Performance Tests
We ran benchmarks on the 7800 GT with the same system that we used for the 7800 GTX tests:MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 Processor
1 GB OCZ 2:2:2:6 DDR400 RAM
Seagate 7200.7 120 GB Hard Drive
OCZ 600 W PowerStream Power Supply
We'll also be testing the card's performance in the three games that we've been using: Battlefield 2, Doom 3, and Halflife 2. We'll be testing all three games at 1600x1200 with and without AA. We chose this as our resolution because it reflects what is most used by people who get a 7800 GT, given that most cost-effective LCD monitors still don't support resolutions much higher than this.
Since this is our first 7800 GT article, and we don't have any other versions to compare the XFX 7800 GT with yet, we'll be looking at how the GT compares to the 7800 GTX reference card. Because we were able to overclock our XFX 7800 GT a little bit higher than the reference 7800 GTX, we can see how significant it is to have one more vertex and 4 more pixel pipelines.
When we tested the XFX GeForce 7800 GT Overclocked, we found the numbers to be much closer to those of the 7800 GTX. On the 7800 GT, BF2 still has about a 10% decrease in fps from the GTX, which might be noticeable during game play. But the other differences were small enough not to make much difference.
As you can see when we overclocked our 7800 GT to 462MHz and 1.2GHz, we managed to match and even slightly surpass (in Doom 3) the framerates of the GTX. This is significant, but we aren't quite sure if we'll be able to see the same results on other 7800 GTs. These numbers really show us how there isn't a very big difference at all in G70 performance with one less vertex and four less pixel pipelines at 1600x1200 and lower; all the more reason to save $100 and go with the GT if a very large expensive LCD isn't in your computer room or within your budget.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
33 Comments
View All Comments
JNo - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
"We'll be looking at how the different 7800 GTs compare to each other as we review them, so be on the lookout for another 7800 GT article soon. We want to make these reviews as helpful as possible, so any comments or suggestions that you have regarding tests, cards, or anything else, please let us know."I second (or third or fourth...) the call for a round up review. I don't want to have to read 5-7 separate reviews of 7800GT cards just to determine the best one. I want you to tell me! Obviously with graphs summing up different characteristics (overclocking, noise, plateau characteristics, $ per FPS etc) so I can make a different choice if the emphasis on my individual needs differs...
bob661 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
This is the first time I've seen some value in OCing a video card. Near 7800GTX performance for $100 less.Avalon - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
Seems like at 1600x1200, an overclocked GT is right up there with a GTX. I would like to have seen higher resolution benchmarks of the GT overclocked at 462/1.2, so we could see how much ground the GT lost, if any. For all you 2005/2001FP owners out there, grab the GT model, and forget about the GTX. $100 isn't worth 1% boost in performance.Houdani - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
But, but, but ... the noise!You are correct, financially the GT is a better choice than the GTX -- just not this particular card. Who at XFX chose that fan? It's a screamer!
Ozz1113 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
Im sure there will be aftermarket cooling solutions out real soon to bring the db's down.Oh, I use water =D
Scarceas - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
I too would like to have seen comparison to a 6800Ultra and a Radeon x850fishbits - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
Third paragraph into the article (with EZ-Klik hyperlink technology!). No it doesn't bench every possible video card, but more than enough to figure out where the GT fits in. The 6800 Ultra you said you wanted to see is right there.
Furen - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
OMG, make it stop...Houdani - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
Agreed! I much prefer the roundups over these single vendor reviews. A /short/ summary of all the vendors is more than adequate, contained within the roundup article.4AcesIII - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link
What happened to the group reviews, they missed the Leadtek 7800GTX and now they probably won't so they can do XFX and EVGA again only maybe a MSI to make it look good. Sheesh why do I even come here anymore?