NVIDIA and ATI HDCP Compatible Graphics Cards Roundup
by Josh Venning on November 16, 2006 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Gigabyte GeForce 7600 GS HDMI
The first card we have from Gigabyte is the GeForce 7600 GS HDMI. The 7600 GS is a mainstream performance part, and it's the only 7600 GS we have for this review. This Gigabyte version is clocked at reference speeds, with a 400 MHz core and 400 MHz memory clock speed. A few of the cards in this roundup come with HDMI connections, and this card is one of them. It also has a DVI and an S-Video output alongside the HDMI port.
The HDMI version of the Gigabyte 7600 GS is nearly identical to the non-HDCP capable version of the card, with the exception of a wire extending from the back of the card which is used for connection to a sound device. This enables users to make full use of the audio capabilities of the HDMI connection.
Gigabyte GeForce NX7950 GT
The other card we have from Gigabyte is a more powerful GeForce NX7950 GT (GV-NX795T512H-RH). This is one of the more unique cards we have for this review, firstly because it uses a Zalman HSF instead of the reference cooler. We've found these Zalman fans to be very effective at dissipating heat and keeping noise levels down, even though they are a bit more delicate than other designs.
This card also has an 4 pin drive connection for its power interestingly enough, which is different from any of the other cards we have here for this review, and it's been a while since we've seen this kind of power connection on a graphics card. The NX7950 GT is equipped with 2 DVI ports and is clocked at the standard 550MHz core and 700MHz memory.
The first card we have from Gigabyte is the GeForce 7600 GS HDMI. The 7600 GS is a mainstream performance part, and it's the only 7600 GS we have for this review. This Gigabyte version is clocked at reference speeds, with a 400 MHz core and 400 MHz memory clock speed. A few of the cards in this roundup come with HDMI connections, and this card is one of them. It also has a DVI and an S-Video output alongside the HDMI port.
The HDMI version of the Gigabyte 7600 GS is nearly identical to the non-HDCP capable version of the card, with the exception of a wire extending from the back of the card which is used for connection to a sound device. This enables users to make full use of the audio capabilities of the HDMI connection.
Gigabyte GeForce NX7950 GT
The other card we have from Gigabyte is a more powerful GeForce NX7950 GT (GV-NX795T512H-RH). This is one of the more unique cards we have for this review, firstly because it uses a Zalman HSF instead of the reference cooler. We've found these Zalman fans to be very effective at dissipating heat and keeping noise levels down, even though they are a bit more delicate than other designs.
This card also has an 4 pin drive connection for its power interestingly enough, which is different from any of the other cards we have here for this review, and it's been a while since we've seen this kind of power connection on a graphics card. The NX7950 GT is equipped with 2 DVI ports and is clocked at the standard 550MHz core and 700MHz memory.
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DerekWilson - Thursday, November 16, 2006 - link
To be honest, this article was a very long time in production ... we got a hold of the drive almost two months ago iirc. It just took a whole lot of time and energy to get the tests done and the article written. We did go back and add the 8800 and 256mb 1900xt, but the x1950pro seemed to slip through the cracks.Sorry about that. We didn't exclude it on purpose, and we will try to include it in any future articles we write on HDCP protected content and high definition movies.
photoguy99 - Thursday, November 16, 2006 - link
If the article was done a while ago, does that mean it's now possible to playback h.264/vc1 Blu-Ray on a PC?It would be good to know what the missing link is to make sure we get it if we want to get playback on our own systems.
DerekWilson - Friday, November 17, 2006 - link
All BD movies are currently MPEG-2 -- and probably will be for a while.HD-DVD movies use VC1.
peternelson - Friday, November 17, 2006 - link
Wrong, the initial BR moves were mpeg-2 encoded content.
There now exist BR discs with content in the other two main formats.
Also discs with dual layers while original releases were single layer.
The wikipedia page for bluray contains titles, launch dates of the non-mpeg-2 discs.
DerekWilson - Saturday, November 18, 2006 - link
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.balazs203 - Wednesday, November 29, 2006 - link
Thanks for the great review.At this link in the review of the new Panasonic BR player they mention a few non-MPEG2 BD titles they like quality wise:
http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/1106pan...">http://www.ultimateavmag.com/hddiscplayers/1106pan...
I would be very much interested in an extension of your review with non-MPEG2 titles as obviously I would like to buy a computer which can play back all these titles and MPEG2 is the easisest type. Info about the other types is much more important for me when I consider what parts I want to buy.
JarredWalton - Thursday, November 16, 2006 - link
The article wasn't *done* a while ago - it was *started* two months ago. It took that long to get to this point, which says something about the state of the technology.lujack26 - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link
I was looking around the web for HDMI video cards after I read this article and came across this website E-bargainz.com. They seem to have great prices, a large selection, and reasonable shipping. Here is the direct link to their selection of HDMI video cards http://www.e-bargainz.com/index.php/cPath/143. I also found a coupon code "Thank You" for $5 off your first purchase. I'm going to try them out. Anything to keep from putting another dollar in Jeff Bezos pockets.