Overclocking:::...

The Club3D 6800GT turned out to be a very capable overclocker. The memory was least impressive, hardly surprising given its 500MHz rating, but I was able to push it to 600MHz in 2D applications but only 575MHz (1150MHz DDR) in 3D applications running stable. That's still a 15% increase however which isn't too shabby considering it's running at its rated limit to begin with.

Core speeds faired better hitting a very reasonable 450MHz in 2D and 430MHz in 3D applications/games again running completely stable and anomaly free.

The last time I ran NVIDIA's auto-detect feature, which was admittedly a little while back, it returned a set of frequencies that were actually lower than stock! Curious to see if it was a one-off I rant it again this time, and was thrilled to find it almost agreed with my numbers. Close but no cigar as it wasn't quite glitch-free with the core at 439MHz as it suggested.

So, what difference does that extra kick make?

3DMark05 Pro: (Patched to 1.2.0):

Doom3: (Patched to 1.1)

Conclusion

The We 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After discussing this concept with users as well as companies and vendors we work with, We have decided that where necessary we shall aim to introduce our 'Dual Conclusions Concept' to sum up our thoughts and impressions on the hardware we review. As the needs of the more experienced users and enthusiasts have increased, it has become more difficult to factor in all the aspects that such a user would find important, while also being fair to products that may lack these high end "bonus" capabilities but which still represent a very good buy for the more traditional and more prevalent mainstream user. The two categories we've used are:

The Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely to put price, stock performance, value for money, reliability and/or warranty terms ahead of the need for hardware that operates beyond its design specifications. The mainstream user may be a PC novice or may be an experienced user, however their needs are clearly very different to those of the enthusiast, in that they want to buy products that operate efficiently and reliably within their advertised parameters.

The Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all the things that the mainstream user cares about but is more likely to accept a weakness in one or more of these things in exchange for some measure of performance or functionality beyond its design brief. For example, a high priced motherboard may be tolerated in exchange for unusually high levels of overclocking ability or alternatively an unusually large heat sink with a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered acceptable if it offers significantly superior cooling in return.

The Mainstream User ~

Even users who don't feel brave enough to overclock their CPUs or memory tend to have no problem doing so with their graphics cards, so to say that overclocking potential on a card purchased by a regular user is of no value would be misleading these days.

Certainly the 6800GT is great value for money, but that still doesn't mean it's cheap at around the £260 mark (at time of this review). It does however perfectly bridge the gap between strictly functional business orientated graphics and those that bring on a nosebleed every time you load a game.

This is the first Club3D card I've had the pleasure to look at, and while I think they need to think a little about their bundle purely to spruce up the impression it gives, then perhaps market the products with an emphasis on the quality aspects of the range, then they will undoubtedly be as big a hit here as they are currently in Europe.

Maybe it's a UK thing, but reference style cards with default coolers just don't cry out quality, even though they very well may be. Custom cooling solutions, or at the very least default coolers customized to reflect the company behind the card, add that extra touch of flair that I think make people take notice.

Despite this however, don't let the lack of flair dissuade you from taking a look at Club3D when it's time for an upgrade, and despite the fact that they're not bargain-bin cheap, they're certainly competitively priced. At £259 on eBuyer, who incidentally are not one of my favourite vendors thanks to their so-so after-sales-service, this 6800GT is at the lower end of the spectrum on price. That said, if Club3D's cards keep going when other cards have popped their capacitors then maybe a small price premium is only fair.

All in all great card that should help Club3D make a name for themselves over here, and it's an award winner for sure if only we knew more about how they handle warranty claims and what the quality of their technical support will pan out like. They certainly sound passionate about their aims and claims, here's hoping they can penetrate the market with the same enthusiasm.

A great product!

The Enthusiast ~

The 6800GT was, and remains excellent value for money, particularly overclocked. If you're not familiar with Club3D you could be forgiven for not wanting to jump in blind, but let's face it, who'd heard of XFX or eVGA before they hit the 'Net with massive giveways, reviews and other promotional stuff.

The 6800GT is a known quantity and so far is consistently proving itself worth every penny it costs, so if you want to rub shoulders with the heavy artillery while still saving yourself some cash, and you've decided to stick with AGP for the time being, what better way to go?

One of the few current GPUs I'd feel comfortable recommending to friends and family!

We're always looking for ways to make our reviews fairer. A Right To Reply gives the manufacturer or supplier of the product being reviewed a chance to make public comments on what we've said. They can explain perhaps why they've done the things we were unhappy with or blow their own trumpet over the things we loved. It's easy for us to pick a product apart but sometimes things are done a certain way for very specific reasons.

Should Club3D decide to exercise their "Right To Reply", we'll publish their comments below: