XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB Alpha Dog Video Card Review

[Apoptosis]

XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB Alpha Dog Video Card Review

Legit Reviews has published several articles covering the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT video card series, but today we bring you our first article on a production card from the folks over at XFX. The XFX GeForce 8800 GT 512MB video card has improved cooling and higher core clock frequencies than the reference design, so things should get interesting. Read on to see how the changes impact the card.

When we first sat the XFX GeForce 8800 GT 512MB next to the reference NVIDIA card something just didn't look right. XFX implimented a larger fan and also increased the opening in the cover to let more cool air in. The slits on the sides of the cover have also been increased to improve airflow around the capacitors and other heat producing components. The changes to the cooling really paid off as the XFX GeForce 8800 GT was 15C cooler at idle and 8C cooler at load thanks to the increased airflow. Not bad considering the XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog is running overclocked! Our review sample have a core clock frequency of 625MHz and the reference cards from NVIDIA run at 600MHz.

Article Title: XFX GeForce 8800GT 512MB Alpha Dog Video Card Review
Article URL: http://legitreviews.com/article/603/1/

[Gris]

Thanks for the review, my first post.

Been waiting for a review on this one - should be a good overclocker, or at least better than thew standard reference design with the smaller fan
XFX's website state this board has "enhanced fan speed". I assume this means the base fan speed is increased from the standard GT's 29%? I wonder if they changed the bios to ramp fan speed up more smoothly under load (instead of jumping straight to 100%)? Also, did you notice any difference in noise levels compared to the older GT's reference design, both at idle and when ramped up?

[ozone77]

I was looking at the pictures on newegg and the fan is the standard (Small) one. The boards were branded 'Alpha Dog'.

One was a 600MHz version and the other a 640MHz version.

Can we get someone to call XFX and ask them whats going on? I would buy this card over other 88GT's based on a bigger/better fan.

[FZ1]

Thanks for the review, my first post.

welcome to the board, please introduce yourself in the new members section so we can ll get a look at ya

[Gris]

I was looking at the pictures on newegg and the fan is the standard (Small) one. The boards were branded 'Alpha Dog'.

One was a 600MHz version and the other a 640MHz version.

Can we get someone to call XFX and ask them whats going on? I would buy this card over other 88GT's based on a bigger/better fan.

Yeah, I think it's only the 625 Mhz version that has the larger fan (so far), at least my 640MHz version (since returned due to artifacts & locking up) had the smaller fan.

[Gris]

Thanks for the review, my first post.

welcome to the board, please introduce yourself in the new members section so we can ll get a look at ya

Yeah - but I'm shy and not much to look at

[FZ1]

I think I'd buy a cheaper card and throw on a aftermarket cooler.

[Apoptosis]

I was looking at the pictures on newegg and the fan is the standard (Small) one. The boards were branded 'Alpha Dog'.

One was a 600MHz version and the other a 640MHz version.

Can we get someone to call XFX and ask them whats going on? I would buy this card over other 88GT's based on a bigger/better fan.

I just called XFX and verified that all the XFX GeForce 8800 GT Alpha Dog Video Cards are using the new heatsink/fan/cover.
XFX just shipped these new ones... Right now only the PYDQ models have them for sure... the others will come later... XFX thinks it will be a week or two.

A number of review sites looked at reference NVIDIA cards with an XFX sticker on them (PCPer for example) and since we got ours just recently... The green PCB is a giveaway that they were reference.

I know this doesn't help much, but the PV-T88P-YDQ4 models are the only ones that are certain to have this improved cooling system.

[martini161]

I think I'd buy a cheaper card and throw on a aftermarket cooler.

well they dont come much cheaper then these, and with these you get to keep your warranty

now i im gonna start splitting hairs again for apop,
1. in the picture with all the cards you tested, you didn't include xfx card, not sure if this was done on purpose
2. in the intro to the crysis section, it still reads "An upcoming fps scifi blah blah to be released on November 15 in the us"

sorry this is a great review, i just cant stop catching errors in anything i read

[Apoptosis]

I think I'd buy a cheaper card and throw on a aftermarket cooler.

well they dont come much cheaper then these, and with these you get to keep your warranty

now i im gonna start splitting hairs again for apop,
1. in the picture with all the cards you tested, you didn't include xfx card, not sure if this was done on purpose
2. in the intro to the crysis section, it still reads "An upcoming fps scifi blah blah to be released on November 15 in the us"

sorry this is a great review, i just cant stop catching errors in anything i read

1) I don't have all the cards anymore as the GeForce 8600 GT was a friends that I borrowed to use... Not picturing it with them isn't an error.. The XFX GeForce 8800 GT is in the picture on the bottom of the page. Brian Wallace caught that when he read the review before I posted it, but we agreed that it added more to the article so it was left in it.

2) Yeah I copy pasted it from a prior article... Just updated that...

I'm sorry we have mistakes here and there, but it's tough to catch them all when we don't have the money to hire an editor. It's hard to put out daily reviews and not have minor mistakes, but the reason I don't worry about it is because of all of our readers. You guys catch it and e-mail, PM, call or post the mistakes... No offense taken... My goal with Legit Reviews has to been to help people buy the right things for the best computing experience possible. I can't do that if I wait a week for someone to edit it when I have 100 things to review. I think that it better serves our community and our readers to put out as many reviews as we can.

Oh and if you like editing and have free time... I'd be more than happy to work something out with you if you would enjoy editing the articles here.

[Methious]

Great review, but every time you picture all those video cards it's hard to keep up with all the drool.

I'm glad their looking to better cooling I hate getting something and immediately having to go to after market cooling.

[martini161]

ill continue to post errors that i find, but i can't really make a commitment right now, i'm really busy with work and going back to school to get my masters

[Evilsizer]

now that EVGA has the newer 8800GTS 640's out will we see a comparsion of the 2 from you?

[Apoptosis]

now that EVGA has the newer 8800GTS 640's out will we see a comparsion of the 2 from you?

On monday I am posting an article with the Radeon HD 3870 and Radeon HD 3870 CrossFire with 7.11 drivers and the Crysis Hotfix. After that I have the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB coming... The GeForce 8800GTS 640 G92-400 will be posted on it's release date per what NVIDIA has asked us to do.

[Gris]

So no comments at all on the relative noisiness of this card vs. the smaller fan version?

[Apoptosis]

our audio meter couldn't notice a difference with the background noise in the room and the CPU cooler running. It's no louder that the reference one that's for sure.

[Gris]

Thanks, think I might have to try one of these - probably the best single slot card available at the moment.

[martini161]

are of the 8800gt cards from xfx have the same physical design and just different clock frequency's right? i just got one in the mail from e-wiz today. if they are the same thing then it would be safe to jump the oc straight to 675 right?

[Evilsizer]

right they do but XFX may have modded the bios to apply more voltage the gpu to get the higher clocks. all you can do is try anything on top of what the card is set to is icing on the cake.

[martini161]

forget about the my last post. after opening up the box i got one of the reference ones with the xfx sticker slaped on. another way to tell is that on the top of the card it says geforce instead of xfx. and the green pcb