EVGA and XFX GeForce 7900 GTX Review

[MikeC]

I have completed a review of GeForce 7900 GTX graphics cards from EVGA and XFX. The review features benchmark results from two different systems - one is an older system that has a Pentium 4 3.4GHz Prescott and the other is powered by an Athlon 64 X2 4800+.

With the ForceWare drivers featuring mixed vendor support, both graphics cards were combined in an SLI configuration. Quality vs. high quality and transparency antialiasing image quality comparisons are provided.

And to top things off, I also became a member of the nV News Widescreen LCD Club.

http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/geforce_7900_gtx/images/dell_2405fpw_s.jpg

Color on the 2405FPW is rich and vibrant, although I give a slight edge in this category to the Sony E540 CRT, which uses a Trinitron tube. However, the E540 weighs in at 67 pounds and is 19 inches deep. The physical characteristics of the 2405FPW are impressive as the unit weighs in at 17 pounds and is 9 inches deep. The edge of the screen on the 2405FPW is perfectly aligned with the monitor frame unlike the CRT, which requires manual adjustments to achieve a picture that is almost never square.

The height of the 2405FPS can be lowered or raised using the adjustable stand and a pivoting mechanism allows the monitor to be tilted as well rotated 90°. The 2405FPW features 4 USB 2.0 ports and the following video connections: 15-pin D-sub (VGA), DVI-D, S-video, composite video and component video.

Check it out here:
http://www.nvnews.net/reviews/geforce_7900_gtx/index.shtml

[-=Gib-McFragger=-]

Another sexcellent review Mike. :D

Damn, that's one sexy LCD, although I think it would better on MY desk than yours. :p

[Sazar]

Nice little review :)

Glad to see you settled on a monitor, coulda sworn you were gonna go for that 3007 :cool:

[Son Goku]

Meh, if only I had the money now, I should be in the market for a new monitor giving mine's old and has started to give me problems...

Well, not a bad review, and with luck I'll hear back on one of the jobs I signed up for :)

[Marvel_us]

Nice review and setup MikeC.

[J-Mag]

Yes good review...

Although this is slightly unsubstantiated, unless you are referring to 3dMark ONLY:

"In an SLI configuration, you should get the fastest processor you can afford in order to maximize performance. This point becomes apparent when comparing the single and SLI results on both systems. For example, compare the quality image results at 1600x1200 with 4X AA and 8X AF. On the Athlon 64 X2 4800+, SLI provided an increase of 70% (from 6,569 to 11,146), compared to an increase of 26% (from 6,335 to 7,961) on the Pentium 4 3.4GHz."

Intel - AMD = Apple - Orange

You should prove it with runs off one platform same CPU type with different speeds.

Also, 3dMark will be both CPU / GPU dependant, but most games are not this way at higher resolutions. The most recent CPU scaling articles I have sene don't show any major improvement in current gen titles at decent resolutions. (although I admit I have not seen a CPU scaling article w SLI 7900gtx's anywhere) I could see Oblivion scaling up with higher CPU power, but most other games I doubt it...

[MikeC]

Thanks for the comments on the review. I had a great time putting it together, although I would have liked to test more games and look into SLI AA.

Gib - I thought you were still under a restraining order. If not, well, I'm gonna' slap one on you if you get within 600 miles of this monitor.

Sazar - Don't tempt me :) I've been considering one, but haven't clicked that order button just yet.

J-Mag - Thanks for mentioning the tests. I plan to test Oblivion on the P4 this weekend.

[OWA]

Excellent review Mike!

[superklye]

Awesome review Mike! And get a restraining order on him anyway. :D

[Clay]

Holy crap. Awesome review Mike. I know this took a ton of time and it shows.

[agentkay]

Excellent review! :thumbsup: One minor error, on page 3 the 3rd picture says 7900 "GT", not GTX. ;) Sorry for nitpicking. :p

[Rytr]

I like the comparisons, excellent review. That is one nice LCD!

[-=Gib-McFragger=-]

Gib - I thought you were still under a restraining order. If not, well, I'm gonna' slap one on you if you get within 600 miles of this monitor.:p

[SH64]

Having Oblivion tests in the review is great & so is the image comparsion applet.
well done!

[MUYA]

Da ole man does it again! :)
Great stuff...now how about loaning me that LCD....indefinatly? ;)

[lee63]

Great review Mike C :) I was wondering was your LCD perfect out of the box ? I mean no dead pixels or backlighting issues ? if so where did you purchase it ? Im very intrested in one of these monitors but the dead pixel thing scares me.

[MikeC]

I got mine from Compudirect and so did Clay. Mine had no dead pixels or any issues and neither did Clay's. They had the cheapest price when I ordered mine and it came with a 3 year warranty. :)

http://nvnews.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=7247521

[JonathanM]

Great review as always Mike. You put a lot of time into the review and it shows!

:)