Currently, two satellite gravimetric missions (CHAMP, GRACE) are dedicated to the improvement of our knowledge of the geoid, and one (GOCE) is planned in the near future. This will allow the absolute altimeter ocean height measurements to be exploited, instead of only sea level variations. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the GRACE mission on ocean data assimilation. The new approach is to directly assimilate the full altimetric signal relative to the first release of a GRACE geoid. The response of an eddy-permitting ocean model of the North Atlantic to the assimilation of this altimetric signal is analysed. The results are compared to that obtained using the usual approach, i.e., the assimilation of the dynamic topography derived from the addition of altimetric sea level anomalies and a mean dynamic topography estimate. Even if the GRACE mission resolution (333 km) is not yet compatible with oceanographic studies at mid latitude, we show that the geoid estimate can already be used with success in basin scale altimetric data assimilation problems.