Graphics Card Failure Rates

We found this interesting article and thought it would be useful to translate for our English speaking readers.

We finish our series of current events on the failure rates with the graphics cards and GPU. These statistics are always those of a large French E-tradesman. They relate to the charts sold from March to August 2008, that is to say 6 months 1 year from operation. The statistics by mark are based on a minimal sample of 500 sales:

- ASUSTeK: 2.0%
- Sapphire: 2.0%
- MSI: 2.1%
- Leadtek: 2.4%
- PNY: 2.8%
- Gainward: 3.2%
- Gigabyte: 3.6%
- Point Of View: 5.6%

The failure rates are overall normal, except Point Off View which is notably less good. If the least reliable models more closely are looked at, one finds two charts with the top of 10% which were sold with more than 100 specimens: Gigabyte GV-RX26P5H, Radeon HD 2600 passivates, is to 14.1%, against 10.2% for ASUSTeK ENGTX280/HTDP/1G. If one looks at the rates of return by GPU, one arrives at the following figures:

- GeForce GTX 280: 9.9%
- GeForce GTX 260: 4.3%
- GeForce 9800: 3.2%
- GeForce 8800: 3.3%
- Radeon HD 4870: 3.2%
- Radeon HD 4850: 1.9%
- Radeon HD 3870: 2.6%

In spite of the high temperatures reached on Radeon HD 4870/4850, these last have completely normal failure rates. A contrario the GTX 280 are not the queens of reliability. Concerning the charts Bi-GPU, one is to 6% for the 9800 GX2, 11% for the 3870 X2 (!) and 4.3% for the 4870 X2.

Source: hardwarefrance

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Diamond Radeon HD 3870 1GB Video Card Review

PC Perspective takes a look at the Diamond Radeon HD 3870 1GB.

Back in November of 2007 AMD released the Radeon HD 3800-series of graphics cards to a mostly positive reaction. The HD 3870 was the “high end” card meant to compete with NVIDIA’s 8800 GT card while the HD 3850 was aimed at the 8600 GTS and other mid-range solutions. Back then the HD 3870 was a 512MB card and the HD 3850 was 256MB – but times have shifted since then and in an attempt to keep up with increasing competition from NVIDIA in all price ranges we have seen both cards double their frame buffers. You can now easily find HD 3850 cards with 512MB of memory and today Diamond is the first card vendor to create a 1GB version of the HD 3870.

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How To Overclock Your Graphics Card

Tomshardware has put together a great tutorial on how to Overclock your graphics card.

Overclocking is more popular than ever. And since it’s so easy to boost the frequency of your Intel processor, it would be a shame not to. But CPUs aren’t the only components that can be overclocked. The GPUs on graphics cards can also be speeded up, and so can their memory. And since an affordable card only differs from more expensive ones in its clock speed, overclocking can be your key to some real savings.

Overclocking a GPU is a less common process than overclocking a CPU, and above all, it’s more complex. One of the reasons for that is that a graphics card’s BIOS is not as easily accessible as a motherboard’s. This article will shed some light on the different methods that can be used and the results you can expect when overclocking your graphics card.

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The Best Graphics Cards for the Money: May 08

The Best Graphics Cards for the Money: May 2008

Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great — that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.

If you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to make the right decision, fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware Guide have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards available for the money.

April Review and May Updates:

Graphics card purchasers out there are the winners in the never-ending price war between ATI and Nvidia. Aggressive price drops keep coming, and graphics cards get cheaper. It’s hard to believe that a few months ago there were no high-end graphics cards under $200: now all of the new high end single-GPU graphics cards are below $200, except for the 8800 GTS and 9800 GTX.

Speaking of the 9800 GTX, it’s the new kid on the block, becoming available for purchase just in April. While its performance is impressive, the card is essentially an overclocked 8800 GTS 512MB: it’s slower than the old 8800 Ultra in many cases. At $290, it’s hard to recommend at this time, since the similar but slower clocked 8800 GTS 512MB can be purchased for $220, and two 9600 GTs in SLI can be had for as little as $300 (and will usually beat the pants off of it).

On the AGP side, the king-of-the-hill Radeon 3850 has taken a dramatic price drop to $175, and the 2600 XT can be had for just over $100 now. I have a feeling the days of AGP are soon coming to an end, as many of the cards previously available for the bus are vanishing completely.

On a final note, rumors abound that ATI’s next generation R700 based graphics cards are well on their way to making it to release this year. For its part, Nvidia is planning a counterattack with their own next generation parts soon after — and this is always good news for graphics and gaming enthusiasts!

Some Notes About Our Recommendations

A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list:

* It is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, the cards in this list are more expensive than you need.
* Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest.
* The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries, or at retail, your mileage will most certainly vary;
* These are new card prices. No used or open box cards are in the list; they might be a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.

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BFG 9800GTX OCX Graphics Card Review

Manufacturer Product Page: BFG Tech – BFG NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX OCX 512MB PCIe 2.0
Product Number: BFGR98512GTXOCXE
Availability: Now
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: Click Here to Compare Prices

Just a few weeks ago Nvidia launched their highly anticipated 9800GTX and while we can debate forever about the public’s response to this particular card, it is here for the time being and it is a hell of a performer according to our past tests. Nvidia has pretty much achieved what they set out to do; to completely dominate nearly all of ATI’s offerings while christening the 9-series with a card worthy of the GTX name. In our original BFG 9800GTX review we saw that with relatively little effort, Nvidia released a card which brought new features to the table like full HDMI support and at the same time offered performance in the $350 category people only dreamed about a year ago.

Meanwhile, even though next to no time has passed since the release date of the 9800GTX, prices have already begun to fall to the point where some cards are retailing for under the $320 CAD mark. At that price we believe they represent a phenomenal value for that they bring to the table. This has also opened the door for companies to release pre-overclocked versions which may carry a higher price but they also offer performance which is uncompromising in every sense of the word. Nvidia lifted the veil from these cards a little while after the official launch so finding them is a bit hard but if you look hard enough, pre-overclocked 9800GTX cards ARE out there in the wild. As you may have already guessed, this review will be focusing on a certain card from BFG called the 9800GTX OCX.

To give you a little backgrounder, BFG is one of the largest Nvidia board partners here in North America and they have been offering their products to consumers for longer than many of us can remember. BFG prides itself in having some of the best after-sales service around while offering competitive prices to consumers who demand the best performance for their hard earned money. With a lifetime warranty and a newly introduced step-up program, they are truly forging their way into the forefront of consumers’ minds. They have also been known to release pre-overclocked cards more often than not but in the past many of these cards offered what could only be called severely limited overclocks. However, with the release of their OC2 and OCX lines (in addition to their normal OC line), they have brought more extreme factory overclocks to their customers. Their BFG 9800GTX is now being offered in four flavors based on how far they are pre overclocked; there is the stock card, the OC model has a moderate overclock, OC2 has slightly higher clocks while the OCX card we have here today is the best of the best.

As we already mentioned, the overclocked 9800 GTX cards come with a price premium over stock cards as is usual in the graphics card industry. However, be prepared for a bit of sticker shock when it comes to the BFG 9800GTX OCX since you will be shelling out about $400 Canadian if you want to hold this beauty in your sweaty little palms. While some of you may have gagged slightly at that price, I suggest you wait to pass judgment until you see how this thing performs in our battery of tests.

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ASUS EAH3870 TOP 512MB Graphics Card Review

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BFG 9800GTX 512MB Review

Manufacturer Product Page: TBD
Product Number: BFGR98512GTXE
Availability: Now
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: Click Here to Compare Prices

It seems that within the last few months, no matter which way we look there is always another graphics card launch on the horizon. It used to be that the high-end cards were launched first and were then followed by the mid-end and lower end cards a few months down the road. Well, recent trends have been anything but normal and the market has been rife with all manner of cards from both ATI and Nvidia which are squarely targeting the more budget-minded consumer. There has never been a better time than now to be looking for a graphics card even though Nvidia’s lineup in particular has become extremely confusing for any first time buyer. Today marks the release of yet another assault on the sub-$400 price point by Nvidia with their eagerly-anticipated 9800 GTX.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and this holds true for the tried, tested and true Nvidia 8-series graphics cards. With the release of the 9800 GTX we are seeing another step away from the 8-series naming convention which has stuck with us like an old friend for the better part of 16 months. If you think about it, 16 months is a hell of a long time in the ever-changing world of faster processors and Moore’s law. So, after nearly a year and a half the 8800GTX will get the axe while being replaced with a less expensive and supposedly more versatile card. The new 9800GTX is billed as a card that offers not only extreme HD gaming but also offers a one-stop-shop of a bevy of other features which were not offered on the outgoing 8-series cards. With these new features, Nvidia is taking the road less travelled of forgoing brute force graphics power and instead focusing on a balanced entertainment experience.

When the last GTX went on sale, we saw its retail prices hit over $700 here in Canada but a lot has changed in the last 16 months and we are now in the glory days of price / performance wars between Nvidia and their rival ATI. So, instead of sticker shock the consumer is now saddled with the new 9800GTX retailing for between $300 and $360…or about half the price of the GTX of yesteryear. Not only is the price extremely good but our contacts are telling us that there will be plenty of stock on hand when retailers begin listing these cards. As usual, there will be prices running the gamut and overclocked versions galore but today we will be focusing on a stock clocked 9800 GTX from one of the more easily-recognized Nvidia board partners: BFG.

BFG has long been known as one of the premier graphics card manufacturers here in North America and in Europe. Not only do they have a dominating market presence but they back up this clout with some of the best warranty and RMA support around. The 9800GTX they sent us is their stock-clocked version (which will retail slightly above a bargain-basement 9800GTX) but in true BFG tradition, they will also have overclocked versions on their way in the form of cards with the OC2 and OCX monikers. So, without further delay, let’s dive right in and see what this new GTX is all about.

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ASUS EN8800GT TOP 512MB Graphics Card Review

Manufacturer Product Page: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Product Number: EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M
Availability: Now
Warranty: 3-Year
Price: Compare Prices

ASUS is a company which has been catering to the enthusiast computer component market for longer than most of us can remember but at the same time they have a presence in nearly every other area of the computer market as well. From laptops to monitors and from barebones units to high-performance motherboards, they have it all and from our experience, every one of their products sticks to the same ideals of quality and performance. While in the past we have reviewed mundane (a DVD drive) and innovative (their ASUS Xonar D2 sound card) gear from them, today we will be looking at a product which is aimed squarely at the high-performance gamer: the ASUS 8800GT 512MB TOP Edition with the optional Glaciator cooler.

While Nvidia and ATI have been battling it out in the trenches with their new graphics cards, their board partners have been forced to come up with innovative ways to distinguish their products from the competition. Some of them forego the reference cooler and add an aftermarket heatsink while others pre-overclock their cards for increased performance over the competition. This is especially true with the 8800GT series since this card is the best selling graphics card in Nvidia’s history and board partners are chomping at the bit to get a piece of the action. Enter ASUS’ 8800GT TOP Edition, and as we will see with this card ASUS has actually gone with the best of both worlds by installing their custom Glaciator cooler while overclocking both the core and memory. As is usual for ASUS graphics cards, the TOP is considered a full retail package-type product and in this case it comes with the game Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts along with quite a few other extras. With the market full of 8800GT cards, it looks like ASUS is putting tons of effort in order to get their card recognized.

As is normal in the graphics card industry, all of these extra features contribute to make the ASUS 8800GT TOP more expensive than most competing reference-based cards. Thus, expect to pay a $30-$40 premium for this card over a standard 8800GT which puts the TOP Edition’s price at around $260. Along with this price, another slight problem presented itself for us: there is literally no way of telling if you will get the TOP Edition with the Glaciator cooler. According to ASUS, the product number EN8800GT TOP/G/HTDP/512M is valid for both (reference cooler and Glaciator) of their TOP edition cards. Indeed, as you can tell by the product page we linked you to above, even ASUS’ website does not make a distinction between the two cards. Buyer beware; try to get confirmation from store you are buying this card from regarding which version they have in stock. You may also notice that we don’t have a price listed on our price compare engine and this is due to the fact that this particular version seems extremely hard to find here in Canada.

With this card, ASUS is looking to make some waves in the graphics card market and without a doubt the 8800GT TOP looks ready to take on the big boys.

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ATI Radeon HD3870 X2 1GB Review

Within the last few months we have seen a flurry of new releases from the two main players in the graphics card market. Both ATI and Nvidia have been concentrating on the mid-end performance cards which offer you the most bang for your hard earned buck with products like the 8800GT and HD3870. Both companies have been completely content to let the year-old 8800GTX sit at the top of the heap with its easily-earned performance crown. Never before in recent memory has a single graphics card retained the lead for so long…until today.

After what can only be called an unsuccessful launch of what was originally supposed to be a competitor for the 8800GTX with their HD2900XT, ATI was bought by the (then) high-flying AMD. Since then, many things have changed with AMD but one thing has become apparent: they are hell-bent on clawing back ATI’s place in the graphics card market. With what can only be called a highly successful launch of their HD3870 and HD3850 series, ATI and AMD are riding on cloud number nine but even with these two strong products, they are not content. Why? Because Nvidia is still walking pretty with sole ownership of the high-end performance category and ATI needs to make a renewed assault on this lucrative market for both financial reasons and bragging marketing material (read: bragging rights). While very good in their own right, their current crop RV670 cores is not up to the task of taking on the 8800GTX mono-a-mono so ATI and AMD had to come up with something else. Enter the HD3870 X2.

While it may seem neither elegant nor particularly innovative at face value, the HD3870 X2 (or RV680 as ATI calls it) represents ATI’s resurgent need to hold the performance mantle one more time. Not only does this give hope to investors but it gives a warm fuzzy feeling to anyone who hated the one horse race the current extreme performance segment had become over the past 18 months.

To put it in a nutshell, the HD3870 X2 is basically a pair of HD3870 512MB cards which have been installed on one giant red PCB with a full 1GB of memory. If you bought two HD3870 cards separately, you would quickly rack up a bill of about $480CAD but the HD3870X2’s price is still in a bit of flux. Don’t take this as God’s (or whatever deity you believe in) Own truth but our contacts have pegged the price of this card at anywhere from $500 to $550CAD but remember, this may change for launch. This is a bit more than the public might like but if the price is indicative of how ATI knows this card performs, it means that we may have a new performance champion on our hands. ATI is also pushing this as a “hard” launch with product in the channel on launch day but stock will initially be extremely limited.

This review will be a bit different from the last ones we have done. This is not a retail version of the HD3870 X2 but rather it is an engineering sample which we got our hands on through a story too complicated to mention here (though it would make great reading). So, you will not see any packaging shots nor any Crossfire results since we could only get our hands on one of these cards on short notice. There will also be no final “score” given due to the fact that this is an engineering sample.

One way or another, we were hell-bent on bringing you some info about this product even though the NDA lift date has jumped around more than a pigmy on ‘roids. So sit back, grab your reading glasses and a cup of coffee, take a seat in your favorite chair and enjoy this review.

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XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog Edition Review

Manufacturer Product Page: TBD
Product Number: PV-T88G-YDF4
Availability: Now
Warranty: Double Lifetime
Price: Click here to compare price

This is a great time to be a consumer looking for a new graphics card. Over the last few weeks we have been inundated with new cards from every quarter which have all been firmly focused at the more budget-minded enthusiast. With the release of the G92-based 8800GT, Nvidia released what some punters are calling the most popular graphics card of all time. Even though it was popular, the 8800GT proved to be next to impossible to find due to some serious supply shortages and the prices skyrocketed above the original MSRP. Finally, the shortages of this card seem to have ended….just in time for another new release from Nvidia: the G92-based 8800GTS 512MB. Or as I like to call it: “yes, another 8800GTS”.

While the 8800GT was aimed at offering a massive amount of performance for every one of your hard earned dollars, Nvidia is hoping their new 8800GTS will appeal to consumers looking for something with a little more power at a little higher price. Basically, what Nvidia is looking to do with this card is increase their lead over ATI’s recently released HD3870 which (like the 8800GT) is selling faster than they can be produced. There have been a few changes made to this card to differentiate it from the GT but we will get into that a little later. At this point, it is sufficient to say that Nvidia a firing on all cylinders these days and I have high expectations for this card. Something that also sets Nvidia apart from the competition is the sheer number of their board partners that offer lifetime warranties. Unlike the HD3870 launch where you would have had a snowball’s chance in hell to find an ATI card with a lifetime warranty, there will be quite a few manufacturers offering lifetime warranties on their 8800GTS 512MB cards.

Now that we have all that out of the way, let’s talk a bit about the availability of these new 8800GTS 512MB cards. Unfortunately, we are not hearing much out of our usual contacts but that could mean one of two things: either they have plenty of stock and are not panicking or have already hung themselves from the nearest doorframe rather than going through another 8800GT-like launch. Personally, I think that stock will be a bit tight due to popularity but not to the extent like we saw with the 8800GT. Pricing will pretty much run the gamut and these cards will be priced between $360-$400 CAD which represents about a $100 increase in price from the GT. Meanwhile, the XFX 8800GTS 512MB Alpha Dog Edition we are reviewing today comes in at a pretty trim $374.99 or thereabouts.

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