Conclusion and Score
I say this a fair bit when looking at derivative products based on reference designs, but we knew what the card would perform like, compared to its peers. It's a monster DX8 class card, conceding the DX9 class crown to ATI's recent 9800XT.But, price is starting to make these boards fairly attractive, regardless of any weakness. ASUS have set a price of £317 plus dreaded VAT in the UK, for a final price of £372. Hmm. Not so attractive now, given that a well known UK retailer was knocking out the Leadtek 5950 Ultra, a board that carries the same features and performance of the ASUS, for under £300 recently. It's perilously close to ASUS' own 9800XT price at £372, here's hoping retailers will undercut that to bring it down to around £320 inc VAT, inline with other 5950 Ultra boards.
With a mediocre game bundle that needs a revamp, a utility set that borders on the weird (you want to use a £372 games accelerator to provide security on your house?), high price and a cooler that screams out for fan adjust, the ASUS is underwhelming.
It wouldn't take a lot to make it much more attractive. It's not ASUS style, but I'd love to see a cutdown bundle with only the VIVO dongle and a driver CD, at £300. The game bundle won't warrant any of your attention, the titles are bargain bin, generic or old. It's a shame that despite strong performance, the bundle contents, cooler and price conspire to make its rivals look that bit more attractive.
If you're spending ~£375 on a graphics card this winter, get the ASUS 9800XT. Faster and quieter for not much more cash.
Disappointing.
Score
Pros
Great performanceExcellent 2D image quality and nView3
VIVO features
Above average overclocker
Nice presentation
Cons
Too expensiveComparatively noisy cooler
Sub-standard game bundle
Not the fastest DX9 accelerator
Thanks
Komplett for the digital camera used to take the shots.ASUS for the sample.
