ATI Graphics Buyer's Guide Spring 2006, Part 1

Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX

Gainward is especially well known for its Golden Sample line of cards. These versions run at higher default clock speeds right out of the box. There are two advantages to this approach: first, it saves the user the tedious task of finding the ideal speed manually; and second, it preserves the warranty, since the increased frequencies are set and guaranteed by the manufacturer.

Of course, buying a standard card and then tweaking it to run at higher speeds is a cheaper alternative. However, the speeds that can be attained vary greatly from card to card, meaning that there is a certain risk involved - not to mention the fact that running any product outside of its specifications can void the warranty.

Gainward equips its 6800 GS with 512 MB of video memory. With this increased texture buffer and its higher clock speeds, it has no trouble outpacing and replacing the 6800 Ultra. The card itself is a one-slot solution. The heatsink and fan only cool the GPU, while the memory modules carry their own aluminum heatsinks.

The Gainward 6800 GS comes with DVI, standard VGA and Video outputs.