The AOpen 6800Ultra is a great card, using nVidia's powerful chipset. Having two of them combined is more than anyone could ask for, to enjoy any game without limits.

The AOpen Aeolus 6800Ultra-SLI system dominates in all tests, and no other card can compete with its outstanding performance. In some cases, the results we got from the two AOpen cards surpassed the results of the new G70 and the R520/R600 chipsets. As expected, overclocking these cards did not boost performance that much. However, the 3DMark05 score was something to focus on, since they received more than 10000 3DMarks.

The retail package includes everything users will need to get started and that includes the DVI adapter and power cables. There is also a total of 7 games included in the package, 5 in Lite versions and 2 in full, but nothing worth writing home about. The drivers offered by AOpen are not the latest nVidia drivers and we strongly advise you to use the latest drivers available from nVidia's website, since performance is increased greatly with new gaming profiles.

Most users may be wondering if the noise from these cards is too great. However, when the GPU load is not high and the chipsets remain at low temperatures, the GPU cooling system decreases fan speed also reducing noise levels. In general, noise levels were kept considerably low.

You should always keep in mind that these cards are targeted at PC enthusiasts and hardcore gamers, as with any SLI system. Taking this into consideration, the high price is not an issue, since these kinds of users are willing to pay anything to get the best. And AOpen can certainly offer the best. Unfortunately, there is no CrossFire system available for now, but in the following weeks we hope to get our hands on an engineering sample, offered by ATI. This will fire up the competition.

In any case, although the official price of the new G70 chipset has not been released yet, we think that this is a good alternative. Of course, if you want to buy these cards and combine them in SLI mode, you will need to have rather deep pockets, with a single AOpen Aeolus 6800Ultra costing almost $549.95. But you will be rewarded by the performance. These cards received CDRinfo's "Best Performance" award.

Pros:
- Excellent performance in all tests
- Excellent cooling system
- Considerably low noise levels
- Great nVidia features to improve image quality

Cons:
- Low overclocking potential in SLI mode
- High priced, aimed at PC enthusiasts

Performance:
Overclocking:
Bundle:
Value for money: