NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS: AGP, Alive and Kicking

We're pleased that NVIDIA decided to release the GeForce 7800 GS AGP. There are still a lot of users out there using motherboards that support AGP and no they have access to a current GPU architecture. With an MSRP of $349 USD though, those of you who currently own a GeForce 6800 Ultra might not be able to justify the investment for the performance gains shown here. But if you're still using a card such as the Radeon 9800 Pro or GeForce 5900 and are craving more performance, and you don't want to change any of your other components, you should give this card some serious consideration. And over time, GS prices will surely drop, and could drop quickly like they did with the 6800 GS. We're told prices below $300 are possible very soon after cards become available.

By raising the clock speeds well beyond the standard 7800 GS specs, XFX has an AGP based graphics card in their line-up capable of providing very good frame rates in many of today's hottest, and most graphically demanding games. Though we did have an initial problem with the cooling solution, it did not sour our overall experience, especially when looking back on the performance. Though it would have been nice to receive at least one game in the package to showcase the card's capabilities and performance.

This card is NVIDIA's fastest AGP based card yet, as it bested the GeForce 6800 Ultra in all of our tests. That, coupled with the fact that it will be available for purchase in a matter of days, makes the 7800 GS appealing as an upgrade for those who absolutely must stick with an AGP based system.  If you've got the means though, upgrading to a PCI Express based motherboard and graphics card is a better solution.  NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GS AGP-based graphics cards will be available for purchase at Best Buy retail stores and on their wesbite on Sunday, February 5, 2006 in North America, with worldwide availability from other leading e-tailers on February 6, 2006, according to NVIDIA. The XFX version of the card we tested here was fine product overall, and we're giving it an 8 on the Heat Meter.

	•_NVIDIA's Fastest AGP Card •_XFX version overclocked out of the box •_Head room for more overclocking	•_Basic bundle •_Problem with the cooling solution on our sample

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