Asus GeForce 6800 V9999GE Review --- TheThirdMedia Hardware

Conclusion

ASUS knows that there is a niche market consisting of hardcore gamers who are willing to spend big bucks to get that smooth immersive game experience. Their response was to tailor-make a graphics card for gamers and the ASUS V9999GE is the result. Utilizing technology similar to that found on their GeForce 6800 Ultra cards, the ASUS V9999E has a standard GeForce 6800 GPU, but comes with twice the memory of the typical GeForce 6800 card. The core and memory speeds are also clocked at frequencies found usually on GeForce 6800 GT cards. Those who have seen an ASUS GeForce 6800 Ultra card could be easily forgiven if they mistook the V9999GE for it, as they sport a similar cooling system, DDR3 memory and the 10 layer PCB found on both cards. All these extra features ensure that the V9999GE maintains an edge over standard GeForce 6800 cards. The software and accessories bundled with the ASUS V9999GE are squarely aimed at gamers, which include three full games and a collection of game demos. Of course, this generosity means that ASUS had to sacrifice something. So in terms of media creation applications, only the basics are included. Unfortunately, the games bundled were no longer anything to crave about and we were really hoping to find a much newer class of games to live up to the product's 'Gamer Edition' moniker.

Made to game.

Appearances aside, the V9999GE will not even come close to a GeForce 6800 Ultra in performance but it is definitely a posh version of a GeForce 6800 that has no equal among its peers. In a select few of our benchmarks, the ASUS V9999GE even managed to give the GeForce 6800 GT a tough time but all too often, the superior GPU of the GeForce 6800 GT gave it an undeniable edge. The ASUS V9999GE starts to show its true prowess when overclocked and the scores it posted in our 3DMark03 benchmark was up to 5% higher than the GeForce 6800 GT. Being an ASUS product, the V9999GE is expensive than its competitors though we can say with confidence that it is unlikely to find rival cards in the market that possess these rather unique specifications. The more complex PCB and fast DDR3 memory undoubtedly add to its cost, while the decent software and accessories (including a webcam) only inches the price up further. Out of the box, the overall performance of a GeForce 6800 GT is still better than the ASUS V9999GE while only marginally more expensive than this hybrid offering. Therefore, those who don't require the extras or do not intend to overclock might be better off considering a full-fledged GeForce 6800 GT instead as it provides more value for your dollar. For those who fancy the extra goodies and dare to take the plunge, the overclocked performance might make it worthwhile.



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