Introduction

True or False, the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra requires two slots to install (one AGP slot, and also occupies the PCI slot adjacent to it)? Chances are if we asked you that question when the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra was first launched, you’d answer “True”. Guess what, you’d be wrong.

GeForce FX 5950 Ultras and 9800 XT

evGA and ASUS 5950 Ultra cards compared

Component placement is the same

As you probably know, NVIDIA technically doesn’t manufacture its own boards. We use the word “technically” because they actually manufacture quite a few graphics cards via their manufacturing partnership with Flextronics, who also manufacture their Xbox parts. If you’ve read a few of our reviews, then you should know that these boards are sold at retail by their board partners BFG, eVGA, and PNY, although a few other board partners will also participate from time to time. These boards are strict reference designs since they essentially are coming straight from the mother ship (NVIDIA).

For everyone else, NVIDIA provides reference specifications. These guidelines vary from chip to chip, for instance NVIDIA’s GeForce FX 5900 XT shares a reference board design that’s more similar to the GeForce FX 5600 Ultra (flip-chip) than the GeForce FX 5900/5900 Ultra, despite its name. These guidelines are just that, guidelines, and aren’t rules that are written in stone. If a board manufacturer chooses to follow them, he can. In fact, many chose to do so, as it saves research and development time and the costs associated with it.

Size comparison

Note the design of all 3 coolers

ASUS compared to ATI

However, some also choose to follow their own path, looking to outdo NVIDIA’s own reference board design. This can come in the form of making improvements to the board design itself, although this is rarer. Most often card manufacturers will stick with the reference design and focus instead on improving the stock cooler. With the exception of the GeForce FX 5800 Ultra, NVIDIA tends to play it conservative when it comes to reference cooler designs. Aluminum is the metal of choice for the heatsink instead of copper to reduce manufacturing costs.

As a result of the debacle with GeForce FX 5800 Ultra’s FX Flow cooler, third-party board manufacturers also tend to focus on reducing the amount of noise emitted by the cooler’s fan.

So which card looks best to you?

Close-up of both coolers

With its line of GeForce FX 5900 Ultra and now GeForce FX 5950 Ultra cards, ASUS has attempted to address both of these topics, heat and noise, while at the same time, dispelling the myth that GeForce FX 5950 Ultra requires two slots to operate.

In our ASUS V9950 Ultra review, we found that ASUS’ engineers had done a remarkable job of pulling this off. The graphics card is quiet (despite having two fans), and thanks to the copper heatsink and twin fans, ASUS is largely able to keep heat at bay without consuming the PCI slot adjacent to the AGP interface. We were able to slip the V9980 Ultra inside small form factor systems without running into any space constraints although we did find that the card operated a little warmer than some of the other third-party cards that also shipped with exotic copper coolers.

Now it’s time to see if ASUS can pull it off again for the GeForce FX 5950 Ultra. Let’s get started…