The Chaintech GAE85GT exhibits amazing performance as we can see from the results presented. Although you would have argued that the performance improvement is because it is factory overclocked, there is no denial that Chaintech has ensure that the card is stable and runs well even at a higher clock speed.

In terms of performance, the card performs very well for a 8500GT. In fact, it outperforms the ATi HD2400XT with its factory default clk. With further overclocking to 660/1540, the card is performing well beyond the normal 8500GT card, coming close to the performance of a 8600GT.

For the HDTV buffs, NV8500GT card set up is a bit more complicated than the HD 2400XT as it requires a seperate cable to be plugged from the SPDIF port tot and channel the audio to the card. The card then outputs video and audio through the DVI-HDMI converter (not provided) for full HDMI capability. This is somewhat cumbersome for the HD users. The additional kit can be bought seperately.

Overall, the card is very quiet. GPU temperature is also within 40 deg during operation. If you are thinking of getting a 8500GT with GDDR3, this card definitely is worth your penny.

Price ~ 89 USD

Pros

• DX10 support
• SM4.0
• Highly overclockable
• HDTV breakout box

Cons

• Seperate cabling required for audio in HDMI
• Packaging perhaps include a game
• Shoudl incude HDMI kit
• Sharp edges of the heatsink

Ratings

Here are my ratings out of 10 stars.