Package

Having a look at the front of the box we don't have a lot of detail though we do have the key specifications. We can of course see that the card is an 8800GTS and comes packing a large 640MB of DDR-3 memory along with the fact that the card is Dual DVI like all 8800 cards and majority of the high-end cards from both nVidia and ATI. We can also see that this is of course a Golden Sample card which means that it's pre-overclocked out of the box from the factory. That is good news for people who don't know what they're doing and want some more speed without having to risk making a mistake in the overclocking utilities available.

Turning the box over we see more detail that mainly relate to the 8800 core, we also see a performance graph to let you know where the card should sit compared to onboard graphics and previous releases from nVidia. We can also see the fact like all 8800 series that the card supports SLI and that a second card along with a SLI compatible motherboard is needed to get it up and running.

Opening up the box and diving past the graphics card for the time being we have a very standard package. Included as far as cables and connectors go we have a S-Video to Component/RCA connection for making use of the TV Out capabilities, PCI Express power convertor in the event that your power supply doesn't have one as standard along with a couple DVI to VGA connectors.

Paperwork wise we only have a Quick Start guide which is more a manual then a guide. We of course get our standard Driver CD which comes with Gainward's own Expertool overclocking program. We have two CyberLink DVD's - one with PowerDVD 6 and a DVD solution pack that comes with Power2Go, PowerProducer, PowerBack and MediaShow.

The package is a little disappointing, with it coming in under the Golden Sample name, it would have been nice to also have a game included - it helps you feel like you're buying a better version of a card. There is also no RCA or S-Video cables included so if you don't have any you will have to go buy them separately if you want to make use of the TV Out ability. Hopefully these are two things that Gainward look at closely in the near future.