The Card

So far, there haven't been any differences in the look of the 7800's that we've tested except the sticker on the heat sink. As you can see, this one has a GC angel on it over a white background. For some of the more extravagant enthusiasts/modders out there, this card may not pack the visual punch necessary to inhabit the flashiest setups. On the other hand, those who plan on buying this card for performance alone should not experience any loss at hiding away the graphic. The box has basically the same design as the heat sink.

The MSI does not come overclocked as did the EVGA. In the long run, slower parts should end up being cheaper. For those in the market for a 7800, pay close attention to whether the advantage factory overclocked cards have is worth the premium. The NX7800 GTX currently sells from about $535 to $550.

One nice feature with this card is that it comes bundled with The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher's Bay. This is an excellent game and should look beautiful with any card that can run in shader mode "2.0++" (as the game labels its mode that supports soft shadows).

Another thing we should mention is that all the 7800 cards that we are testing, including this one, have dual-link DVI, but only on one port. The Silicon Image TMDS chip is under the heat sink near the fan. This allows very high resolutions to be run on monitors that support it. For instance, Apple's 30 inch Cinema Display requires Dual-Link DVI to support its native resolution of 2560x1600.

Index Overclocking
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  • DigitalDivine - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    I like the new style, but is there a way to put the reply box back to the main comments page, posting quick replies without going to another page would be nice.
    ----------------------------------

    i wonder when they will release a $400 7800, hopefully a 24 pipe card... my 9800pro is so "old" now.
  • at80eighty - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    but is there a way to put the reply box back to the main comments page, posting quick replies without going to another page would be nice

    Bears repeating. (the formatting options are nice tho!)
  • Brian23 - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    Bears?!?!
  • at80eighty - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    You Sir, may have latent gay issues to work on

    not that there's anything wrong with that...
  • bob661 - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    Some of my best friends are gay. :)
  • xsilver - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    just had a thought.
    are there any games confirmed that need ps3.0 or any features present in this card or the 6800 series?
    The only game that I can think of is UT'07 where it was stated that the 6800 series was the first to be able to support such high poly counts
    any games stated to come out before then that would require an upgrade from a ati card? (9800/x800)
    comes on the back of the ti4600 owners that cant play BF2 at all
  • at80eighty - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    Maybe i missed the memo - but why the hell had AT gone /. ?!!?! AARRGH!!

    Anand i really liked the prior comments style! very simple and easy to read. Keep the filters if you like, just gimme back the old layout!!

    /puts pacifier back in the mouth :p
  • bersl2 - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    Ha ha!
    I like it Slash-ed up!
  • p3r2y - Monday, July 25, 2005 - link

    dude...an xfx comes with a 490/1300 factory overclock, the largest of any card, and comes with bf2. period.
  • InTheFlow - Monday, August 1, 2005 - link

    I'd love to see this card reviewed right after the BFG card.

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