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 (5 star rating)
Use of the eVGA GeForce 7800GT and Benchmark Results
So far, I have gotten outstanding results with this video card. All of the games I have played (Quake 4, Doom 3, Call of Duty 2) have run exceptionally fast and smooth at their highest settings. The graphics for all of the games, as well as all of the other applications I use, all look great using this card. The only applications I ve used are the standard Microsoft offerings (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, Internet Explorer) as well as Firefox, Macromedia Dreamweaver and Macromedia Fireworks. Now, to the heart of the review how fast is the e-GeForce 7800GT in games?
Test System
- Athlon 64 4000+
- eVGA nForce 4 SLI motherboard
- 1GB OCZ DDR400 (2x512MB) Performance Series RAM
- Western Digital 74GB Raptors in RAID 0
- Windows XP Professional
- Driver version 81.98
All benchmark results were taken after running the demo two twice, and using only the results of the second run.
Quake 4:
- 1600x1200 with No AA / AF = 89 fps
- 1600x1200 with 4xAA, no AF = 50 fps
Doom3:
- 1280x1024 with High Quality, No AA / AF = 114 fps
- 1600x1200 with Ultra Quality, 4xAA and 8xAF = 51 fps
3DMark05:
- 1280x1024 with No AA / AF = 7137 3D marks
- 1600x1200 with 4xAA and 8xAF = 4321 3D marks
I checked the temperature periodically during the testing, and the highest temperature it got was 64 degrees Celsius. And this is all done on the stock heat sink included on the card no aftermarket cooler is needed at all!
The card also kept quiet during the testing. Noise level from the card is not noticeable above the noise from the power supply unit.
As you can see from the test results, this card is very speedy and nearly matches the results of the 7800GTX line of cards. It also provides a healthy jump in performance over the 6800GT line, with an average of 20 30% increase in frame rates. The increase in core / memory speeds over the NVIDIA reference design also gives a nice bump up in performance, and makes the eVGA worth a hard look when shopping for a new video card.
Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to test the VIVO or HDTV capabilities of this card. As I focus my time and efforts on gaming, I do not currently make use of the advanced image and video features. As such, I can only attest to the outstanding performance that this card delivers in games.
Where does the 7800GT fit into eVGA s 7800 family?
Before concluding this review, it is important to take note of where this card fits into the eVGA product line. The eVGA GeForce 7800GT falls right under the 7800GTX line of video cards. The 7800GT line offers three variations, with this particular card being the least expensive of the three. The only significant difference in the three cards is the core GPU speed and RAM speed. All three variations come overclocked right out of the box the NVIDIA reference speed for 7800GT cards is 400 MHz GPU, 1.0 GHz RAM. Here is the breakdown:
- 7800GT --- 445 MHz GPU, 1.07 GHz RAM (Part number 256-P2-N518-AX)
- 7800GT CO SE --- 460 MHz GPU, 1.1 GHz RAM (Part number 256-P2-N516-AX)
- 7800GT CO --- 470 MHz GPU, 1.1 GHz RAM (Part number 256-P2-N517-AX)
Conclusion
Overall, this 7800GT packs a lot of punch for its relatively hefty pricetag. In direct competition to the ATI X1800XL, it seems that NVIDIA currently has the performance edge. As you can see from the benchmark results, this card really shines in newer games (such as Quake 4) and especially at higher resolutions. I have not found any significant drawbacks or anything to really complain about. It delivers high-end graphics performance for every PC game that is on the market today, and should be able to handle future games that have more complex and detailed graphics.
Add on the fact that it has a lifetime warranty and does not require an aftermarket cooler to be overclocked, and I think it is an excellent value over the NVIDIA 6800GT line and the ATI X1800XL.
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