Bundle and presentation
It seems as if Gainward's box-adorning model came off second best to some duct tape. I'm at a loss to explain what's going on here. Please feel free to proffer your suggestions in our forums. Interestingly, the box makes no mention of the enhanced 400MHz core speed but does touch on the upgraded 1200MHz memory clock. One gets the feeling that Gainward's not trying to step on NVIDIA's core hierarchy in an obvious and visible way.
Gainward's quickstart guides are more perfunctory than detailed. However, they're always written in reasonable English and cover most aspects of hardware and software installation. There's a very brief section pertaining to Golden Sample cards. With reference to EXPERTOOL it states, in capital letters, that GS cards are guaranteed to work at enhanced frequencies in any system. Gainward also covers itself by further stating that cards' warranty is invalidated if pushed beyond GS settings. There's also InterVideo's excellent WinDVD 5 and, strangely for this card, Muvee 3, an automated video-editing program. I guess it's the usual tactic of including a generic bundle with every card. There's also a voucher that details a special offer, one that comprises of a 550w PSU, WinCinema software, and Gainward multi-port card. It can be optionally purchased at a discounted price of 99 Euros (about £70). There's no games in the package, which is something of a surprise to me. I'd expect at least one recent title.
Not much in the way of cabling here, folks. 2 DVI dongles are a necessity due to the board's design. A molex splitter and mini-S-Video cable is all that's offered. Seems meagre for a £350+ package. The driver CD contains Gainward's EXPERTOOL overclocking software.
Enhanced Mode Settings are only applicable on Golden Sample cards. These cards always carry a clock/memory speed premium over basic models. The GLH model boots up at a GeForce 6800 GT's default clocks of 350MHz core/1000MHz memory. Note how the sliders on the left-hand side, suggesting a healthy boost when the go-faster button is pressed.
Vroom, vroom, straight up to an Ultra-beating 400MHz core and 1200MHz memory setting. What's more, it's fully guaranteed.
Fan control is another necessity on the GLH model, I feel. Without it, the two EVERCOOL fans combine to produce a high-pitched, whiney sound that quickly becomes annoying. Control is either fixed or dynamic. I'd urge users to opt for a fixed percentage in both 2D and 3D. Using the dynamic setting continually alters fan speeds in relation to GPU temperature. That can mean multiple pitch and speed alterations in a matter of seconds, which is considerably more annoying than, say, fixed at 80%.