Page 10 - Noise Factor and Conclusion
These tests were not obtained in our test platform as it's a rather unrealistic working environment for a video card due to its open design nature. I tested the temperatures specifically in a low airflow quiet case, which would simulate cases with a higher temperature to see how the cooler stacks up. Normally, temperatures would be a bit lower than what's reported here.
The single slot cooler actually performed fairly well against heat generated by the G92 8800GT core. As reported on the previous page, the 8800GT itself uses a lot less power -- which is directly proportional to the amount of heat generated. In this case, the idle and load temperatures are 68c and 86c, respectively; whereas the dual slot cooler on our reference G80 NVIDIA 8800GTS 320MB video card in the same situation had temperatures roughly 10c higher.
With our modified Asus 8800GT TOP 512MB passively cooled with an Accelero S1, reported temperatures are 45c idle and 58c under load.
Under idle conditions, the low RPM fan on the stock cooler is actually very quiet -- almost not audible in relation even in our extremely quiet configuration of Noctua NF-S12-800 in front, Noctua NF-S12-1200 at the back with Asus Q-Fan enabled to drop it to around 800rpm, Noctua NF-P12 on our Scythe Infinity heatsink, powered by a Seasonic M12 power supply with a low RPM ADDA fan.
From an acoustic and subjective scale from 0-10 where 0 is silent and 10 being the loudest, I would rate the 8800GT to be at 3.0/10 under idle conditions. As the fan spins up under load, it gets quite loud -- which is then clearly audible. Under maximum load, I would rate the stock cooler to be at 6.5/10 on our proprietary acoustical noise scale.
I can certainly see why the G92 based NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT is so popular among enthusiasts. Its lower power consumption in relative to previous generation cards, as well as offering incredible performance for its price and market segment is certainly impressive. It's also a single slot card, adequately cooled, which is quite a rare thing nowadays -- majority of video cards in this segment are dual slot. It's also easily modifiable for quiet PC enthusiasts to silence their video card. With the Asus EN8800GT TOP 512MB, it's the icing on the cake -- how much would you pay for arguably the most readily available, and one of the fastest 8800GT in the market today? You are guaranteed to have a card to run at 700/2000 (Effective) out of the box, which is an overclock that's not always 100% attainable by the user as far as I know. Asus also included a great game, and, well, I don't know what else you would like. This is a winning package.
Special thanks to Wil over at Asus for making this review possible.
APH Recommended Award
Starting from April 30, 2007, Number Ratings has been dropped for motherboards, RAM, and graphics cards. This is to ensure the most appropriate ratings reflected without the limits of using numbers. Everything else will continue using the Number Rating System.
More information in our Review Focus.
Great performance, great price is what you will get with any NVIDIA 8800GT. Fast clocks, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, and a big retail box is what you'd also get with the Asus EN8800GT TOP 512MB. What you won't get, however, is a card that would help heat up your room in the winter!
Do you have any comments or questions about the ASUS EN8800GT TOP 512MB? Drop by our Forums. Registration is free, and it only takes a minute!
Page Index
1. Introduction, Specifications, Bundle
2. NVIDIA 8800GT Architecture
3. A Closer Look, Test System
4. Benchmark: FEAR
5. Benchmark: Prey
6. Benchmark: Half Life 2: Lost Coast
7. Benchmark: CS:Source HDR
8. Benchmark: 3DMark06
9. Power Usage, Overclocking
10. Noise Factor and Conclusion
