Vendor Cards: BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC
by Derek Wilson & Josh Venning on August 4, 2005 2:39 PM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Introduction
We've been enjoying the testing of NVIDIA's 7800 series, and are continually impressed by how much it makes our favorite games come to life. While most of the tests that we do here are strictly scientific in nature, rest assured, we've spent countless hours of special extra-curricular Battlefield 2 tests, making absolutely sure that these cards provide the most enjoyable game play experience possible.
This is something that we've mentioned before, but keep in mind that this and all other articles in this series will be focusing only on the 7800 line of cards, comparing the different manufacturers' versions to each other. If you'd like to see how the 7800 stands up to older graphics cards such as the 6800, please refer to our G70 article.
As always, we'll be running tests using some games with and without AA and comparing the results to the other cards. We’ll also look at how the BFG overclocks (above the factory- overclock), how much heat and noise the card generates, and what kind of power load that it generates. We will then make a recommendation based on these factors as to which of the 7800's that we've reviewed so far would be the best choice.
Given the recent issues that we've seen with how NVIDIA cards overclock, there's no telling what kind of performance similarities we may see. For instance, we've seen that there are different plateaus between gains, and despite what the core clock indicator states, there is really little to no increase in speed. So, while the EVGA 7800 comes factory-clocked at 450MHz, and the BFG at 460MHz, that doesn't necessarily mean that the BFG will out-perform EVGA's. We'll look more closely at this in the overclocking section. But for right now, let’s take a look at the card itself.
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PeteRoy - Sunday, August 7, 2005 - link
Anandtech reviewing vendors 7800 GTX looks like a way to get a freebie 7800 GTX to every Anandtech editor,
But I admit it's interesting to see what each vendor brings with the board, to see what games, what box and cooler.
Scotty - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
In the hardware reviews, there is the shootout from Hexus. They remove the heat sinks to show the card and chips. I would like to see/know how well this card would accept a water block to integrate a dual 7800 setup into my current water cooling system. I am running a triple monitor system and this card makes this quite a bit easier to do than the the 6600 cards. Obviously I can not run this in SLI mode with three displays.Backslider - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
I have to disagree with the article.BFG 7800 OC wo/game = $525
MSI 7800 w/game = $475
The whole whopping 1% faster then, doesn't account for $50 plus a $40 game, at lease not to my wallet. I mean give me a break already, the card was like 1 FPS faster give or take a half of frame! But, ooooohhhh its "Over clocked" and I guess you get a cookie for that?
Then again, if your buying a graphics card this expensive, I'm sure you have the money to go out and buy all the games you want anyhow. Even then the benchmarks were just not impressive at all (realitive to 7800 vs. 7800).
darksparkz - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
I think, on the next review you should have the 7800GTXs stock speeds AND the 7800GTXs speeds that are OC to the exact same speed. It's harder to compare which is better because of the clock speeds.If you have eVGA, BFG, and etc. all at the same clock speeds, we'll truely be able to compare which is better
JarredWalton - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
I believe the whole point is that there is *NO* difference between any of the current 7800GTX cards if they are clocked the same. Minor differences in fan speed seem to be the major influence right now.Some Body - Thursday, August 4, 2005 - link
EVGA have released a new 7800GTX...7800GTX KO edition (with and without BF2). Core at 490MHz, Memory at 1.3GHz.
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=256-P...">EVGA 7800GTX KO Edition w/ Battlefield 2
(Also note that they've dropped prices on their 'regular' 7800GTX)
GuniGuGu - Thursday, August 4, 2005 - link
I love this website, it's my favorite hardware site, but I really have to ask, do we really need reviews of the same hardware?A quick overview, is the most thats really needed.
Really, Anand was talking about the 4fps difference between the games in 4xAA as actually a deciding factor??? It's 4fps guys!!
In all honesty, the only think people should look at, so long as the core/memory speeds are in-line, is the package and cooling used.
And by the looks of it, they are all folowing the same cooling options, so I would just like at the package (vivo?/cables/games) and choose from there.
Because in all seriousness, they are all the same.
at80eighty - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
true. However - what do you suggest? that AT reviews ATI's enviously large range of cards that they have existing at your local tech store?GuniGuGu - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
Perhaps, disregarg the entire video card section altogether, until there is something, actually worth talking about...We all know that the GTX is the fastest card on the market, but the article could've been summed up in a few lines. "The card is oc, it cost a bit more, and doesn't offer any real extra performance, much like all other GTX's"
There's always new hardware coming out.. AT doesn;t have to review the same video card 3 times ya know...
GuniGuGu - Friday, August 5, 2005 - link
Or he could brake NDA and review a 7700 gt :)I'm in the process of buying a new machine, everything new, and i'm contemplating waiting on a 7700gt, because of the price it may sell for, and how it may overclock/unlock..
But I'm also extremly pissedd off at ATi for taking so damn long... they've basically lost my sale (if the product could've proved to have been better that is).