Too Much Of A Good Thing? The Lowdown On 128 MB GeForce3 Ti200 Cards

Gainward

The Taiwan-based company Gainward has recently added a GeForce3 Ti200 card with 128 MB of RAM to its product line. Codename: Jumbo! We'll also be taking a look at these cards, namely the GeForce3 Power Pack !!! Ti/500 TV Jumbo and its Golden Sample variation (Jumbo GS). In Gainward nomenclature, Golden Sample is synonymous with improved performance and overclockability. To this end, Gainward uses 4ns memory instead of the usual 5ns modules, and clocks the card at 210/480 MHz, up from the standard 175/400 MHz. There is a third member of the 128 MB family (the GF3 PP !!! Ti/500 XP Jumbo "GS"), which is basically a TV Jumbo "GS," with an additional TV-In.

Don't let Gainward's naming scheme confuse you. Despite the Ti/500 name, the board really uses an NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti200. Equally confusing is the fact that Gainward's real Ti500 line carries the Ti/550 moniker.

Let's check the specs. Technical data for The Gainward "TV Jumbos" is as follows:

Visually, the Golden Sample version of the TV Jumbo is identical to the standard model, aside from the more powerful fan, which also runs more quietly than that of the standard card. Gainward equips the GS with 4ns memory. The standard version has to make do with 5ns modules. Additionally, the Golden Sample is also clocked higher, running at 210 MHz core and 480 MHz memory frequency. Unlike Gainward's previous forays into "out-of-the-box" overclocking, these higher frequencies are set in the card's BIOS and are no longer a software overclock through drivers or utilities. Performance-wise, this puts the GS in a league with the real Ti500s (240/500 MHz). And since overclocking is what the Golden Sample line is all about, rest assured that there's still a lot of room for overclocking. The standard Jumbo TV sticks to NVIDIA's reference speeds of 175/400 MHz, however.