NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra Reference Card Review

OCTools takes a look at NVIDIA’s GeForce FX 5950 Ultra reference card comparing it with ATi’s flagship model, the Radeon 9800XT:

The graphics "war" between nVIDIA and ATI has been fierce in the last 18 months with both manufacturers trying to best each other at every card release. Now nVIDIA is back with a new and faster card, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra. Can this card battle it out with ATI’s current flagship, the Radeon 9800XT, and finally take the graphics crown once again for nVIDIA? ..Unlike previous ATI offerings where the competition managed to outgun the nVIDIA card in most tests, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra finally shows the power we thought nVIDIA couldn’t deliver to compete against ATI. Our results indicate that the FX 5950 Ultra really has what it takes to take the crown back to nVIDIA. They have improved their IQ performance and in the process have a card that is a worthy opponent to ATI’s high-end offering.

Although the FX 5950 Ultra led in more than half of the tests, I cannot fully say that it is now the KING. There have been some tests in this review where the 9800XT outclassed the FX 5950 Ultra. A KING has to be the KING in whatever test you subject it to, be it old or new. This just proves that some games favor nVIDIA and some ATI. So it all goes down to which game you play. If the game is optimized for nVIDIA cards, then yeah I would highly recommended this card. If you are a die hard nVIDIA fan, cheer up, here’s an nVIDIA card that you can finally be proud of once again.

Pricewise, the FX 5950 Ultra cards are definitely cheaper than its ATI 9800XT counterpart. This is another factor that you might want to consider when thinking of purchasing your high end graphics card. Overclocked, you get more value for your money as the performance of the FX 5950 Ultra at this tweaked speed definitely blows the 9800XT away. Overall, I am very happy with nVIDIA’s NV38 offering. It’s been a long while since they have produced something that you can really compare to against the competition. Now they are back in the game. The playing field is once again levelled.

OCTools

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra Reference Card