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We have spent a lot of time developing and maintaining a constant comparison chart that reflects true differences in GPU performance ratios by way of using the same system for many cards tested. Recently we have switched from an Intel platform to an AMD based one to keep up with the current SLI technology from NVIDIA and in many cases we have seen performance ratios increase by quite a large margin by this change. AMD has really begun to be thee gaming platform for high-end gaming and it's really amazing to see Intel losing ground in an area where they once ruled unchallenged. Change has come to the PC world at large. Using a variety of 3D benchmarks and games gives an all around feel to how well the card performs in its raw form as well as in the gaming environment. We format the system and do a fresh installation of Windows prior to each card we test and run each test three times and then average out the numbers for a more accurate score. We run the cards by themselves and then in SLI mode, which takes a considerable amount of time and man hours clicking away with the mouse at the different programs. We use Asus motherboards and Crucial Ballistix memory exclusively in our VGA tests as we try and keep the test systems at the extreme end of the retail spectrum. We use only parts readily available to any user to buy and test at home if they wanted to. We also tested the cards on Gigabyte's new Intel 975 chipset motherboard (As Seen in Image 1) and they worked without issue on that platform as well, although not in SLI mode only single card modes. Intel claims the 975 supports SLI, but it was not revealed on this board as each card was shown individually in the device manager, but SLI was not enabled or allowed in the drivers. Test System
Test Software
For compatibility testing we used the card on several different platforms including the new ATI200 chipsets boards that supposedly are geared at the CrossFire platform. The XFX XXX 7800GT worked well with over seven different boards all with varying chipsets, including Intel 955/975, NVIDIA NF4 SLI both 8X and 16X and ATI's new 200 series boards. Compatibility was never an issue with any board the cards were tested with and stability was paramount throughout the entire test sequence. I have heard rumors that the new NVIDIA boards coming out support both CrossFire and SLI technology and that is way cool, go go NVIDIA!! If that is true that will really help NVIDIA in the overall picture and make users a very happy crowd. Contents:
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