Chaintech APOGEE AA5700U
GeForce FX 5700 Ultra
February 17, 2004
Manufacturer: Chaintech
Introduction
When it comes to producing mainstream nVIDIA cards, Chaintech has got to be the most innovative of the lot. Not only do they make them stable and high performing, they also make them damn nice to look at. You just need to look at their most recent mainstream offering, the FX 71 Apogee, and for sure you'll agree with me.
So when the FX 5700 Ultra came out, we were quite excited at what Chaintech will offer with their NV36 version. Having seen the impressive performance showed by the GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, it was obvious that they won't waste time in releasing their new mainstream offering.
Today we are very fortunate to have Chaintech's FX 5700 Ultra offering in our hands for testing. If this card can offer the same results as our nVIDIA FX 5700 Ultra reference card and have the looks that Chaintech cards are known for, then they have a sure winner in their hands. Let's find out what the Chaintech AA5700U APOGEE can offer us.
The Chaintech APOGEE AA5700U GeForce FX 5700 Ultra
Based on nVIDIA's NV36 GPU, the AA5700U is the newest mainstream card to come out of the APOGEE line. Having said that, you can expect the same stability, performance and overclockability this line is famous for. Offering a unique golden design, nice package and the use of top quality components make this card stand out among the current crop of FX 5700 Ultras out there.
Below is a table comparing the Chaintech AA5700U FX 5700 Ultra to all the current mainstream VGA cards:
| Graphics Card | Core/Memory | Memory Interface | Memory | Maximum Bandwidth |
| Chaintech AA5700U | 475/906 | 128 bit | 128 mb DDR2 | 14.4 Gb/s |
| Reference FX 5700 Ultra | 475/900 | 128 bit | 128 mb DDR2 | 14.4 Gb/s |
| FX 5600 Ultra | 400/800 | 128 bit | 128 mb | 12.8 Gb/s |
| Radeon 9600XT | 500/600 | 128 bit | 128 mb | 9.6. Gb/s |
| Radeon 9600Pro | 400/600 | 128 bit | 128 mb | 9.6 Gb/s |
With new features to boast like the CineFX 2.0 engine and Intellisample technology matched with DDR2 memory architecture, expect the APOGEE to show good numbers against all the competition. Add an innovative Dual Fan HSF made of pure copper and super fast memories and you've got yourself a mainstream VGA card killer.
