GeForce 7800 GT: XFX Overclocked

by Josh Venning on 8/30/2005 10:35 PM EST
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  • Leper Messiah - Thursday, September 1, 2005 - link

    I am SO buying one of these to upgrade my 9800np. The thing is starting to die in warhammer 40K and BF2, and my resolution sweet spot is 1600x1200, which means I can max everything with this card and run fine.


    I cool my 9800np with a zalman VF-7000 Al-Cu, or whatever it is...you know what I mean. I wonder if that will fit on there, would be nice to see a 480/1300 or something with my BGA ramsinks...
  • blckgrffn - Friday, September 2, 2005 - link

    Apparently the 7800GT cards are too cheap to warrant Nvidia requiring a temperature sensing fan like the 7800GTX cards. How about that.

    *owner of a BFG 7800GT from Dell for $345 w/25 pack spindle of CD-R's :)
  • NullSubroutine - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Do we have to request 1280x1024 benchmarks still? I have to believe that alot of us out there have 19" lcd's that run native(max) at this res, so we dont really care what the speeds are at 16x12.
  • n7 - Thursday, September 1, 2005 - link

    NullSubroutine: There is a reason why AT doesn't bother testing at 1280x1024.

    With a 7800 series card, nearly all games are CPU-limited, meaning there will be basically no difference in performance, since the CPU is holding everything back.

    Something many people fail to compregend is that the 7800s aren't really necessary if you don't have a 1600x1200 monitor or higher.
  • Rocket321 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I think reviewing 2-3 cards per article would be best. That way we don't wait weeks for a huge roundup, and we also get to see the aspects of multiple cards at the same time. I don't mind the individual reviews either, but the first one is always less useful and the last one tends to be the most useful due to having more comparisons.

    --Rocket321
  • Houdani - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I'm city folk, and don't have an ounce of cowpoke in me, but that won't stop me from expressing an opinion of what I think life is like out on the range.

    When herding cows, the preferred method is to gather them all up and move them as a group. In other words, ROUNDUP! Sure a stray bovine might wander off, in which case you may ride out and bring back that individual, but generally speaking it's best to round all the cows up en masse and move them as a collective group.

    Likewise, when herding video cards, the preferred method is...[wink]
  • UltraWide - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    How come the 7800GT is so noisy compared to the 7800GT-X.

    I did notice my BFG 7800GT is too dang loud. Maybe I should return it and get a 7800GTX???
  • Marlowe - Thursday, September 1, 2005 - link

    A friend recently bought a Gigabyte 7800 GT and that's very noisy as well! Looks like the same cooler. Mounting a Zalman vf700cu would fix it. Anybody got cards from other brands? Post in!
  • photoguy99 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Is there any conclusion on if this is true?

    Didn't see if the benchmarks used the driver that only reviewers have.

    According to the "reliable" source below, best case is you will lose 3% performance in high quality modes.

    http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25820">http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25820
  • Live - Monday, September 5, 2005 - link

    I think Derek and/or Josh really should write something about this. Since it really invalidates the HQ benches and puts questions on the review process here at AnandTech. Why wasn’t this spotted when the original reviews came out? If ATI has something like this in there upcoming products I would sure like to know when I read the review here at AnandTech.

    Hexus has a write up and an apology.

    http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dX...">http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dX...
    http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=53394">http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=53394
  • 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 x850
  • fishbits - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    quote:

    We've already looked at how the 7800 GT ranks alongside the GTX and other graphics cards, including dual-card SLI setups, and you can take a look at the review here.


    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?
  • eetnoyer - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    There will be some changes, however, with fewer reviews that will cover more than one card.


    Followed immediately thereafter by another single card review. And with so many other 7800GT cards on the market already, they just couldn't find enough to do a round-up. Newegg currently has 13 listings in stock for 7800GT and Anandtech still can't manage to scrounge up enough. This site is starting to slide.
  • bupkus - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Are there any games out yet that require this kind of rendering power?

    I only play UT2004, but with my new X800 and a new Venice @ 2.3GHz I'm rockin' right now at 1280x1024.
  • robere - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I as well as 5 guys i know have a Dell 2405FPW that runs a native res of 1920x1200. I have a XFX 7800GTX ATH643700 SanDiego with 2G of RAM and currently run BF2 at 1920x1200 res with allmost everything on high and have a frame rate of 60-70. So when the next gen of games come out i am interested looking at SLI or next gen GPU. By the way BF2 at this res looks kick ass.
  • JNo - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I have a 2405 too and apparently widescreen is NOT possible for BF2 (check out widescreenforums.com) as the FOV hasn't changed. So even if you're 'forced it', you are getting the same width, it's just chopped off some of the top and bottom from the gaming world, and then zoomed in a little (giving you a little better visual impact but some gaming disadvantage). Let me know if you believe otherwise as a hell of a lot of people would like to know...
  • Fluppeteer - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Hi Robere,

    You may be able to answer a question... Can you tell me whether you have any
    problems if you run your 2405 from the single-link head of the 7800GTX? I gather
    the timings are quite tight to the single-link limits, and there have been
    reports of people struggling with the dodgy internal TMDS transmitters in
    the 6800 series. I'd like to know if nVidia have fixed this with G70.

    If the 2405 runs okay from that head (I'd expect it to work on the head with
    the dual-link head anyway, because the Silicon Image parts tend to be pretty
    clean) it presumably means nVidia have given their transmitter a redesign,
    which *might* mean the G70 could run my T221-DG5 properly (from both heads).
    It's kind of an expensive thing for me to find out without at least some
    indication that matters have improved. :-)

    (For people with less exotic - or at least, less discontinued - monitors,
    there are people considering Apple 30" display + Dell 2405 rigs, who would
    be equally interested in the answer.)

    Thanks!
  • Rudee - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I agree with the reviewer's final words that those looking for a higher end card need not look further than a 7800 GT, especially if you are playing in resolutions of 1600 x 1200 or less.
  • Ozz1113 - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - link

    Put it this way, I am upgrading from a 9500np modded to a 9700. I think you can wait a little longer from your 6800u ;]

    Too bad this review wasn't of the evga...not that it is all that much different
  • Dmitheon - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Agreed, I'm more interested in the eVGA than any of the others right due to that Battlefield2 bundle or the free mobo offer.
  • robere - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    How about some SLI GTX/GT numbers? I have a XFX GTX and are intersted in what the GT can do in SLI.
  • ukDave - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Ditto, SLI numbers please. GT vs. GTX.

    From what i've seen the gap should narrow meaning even better money savings when choosing the cheaper GT option.

    I have two Leadtek 7800GT's atm and the reason above is why i chose them.
  • KayKay - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - link

    I had made up my mind well before this article, but it pretty much seals the deal for me now. definitely going with this video card
  • g33k - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - link

    How do I know if this is a worthy upgrade from a 6800ultra? How much of a percentage increase would I see?
  • GhandiInstinct - Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - link

    It's not, as for percentage increase, you know there are about a hundred or more benchmarks on this card all over the internet, if you care to even look.

    If you have an ultra, the 7800 won't make your games that much better looking, if you're concerned about future games, wait for more next-gen gpu offerings.

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