Date: November 16th, 2004
Article by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner, Head Editor & Hardware Reviewer)
Product was donated by: Nvidia
<--SHOP FOR A NVIDIA 6800 GT PCI EXPRESS VIDEOCARD

CORPORATE PROFILE

NVIDIA (Nasdaq: NVDA) is a market leader in graphics and digital media processors. NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs), media and communications processors (MCPs), and wireless media processors (WMPs) have broad market reach and are incorporated into a variety of platforms, including consumer and enterprise PCs, notebooks, workstations, mobile phones, PDAs, and game consoles.

NVIDIA's customers are OEMs, add-in card manufacturers, system builders, and consumer electronics companies worldwide who choose NVIDIA technology as a core component for their solutions. NVIDIA's award-winning products deliver superior performance and reliability for graphics, video, and communications solutions in the areas of manufacturing, science, multimedia, entertainment, and education.

PRODUCT INTRODUCTION

When it comes to serious PCI Express gaming and when only the best will suffice for your elite gaming rig, you have two clear video chipset choices for maximum gaming performance. On Nvidia's side, you have their 6800 line of VPU with choice ranging from the standard 6800, the 6800GT and the bad boy 6800 Ultra. On the other side of the fence you have ATI's premium line of VPU with three choices between the X800 Pro, the slightly faster X800XT and their top of the line X800XT Platinum.

While now being firmly planted in no man's land between the two companies, their chipsets and their loyal followers, it would be foolish to really state that either of the companies products are leaps and bounds better than the others. Either one or the other will perform and fill your extreme gaming needs easily. It all comes down to real preference, availability and cost in your local area.

With that idea hopefully implanted in your head, I will be today reviewing Nvidia's reference GEFORCE 6800GT videocard with the goal of supplying the end user with a snap shot of just how well this videocard performs and what they could expect if they picked this card up as their next upgrade. I unfortunately will not be comparing this card to the X800 pro directly seeing I do not have a PCI Express version of that card in hand at the moment. This will definitely change as times roll by and I will update the review (nudge,nudge ATI) when and if the samples arrive.

In part, this can be regarded as somewhat as a good thing which allow me to review this card as it stands without getting into the old "this card is 0.5% better than the competitors" reviewing routine.

If you are in the market for a new high end videocard and the 6800 Ultra is just priced to high for your pocketbook, stick around, you might be able to consider this card as a 6800 Ultra with lower clock frequencies that can have its' true potential unlocked through overclocking.

The 6800 GT is becoming widely known as the best value for the enthusiast dollar, let's see how it performs...