GeForce 8800 series round-up

BFGTech GeForce 8800 GTS OC 640MB:

Core Clock: 550MHz
Shader Clock: 1300MHz
Memory Clock: 1600MHz
Warranty: Lifetime (10 years in Europe)
Price (as reviewed): £267.96 (including VAT)
Latest UK Pricing
Latest US Pricing


There isn’t a lot to write home about when it comes to BFGTech’s GeForce 8800-series box design, because we’ve said it many times over. All that has changed from the original GeForce 8800 GTS box is that this one comes with an OC Edition sticker detailing the clock speed increases BFGTech has made on its OC Edition.

Inside the box, the card is well packed inside an anti-static bag and a padded plastic sleeve to ensure that the card doesn’t get damaged during shipping. The cables and connectors included in the bundle are also packed inside a padded plastic sleeve too, although they’re less likely to get damaged than the card, so we’re not sure it’s entirely necessary. That’s not to say we’re complaining about that, though.

As was the case with BFG’s GTS OC 320MB card, there aren’t any Teflon slick pads included in this bundle either. Fear not though, the comedy stickers are still a part of BFG’s bundle, even if only for kicks and giggles. On a more serious note, there is a pair of oversized DVI-to-VGA dongles, a component cable and a six-pin PCI-Express power adapter. Finally, BFGTech rounds off the bundle with a T-shirt, a driver / utility CD and a selection of literature that includes a quick install guide.

The stickers on the card are as familiar as the box design – the artwork on the heatsink shroud uses the same character that’s used on the box, while the sticker in the center of the radial fan carries the familiar “OC” branding. The rest of the card is as reference as it comes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the reference GeForce 8800 GTS heatsink / fan solution is not only effective, but quiet at the same time.

BFGTech has increased the shader clock from 1200MHz to 1300MHz, while the core clock has also been souped up to 550MHz from the default 500MHz. As was the case with the GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB, the company has chosen to leave the memory clocked at the reference GeForce 8800 GTS frequency of 800/1600MHz.

Warranty:

One area where BFGTech excels above most other NVIDIA board partners is with its warranty service and after sales support. The company offers a ten-year warranty with all of its cards in Europe, and a lifetime warranty to its customers on the other side of the Atlantic. The reason for the lower warranty term in Europe is EU legislation, but that shouldn’t worry you.

BFGTech also offers its customers free 24/7 technical support, albeit on an American 1-800 number (it’s free via SkypeOut), although if you don’t have SkypeOut or don’t live in America, BFGTech also offers free 24/7 support via email too. In the past, the downside of BFGTech’s RMA process was the fact that all RMAs were handled by the company’s US office. BFGTech has now opened RMA centres in the UK and across Europe too, meaning that there will be much shorter turnaround times for the company’s European customers.