% to keep heat in check. Having received the Thermalright HR-03 GT a while back, we were looking for opportunities for the beefy cooler to be put to good use. The GeForce 8800 GT Sonic was a candidate amongst others. Doubtful that a third party cooler could make much overclocking headroom, we decided to give it a try anyway.

The XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic is by no means a conventional GeForce 8800 GT. Engaging cliché is a crime in our own books, but we've no qualms about calling the XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT Sonic a graphics accelerator on steroids. Don't expect the cool blue hue of the heatsinks on the Sonic to suggest passivity, for the XpertVision GeForce 8800 GT screams to be overclocked. The 3-phase power regulation on the G92 in particular, proved to be a very solid investment. Unlike other overclocked GeForce 8800 GT cards, the Sonic edition indeed has what it takes to move up the clock speed ladder.

Beefy power regulation means that nothing gives way when you push up the clocks, even if you were to perform some voltage modifications that stresses the voltage regulation modules. So overclockers, everyone of you, should toast your next beer towards XpertVision engineers for the extra work they put into this. It's commendable effort that makes a difference.