Vendor Cards: XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked
by Josh Venning on August 16, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Final Words
The fact that the EVGA KO and the XFX Overclocked perform the same out of the box means that there's now a tie for the best card in terms of performance. Ranking the cards that we've tested from the fastest to the slowest looks something like this:XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked & EVGA e- GeForce 7800 GTX KO
BFG 7800GTX OC
EVGA e- GeForce GTX (450MHz)
MSI NX7800GTX (and NVIDIA reference card)
Note that technically, we managed to overclock the EVGA KO a little more than the XFX, but as this can be a subjective process, we give them a tie for first. Also, we'd like to stress again that the difference in performance between these cards is very small.
Let's talk about prices for a second. We understand that NVIDIA's 7800 GTX series is not a card for people who are on a budget. These cards represent the absolute best in gaming performance, and at anywhere from $500 to $600, their prices reflect that. We also know that every little bit of money that you can save when buying a card is important, so we try to look at the best overall value (given the price at the time of the article) when judging the cards.
We place a very high importance on performance with these individual 7800 GTXs, and the reason for that is simple enough. Those in the market for a 7800 GTX are obviously looking for the most powerful card available, and we feel that these same people would be willing to pay a little more for the added performance of a factory overclocked card. Obviously, how much more you pay compared to the actual increase in performance is what it boils down to, which can be tricky considering how card prices are constantly changing.
That being said, here is what we recommend. If you still don't have Battlefield 2 and want to get a good 7800 GTX with BF2 bundle, then definitely go with the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked (with BF2 bundle), which is available for about $550 right now. You could also get the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX with Bf2 bundle for about $530, but you won't get the higher factory overclock of the XFX. Strictly looking at the cards themselves though, our pick for the best 7800 GTX would be the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX KO for $575. The XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked ($530) came in a very close second, and the $45 difference will make some people choose the XFX, especially given that they are the two fastest 7800's right now and perform exactly the same out of the box. But there are other factors that we considered when making this decision.
Firstly, as we mentioned earlier in the article, the EVGA KO has a modified heat sink and RAM sinks on the back, thus making it a little better candidate for user overclocking. Second, we are still impressed with EVGA's warranty policy and feel that this gives it a definite edge over the other manufacturers right now. Thirdly, the modified heat sink on the front of the card does more than just look good and dissipate heat; it also looks like a very effective protection against physical damage to the board. We realize that these are all very small things individually, but when put together, they add up. At the time that this article was written, the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX (450MHz) with BF2 had gone back up in price to $530, and for $20 more, you can get the XFX Overclocked with BF2 plus a significant performance boost, but this is weighed against EVGA's quality warranty. We feel that the BFG 7800 GTX OC ($535) isn't a bad deal considering its performance, but again, we feel that if you are going to drop that much money on a card, you might as well pay another $40 and get the added benefits. Those who want the absolute cheapest 7800 GTX should probably go with the MSI NX7800 GTX. At $480, this is the cheapest one, and it will still make the bundled Chronicles of Riddick (and all other games) look great.
EVGA has proven itself with the 7800 GTX KO, and we feel that this is the best overall investment out of all the 7800's that we've tested. You may have to do a little searching to find one of these, as they seem to be popular right now, but they are out there. Next, we'll be looking at some of the 7800 GT graphics cards that have just been released, so be on the look-out for those soon.
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Leper Messiah - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
IIRC, all the 7800GTX's are Dual link DVI, it says that in one of the reviews, the eVGA, i believe. Secondly, why the fvck would you bother buying a $500+ card to downclock it so it performs like shite. :confused; Methinks you're nitpicking.Igi - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
You are right. There is a statement in MSI NX7800GTX review that all 7800 cards have one dual-link DVI port. I missed this one, my apologies. I would still like to know if dual-link DVI port is a primary or secondary port. This is important in a multi-monitor setup.I don’t think I’m nitpicking. I simply don’t want to listen to the noisy fans (38-40dB is still too noisy for me) while I’m browsing the net, writing e-mails, developing apps… What I’m actually asking, is there any “cool and quiet” technology inside G70 that works in a similar way as the A64 C&Q. In other words, is there any option I can set in drivers which will allow me to lower GPU clock while working in 2D (regular windows apps) and increase it to max during 3D game play?
Fluppeteer - Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - link
Derek has already said that they're planning to do a test of the dual link support - which (with a T221) I'd like to see. Ideally I'd like to see something likehttp://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041129/...">http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041129/...
...updated for the 7800 (I need a single link port able to get near 165MHz too).
In order for the outputs to be DVI compliant, they *should* be capable of at least single link 165MHz, AFAIK. However, as Tom's Hardware reported, this may not actually be the case if you're driving something needing near the transmission speed limit like a 2405. You might do better with Powerstrip and/or a shorter cable, but if the on-board TMDS transmitter isn't improved then you're right to worry, and it'll be only the dual-link output which can do full single-link speed. (I've had similar problems with the single-link side of my T221, due to the on-board TMDS, and others have struggled even with Quadros which use non SiI parts for one output.) It'd be nice if nVidia realised they had a problem with this - or even if a board manufacturer would give up, and just use SiI parts for all the outputs. If you're thinking of a 30" ACD + a 2405, I'd make sure you can return things if it doesn't work.
The "you need a Quadro" party line which nVidia have re. the 30" ACD isn't very helpful. Quadro 3400, 4000 and (I believe) 4400s only use SiI TMDS transmitters (an 1178) on one of their heads, and use internal transmitters for the other outputs, which aren't always up to snuff - although I'm not sure how near the dual link limit the ACD runs its timings. The Quadro 3000 and 2000 use external SiI parts exclusively, but are obviously slower cards. Allegedly the PNY AGP version of the 6600GT is dual-dual-link capable (although since it doesn't have external TMDS transmitters I've not understood how); the MSI 6800GTo (used as a Dell OEM part) also has one dual-link transmitter (it's effectively a Quadro 3400, AFAICT). There's also a discontinued Asus V9999GE which is dual link (one head, +analogue, using the internal transmitters), and the 512MB 6800Ultra cards which I'm told have one dual-link output.
There's always a choice of other workstation cards, if you don't mind a reduction in gaming performance - there are a few FireGL models (X800 series equivalents) with dual link outputs, and the Realizm 200 and 800 have SiI-based dual-dual link.
Speaking of high resolutions, I'd love to know whether nVidia have fixed their SLi issues with the 30" ACD now the 7800 is out. There's an interesting article at:
http://techreport.com/etc/2005q3/hires-gaming/inde...">http://techreport.com/etc/2005q3/hires-gaming/inde...
...regarding card performance at "ultra high" (2048x1536) resolutions, which reports that the buffer sizes on the G70 were increased so that it doesn't run out of steam at 1600x1200. I'd like to see benchmarks run at 2560x1600 resolution to see how it degrades (or, ideally, at 3840x2400 so I don't have to extrapolate) - and find out whether SLi SFR mode helps (if they've fixed it).
I presume, by the way, that the 7800GTX's outputs don't have HDCP enabled. Not that it matters if you just want to output to an analogue HDTV, but it's a bit of an issue if you have any plans for high def media output in the future (if only when Vista appears). Can anyone confirm?
Regarding silent operation, have you considered a water block? The cooling on my current (6800GTo setup) is an issue mostly because I have a small hurricane blowing from the front of my computer case to the back, and nVidia (for reasons I can't understand) fit their fans to blow from the back of the case towards the front. Result: the warm air from the 6800 gets blows straight back to its fan input, and it goes over 100 degrees C. I'm considering water cooling to get around this problem, rather than because I actually need it for overclocking.
I'm not sure that answers much, but it might add weight to the request for more testing - even if none of it should be vendor-specific for as long as they stick to the reference design!
Avalon - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
Since when did eVGA cover overclocking in their warranty?
Xenoterranos - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
Since they started selling overclocked cards, I think.ksherman - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
I kinda miss the 'round-up' version of these reviews. I think spliting each vendors cards into is own review makes it a little harder to see all the cards and compare them. Perhaps you should consider consolidating the many single reviews into one larger one. Esp. since most of these cards are really the same, with some slight differences in preformance and appearance. Not to mention each time a reviews comes about, the card that you reccommend usually changes slightly...just my .02 cents!
n7 - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
Shockingly enough, i think the XFX card is the most attractive design of all the 7800GTXs!Looks like a good option for those not terrified of the XFX name.
Hacp - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
not its name, just its customer support :).Spacecomber - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
Speaking of which, what became of AnandTech's efforts to test out tech support by contacting the manufacturer with a typical question that might come up and seeing how long it takes to get a response and how helpful the response is. Typically, this part of the review also covered things like online FAQs and knowledge bases in terms of how helpful these were. Was this only done for motherboards? Is it still a practice followed for some reviews? And, if so, why not for video cards? And if is is not being followed anymore (at all), why not?Space
Hacp - Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - link
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