- Key Features

The card offers all the usual features, common to all nVidia 7800 based cards. You can see the list below.

• Powered by the world's most powerful GPU - dual nVidia® GeForce ™ 7800 GT
• NVIDIA SL I™ Technology :
  Delivers up to 2x the performance of a single GPU configuration for unparalleled gaming experiences by allowing two graphics cards to run in parallel. The must-have feature for performance PCI Express graphics, SL I dramatically scales performance on over 60 top PC games.
• NVIDIA UltraShadow™ II technology
  Enhances the performance of bleeding-edge games
• NVIDIA CineFX ™ 4.0 engine
  - Delivers advanced visual effects at unimaginable speeds. Full support for Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 enables stunning and complex special effects. Next-generation shader architecture with new texture unit design streamlines texture processing for faster and smoother gameplay.
• NVIDIA® Intellisample™ 4.0 technology (HCT)
  The industry ' s fastest anti-aliasing delivers ultra-realistic visuals, with no jagged edges, at lightning fast speeds. Visual quality is taken to new heights through a new rotated grid sampling pattern, advanced 128 Tap sample coverage, 16x anisotropic filtering, and support for transparent super-sampling and multisampling.
• NVIDIA® nView™ multi-display technology -Provides unprecedented end-user control of the desktop experience
• Digital Vibrance Control 3.0 Technology
  Allows the user to adjust color controls digitally to compensate for the lighting conditions of their workspace, in order to achieve accurate, bright colors in all conditions.
• On-Chip Video Processor
  -Delivers unmatched video performance, features, and quality
• PureVideo
  combination of high-definition video processor and video decode software delivers unprecedented HD video, stunning picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for all video content to turn your PC into a high-end home theater.
• Microsoft® DirectX 9, Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0 support

Asus promises that the Extreme N7800GT Dual is 40% faster than two 6800Ultras in SLI mode, getting a 3DMark05 score of 11099. This remains to be seen, as we put the card to the test in our CDRinfo labs.

Apart from nVidia's usual features, Asus has included some extra features to make the card even more attractive:

• Special Limited Edition Serial Number Laser Engraved on the Fansink
• The Hottest 3D Games Bundled : Project Snowblind, Xpand Rally, Joint Operations
• 80-Watt External Power Supply Kit (Optional!):
  Provided easy-to-install power supply kit to upgrade your system for dedicated and stable power input to maximize the overclock-ability.
• Free online new ASUS GameFace Messenger™:
  ASUS innovative GameFace technology: real time audio/video communication feature elevates the interactive gaming experience by enabling point-to-point video conferencing functions and online gaming to take place simultaneously. Now integrated with a Instant Messenger Client to enhance communication inside and outside of the game battles.

• ASUS GameLiveShow :
  Just like people who share their lives and thoughts on blogs, expert gamers often want to show off their perfectly executed strategies and five-hit combinations to other gamers. GameLiveShow is another innovative feature incorporated in ASUS graphics cards that is created to allow gamers to stream broadcast their gaming experience live over the Internet. Other players can now go online to check out how you expertly beat the whole game.
• ASUS GameReplay  :
  Practice makes perfect, and that holds true in gaming as well. For popular LAN (local area network) party team games such as Counter Strike and Unreal Tournaments, strategy is the key to victory. GameReplay records your gaming experiences into MPEG4 video files so that your team can review all the moves and tactics later on to get better for the next tournament. The recorded files can also be used as screen savers or posted on blogs.
• ASUS Video Security™ Online:
  Whether you're online or not, ASUS VideoSecurity Online provides you a flexible and economical security system. It can easily turn your computer into your own security server.
• ASUS SmartDoctor™ : Provide the greatest operation safety for your valuable system
• ASUS SmartCooling™ : Ensures a quiet computing environment.
• ASUS OnScreenDisplay (OSD): OSD allows you to instantly adjust various display settings in almost any PC game without leaving the game.
• Diversified displays connectivity including dual DVI-I (convertible to VGA), dual VGA, HDTV-out, Video in
• High-Definition TV output for gaming or presentations on mega screen

- Specifications

The Extreme N7800GT Dual's specifications, as provided by ASUS, are shown below:

The engine clock is set to 430MHz and the memory clock at 1200MHz. According to our experience with other dual GPU VGA cards in the past, we cannot expect these values to increase greatly by overclocking the card. In general, overclocking is a headache with this type of card for technical reasons. However, this again remains to be seen later on.

WARNING! The Asus Extreme N7800GT Dual is not compatible with all motherboards. First of all, because of its size, the PC case should be able to fit the 14.5 cm (H) x 24.6 cm (L) x 3.4 cm (W) card. And secondly, your motherboard should be one of the following:

• ASUS P5ND2- SLI
• ASUS P5ND2- SLI Deluxe
• ASUS A8N- SLI
• ASUS A8N- SLI Deluxe
• ASUS A8N- SLI Premium
• ASUS A8N32- SLI Deluxe (BIOS update needed)
• DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR
• Gigabyte GA-K8NXP- SLI

According to ASUS, this video card should work on most AMD-based SLI motherboards from other vendors, but since the Intel-based SLI chipset uses a different method to support SLI, most C19 motherboards will not support it. The problem is in the way the motherboard disables or enables the 8x and 16x PCI-E lanes.