8800GTS vs 8800GTS OC2

[NFI]

Hello,

can anybody tell me the difference/benefits of the OC2 over the standard 8800GTS?

I'm trying to decide which to get and the non-OC" card is about 40.00 cheaper generally...

any help will be much appreciated,

Thanks,

Paul

 

[kmcferrin]

The OC2 is not a standard spec chip from nVidia. As you noted, it is overclocked. Because of this, you can expect it to be faster. How much faster depends on how much the chip has been overclocked.

Unless you can find some benchmarks comparing the two, it's probably just a guess.

 

[NFI]

OK, thanks for that - so the OC and OC2 are the same 8800GTS chip, but running at different speeds?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[NFI]

...in fact, now that I know what I'm looking for, I see that the 8800GTS runs at 500MHz with 1600MHz RAM, the OC runs at 550MHz with 1600MHz RAM whilst the OC2 runs at 580MHz with 1700MHz...

The price difference is roughly 175.00 for the standard, 190.00 for the OC and 200.00 for the OC2...that's all with 320MB of RAM...

So is 80MHz worth 25.00? Does anybody know of any bench-marking done on this?

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Johnthephoneguy]

You can use the ATI tool and overclock it yourself that much, go with the cheaper one. My Nvidia 7950 came 520 and I have it running at 605. The ATI tool is great even on non ATI cards.

JohnThePhoneGuy

"If I can't fix it, it's not broke!

 

[paparazi]

If the cooling solution is the same and most of these 8800GTS cards are using reference coolers, then the only difference is that the individual manufacturer chose to "overclock" the card in order for mugs that don't know better to buy them.
Money for old rope! I say, especially when most are exactly the same cards physically.
There are exceptions to this rule however, manufacturers who improve on the reference cooling and some that hand pick GPU's and memory modules.
Gainward generally is known for this.
But they are the same parts essentially.
As others have said there are tools "Riva Tuner" for instance, that can be used to overclock but as this is a professional forum for professional users, overclocking is generally not recommended and infact the subject of overclocking is considered inappropriate.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[kmcferrin]

NFI, I take it that those prices are not in US Dollars, right? Because I'd love to be able to get an 8800GTS for under $200.

As usual, Paparazi has it dead on. Some companies do extra engineering to get their cards to the higher clock speed. Others don't. Many people have reported success buying slower clocked cards and then overclocking them on their own, though success is not guaranteed.

Realistically, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference without running benchmarks. The OC and OC2 cards would be faster than stock, but your eyes probably would see them as the same.

 

[NFI]

Thanks chaps - this is all useful information, so thanks very much!

...and you're right, I'm afraid, the prices are in GBP, not USD...I'd be buying in from overseas otherwise!

Paul