By Josh Walrath

The Card

            BFG does not manufacture its own products, rather it has a partner in China that actually produces cards to BFG’s specifications.  This outsourcing is very cost effective, and it does take some of the liability off of BFG’s shoulders (it does not have to pay for bad products out of the factory), and it does allow them a bit stricter quality control than what might be expected if they actually produced their own and had to worry more about the bottom line.

The card is well packaged and protected in its cardboard box and plastic liner.

            The PCB of the 5700 Ultra is a catching blue hue that is accented by the brushed silver of the heatsink and ramsinks.  The effect is not overwhelming, nor flashy, but it does have a distinctive look for those that would be interested in showing it off in a modified case.  The PCB design is strictly NVIDIA reference, and it is populated by the usual capacitors and resistors that keep the clean power flowing to the memory and the core.  The 5700 Ultra still requires the 12v 4 pin molex connector directly from the power supply.  While the 5700 Ultra could probably work fine without it, NVIDIA felt that the extra stability provided by the external power supply more than makes up for the extra cost.  The PCB itself is very long, even compared to the mighty GeForce FX 5900 Ultra.  It dwarfs the competing Radeon 9600 XT, as well as the other Radeon series of cards.  Still, the larger PCB does not impact price all that much, and the extra space does make designing the product a bit easier in terms of component placement and routing.  The only real negative here is inserting the card into a small or cramped case.

            The packaging that the FX 5700 Ultra comes in is also well done, but not terribly flashy.  It does project a very professional appearance, and gives the impression of power.  It is a significant step away from the traditional Taiwanese branded video cards that tend to have very flashy boxes filled with spaceships, warriors, and scantily clad women.  Another feature that is nice is that the actual PCB part number can be viewed from the back of the box.  This allows the buyer a little peace of mind in that they know what product they are actually getting, but then again mislabeling a product is very rare these days.

The entire contents of the box spread out a bit.  Note the extra molex connector and the DVI to VGA connector.

            Inside of the box is a clear plastic container that actually holds the video card.  This box protects the card from any mishandling.  Something catastrophic would have to happen during shipping to damage the card in any way.  This extra protection is much appreciated, especially if anyone has seen how shipping companies actually handle boxes!  Also included in the box is a power splitter adapter, a DVI to VGA adapter, and a software sleeve that contains the drivers, NV-DVD, BFG Window Blinds, and tech demos.  The software sleeve also contains a quick install manual, some NVIDIA propaganda, a case badge, and (most importantly) a sheet of paper that has the technical support contact number (1-866-BFG-FIXX).

            This technical support is essentially unique in the industry.  Not only does the video card have a true lifetime warranty, but BFG also offers technical support that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It does not take long to talk to an actual person there, and they tend to be quite knowledgeable about the product, and how to fix the majority of problems that a user may tend to see.  If the product is in fact defective, a RMA is quickly given and the product replaced (though I am unsure how long that actual replacement time is).

Here are the contents of the "patient folder" that is included.  Pretty minimal, but solid.  Note the rebate on the Boomslang mouse with the purchase of the 5700 Ultra.  Note as well the little case sticker.

            Even though there are no games bundled with the product, it does not overly affect the value of the product.  BFG provides great support, and an excellent warranty.  Adding a $5 OEM game to the package really would not increase the value that much.

Installation

            Installing a video card anymore is a breeze.  Simply uninstall the previous card, take that card out, insert the FX 5700 Ultra, plug in the power, boot the machine and run the latest Forceware drivers.  This was done on several machines, and each one handled the installation perfectly fine.

The card in all its glory.

            The latest Forceware drivers provide a great amount of functionality for a wide variety of users.  The gaming profiles work perfectly (controls AA and AF settings on a per-game mode), and the NVIEW 3.5 offers some great tools for those using multiple monitors.  NVIDIA has always done a great job in providing solid drivers, and even though there has been a great amount of controversy as of late about them, NVIDIA does try to give the user the best experience possible on their hardware (whatever the present hardware limitations are).

Next:  Visual Quality