Inno3D GeForce 6800 Review
(Page 1 of 10 )
Dev Hardware Recommended So, you wanna play Doom3, do ya? Although you could probably do it with your current setup (unless you have an obsolete ATI 8500 or something), it's natural to want the best. NVIDIA has been touting its 6800 as a card built for Doom3, but what about -- well, everything else? Today, we look at the Inno3D GeForce 6800 to answer that very question. What's the best gaming you can get for under US$300? Read on to find out why this might just be it.
Introduction
We have all heard the same question by now: "Will my setup play Doom 3?" People often don't want to see the true answer. Although their hardware may deliver a perfectly acceptable game experience, hardware junkies (who already have spent far too much money on their computers) want to see something that gives them another reason to upgrade. I am not here to argue the logic of computer upgrades, but I bring it up because the positive end-result for consumers is newer and superior hardware for the performance sector. This hardware is the vanguard of computer technology that clears the path for greater things to grow its roots. If the enthusiast community did not demand the extreme power that is now found in the 6800 Ultra and X800 XT, where would the 6800 GT or X800 Pro be? Would they even be around?
Another factor that clearly fuels the release of superior hardware is of course, the competition between NVIDIA and ATI. The former held the heavyweight title with its GeForce 4 Ti series. Then the introduction of DX9 compliant video cards placed the crown on ATI's head. With the latest round of video cards, what we can call second generation DX9 video cards, the playing field has leveled out, making things very exciting. That is, if you find one to buy (and afford it).
For a time the FX series, which boasted advanced features that attempt to provide closer to cinema graphics, was overshadowed by a more powerful R3xx Radeon architecture. With the GeForce 6800 series, NVIDIA brings something fresh to the table. Dropping the FX moniker, NVIDIA made sure that the 6800 series would feature an equal mix of both new and upcoming technology, as well as top notch performance.
The groundbreaking new NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6800 graphics processing units (GPUs) and their revolutionary technologies power worlds where reality and fantasy meet; worlds in which new standards are set for visual realism and quality, performance, and video functionality. The GeForce 6800 GPUs deliver powerful, elegant graphics to drench your senses, immersing you in unparalleled worlds of visual effects for the ultimate PC experience.
Founded in Hong Kong, InnoVISION Media is a manufacturer of multimedia PC hardware. Their product line consists of graphics cards, digital video/TV capture and editing products, sound cards, motherboards, and advanced peripherals. Inno3D is InnoVISION's particular brand for their line of graphics accelerators that is comprised of NVIDIA GeForce accelerators from the GeForce2 to the latest PCX, 6800, and Cinema FX video cards.
Today, we'll check out the Inno3D GeForce 6800 (with 128MB DDR memory). The 6800 is the lowest of the three 6800 cards being cheaper and significantly slower than the top dog, the 6800 Ultra. How does it compare to last generation's top performer, the ATI Radeon 9800XT, and the "bottom of high-end cards," the slower (but not-that-slow) 5900XT? Does the 6800 live up to the hype its been given in Doom 3? Is the 6800 even worthy of the "6800" label with only 128MB DDR (not DDR-3) RAM, while its brethren have four more pixel pipelines? Or is the 6800 the next Ti4200 in terms of value? Read on to find out.
Next: 6800 Series Features and Specifications >>
More Video Cards Articles
More By KaoMAN
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
