BFG GeForce 7800 GTX OC
Performance Summary: The BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC clearly exhibited that it was the fastest graphics card in literally every gaming scenario we threw at it. Furthermore, this new GeForce 7800GTX-based card from BFG also affords end users the ability to run significantly better looking image quality settings with 8XS AA modes at high resolutions, something that can not be said for virtually any other class of graphics cards on the market currently. Also, at identical test settings for Anti-aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering, the BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC blew past both competitive ATi X850 offerings and NVIDIA's previous generation GeForce 6800 Ultra, with relative ease, often showing spreads of a 25 - 70% performance advantage in various game test conditions. And finally this particular GeForce 7800GTX from BFG showed it had plenty of margin left in it for higher clock speeds, allowing us the ability to overclock the core up to a blistering 500MHz top-end speed and it's memory to an equally impressive 1.41GHz.
We got our BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC in for testing just ahead of a slew of other cards from various manufacturers. In the following weeks, we'll be certain to bring you more coverage of other GeForce 7800GTX offerings from around the globe. Regardless, this abundance of NVIDIA's new generation of enthusiast class product calculates out to a wonderful problem for the end customer in the marketplace, one of decision on which card to consider and the other variable to the equation being price. With all these cards hitting the street, there is no question the cost curve will drive much more aggressively in the consumer's favor. In fact, we've seen the BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC itself start from a high of $599 street price in our PriceGrabber search engine to about $550 now, with a spot price available at Dell at $533.
Another thing to throw into the mix that should weigh heavily for you if you're looking at cards that claim to be "overclocked" out of the box, is the warranty. Here again BFG stands tall in the crowd offering a lifetime warranty on the card while others we've tested recently only offer a 1 year warranty. That alone is well worth a few extra pesos if you ask us. Toss in BFG's solid bundle of swag and the full version of Far Cry and you have what we would call the makings of an "Editor's Choice" level of product - which is exactly what we're going to give the BFG GeForce 7800GTX OC. We're giving the BFG GeForce 7800GTX a 9 on the Heat Meter. This card is definitely Hot Hardware.
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| •Overclock to 460MHz/1.3GHz Out of the box • Even more headroom for overclocking beyond its stock speed • Great bundle with Far Cry • Playable 8XS AA at high res • Relatively quiet operation • Lifetime warranty |
•Still rather pricey @ around $540 - $550 |
