The Leadtek Leviathan is certainly the fastest single graphics card we have in the lab. The extra clock cycles and cool operation allow it to push past the GeForce 8800 Ultra’s reference-design specs with ease. When it comes to retail hardware with a warranty, the Leviathan is the king of extreme. This is neither for the faint at heart nor for those looking to double up with SLI.

There are a few drawbacks to this card. The first is that there are no SLI options unless you have a large case with dual 120-mm exhaust holes. The card does not even come with an SLI bridge if you wanted to. The next is that the card is priced at a premium above and beyond what we’d expect. This is fine for the fastest and greatest card available; but still, we would expect the shipping and diagnostics fee to be included in the price for consumers who get their card back from RMA if no defect is found. A special, fast-track customer service should also be included for clients willing to pay so much for a card.

All in all the card and cooler are aesthetically appealing and they get the job done well. Our pump failure and overly-warm room-temperature scenario tests show that this card can take a beating and still keep cranking out those power- sapping, graphically-intensive frames. If you have the means and are looking for the fastest card on the market, the Leviathan is the best ready-to-go out-of-the-box graphics card around.

While it may look leaner than the reference design, it is meaner.