BFG Tech GeForce 6800 GT OC

Although the 6800 GT OC is already overclocked, I couldn't resist (and I know you guys and gals want to know) seeing just how high I could get it to overclock. Afterall, it isn't that far from 6800 Ultra speeds, and it has 16 pipes like the Ultra, so things could get interesting.

My overclocking experience was a positive one indeed (much more exciting tham my Sapphire X800 Pro overclocking fortunately). I used the automatic clock detection option, and the end result was just 418MHz for the core and 1090MHz for the memory, so I bumped those up to 420MHz and 1.1GHz, respectively. All was still stable at this point, and I was eager to put it to the test. Here are the overclocking benchmark results.

I was unable to push the clock speeds any higher, but I am still pleased with the results and potential of the 6800 GT OC.

Before I wrap this review up, let's take a look at a few in-game screenshots of two currently popular games with both the 6800 GT OC and the X800 Pro. All screenshots were taken with 4xAA and 8xAF and maximum quality settings in the game at 1280x1024.

BFG 6800 GT OC	Sapphire X800 Pro
Far Cry
Unreal Tournament 2004

I think it's really great that BFG decided to offer its entire 6800 line as OC cards. A lot of buyers who don't feel like messing with overclocking or don't understand it will really be happy that this overclocked-out-of-the-box option is available to them. While other companies will probably offer already overclocked cards, BFG really does a great job of marketing and pushing its OC line, and I think this round of cards will gather more attention than ever to BFG, and deservingly so.

The BFG 6800 GT OC is a great card. Yes, it is expensive at $400+, but you get what you pay for. The performance is great, and you can more than likely count on it overclocking even more than its preset overclock values. It will of course run even hotter then, but as long as you keep your case cool, which you should try to do anyway, then I don't see it as a problem. Most users would be more than happy though just keeping it at its default overclocked speeds, and then you get the awesome lifetime warranty to fall back on. Oh, and don't forget 24/7 tech support. These are great extras that make up for the weak bundle.

If you can't quite afford to spend $500+ for the very highest of the high-end cards, then you should definitely put the BFG 6800 GT OC at the top of your consideration list. It's an awesome card with plenty of power.

Pros:

+ Excellent performance
+ Already overclocked
+ Good overclocker on top of preset overclock
+ Lifetime warranty and 24/7 tech support
+ Not too noisy
+ Reasonable power requirements

Cons:

- Expensive
- Relatively large card (length-wise)
- Runs pretty hot
- Weak bundle

Final Score: 9 out of 10 and the Bjorn3D Golden Bear Award