The Verto GeForce 6800 Ultra finished about where we expected in the benchmarking section, and the card definitely showed off its high-end performance in a wide variety of games. The most prominent is obviously DOOM 3, and the GeForce Series 6 advantage in this popular game has been widely publicized. In most other 3D games, it's a pretty close race between the GeForce 6800 Ultra and Radeon X800 XT, using both standard settings and with higher-end anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering options enabled. In many ways, the base performance between the top NVIDIA and ATI cards is equivalent, but due to its DOOM 3 dominance and slightly higher AA and AF performance, the GeForce 6800 Ultra does get the overall edge.
Assigning a value component to an ultra high-end video card like the Verto GeForce 6800 Ultra is one tough job. These products are targeted at a very specific, enthusiast-level market, where price is secondary to performance. Even so, the retail price of $499 is sure to turn a few heads, but this is par for the course where GeForce 6800 Ultra cards are concerned. The Verto GeForce 6800 GT checks in at approximately $100 less, while the Radeon X800 XT boards are pushing $580-$600.
Relative value is the important factor with enthusiast cards, and the GeForce 6800 GT represents the best overall deal, while the Verto GeForce 6800 Ultra incurs a $100 premium to join the fast and the furious. PNY also offers a "lifetime warranty" on their video cards, which should be noted represents the duration a product is available for retail sale.
* Please note that online prices reflect Retail models. Prices are taken at the time of review, and are not intended to reflect long-term trends.
The GeForce 6800 Ultra is at the very top of its class in terms of pure 3D performance and features, and PNY has harnessed its next-generation performance and added a very nice product to their Verto line. The PNY Verto GeForce 6800 Ultra is power personified, with its dual-slot design and external power requirements being more than offset by absolutely killer performance and the CineFX 3.0 feature set.
