NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS: Review| Hashrate | Benchmark| Ethereum | Specification or features| Overclocking Settings – With the release of a new generation of NVIDIA graphics processors, the cost of the old GeForce 7950 and GeForce 7900 families will gradually decrease, in connection with which these video cards will go into the mainstream category, but they will not hold out there for very long. Therefore, now the question of choosing the most optimal video card from this segment with a good price-performance ratio is especially acute.

Success alternately accompanies both of the largest GPU manufacturers – ATI and NVIDIA. Until 2002, the second was ahead of its Canadian competitor, bt not enough to ignore it. After the Radeon 9700 appeared, which made a splash on the video card market, the then GeForce 4 was far behind, and the new GeForce FX 5800 was still far from complete.

The positions of both corporations somewhat leveled off with the advent of the sixth generation – GPU Radeon X800 and GeForce 6800. Although ATI’s flagship solutions were slightly ahead of those from NVIDIA, the latter had more attractive mainstream chips – both in price and performance.

In 2005, NVIDIA took the lead again, presenting the GeForce 7800 family, and ATI stepped on the rake of its competitor, deciding to release a flagship chip based on a new technical process. But by the beginning of this year, it had already managed to present solutions that could adequately compete with the seventh generation GeForce.

This is the seventh generation that is most popular now, especially hi-end chips of GT / GS modifications. And although the eighth generation is already ready, represented by the brand new GeForce 8800 GTX / GTS , it has not really gone on sale yet, and when it does, it will cost quite a lot. On the other hand, the former flagships will drop in price, which is very good for users who are going to update the video subsystem of their computer. And although NVIDIA, according to unofficial information, is already preparing new mainstream and budget chips, several months remain before their release. So if full DirectX 10 support is not a matter of principle for you, you shouldn’t wait for them on purpose.

ATI, in turn, has not yet presented a worthy rival to the G80. This should be the R600, but there is still a couple of months left before its release. And in view of a possible drop in prices for the GeForce 7900/7950 family, the Canadian manufacturer will have to try to maintain the level of sales. But today we will look at four representatives – potential sales leaders. Maybe not for a long time.

GeForce 7900 GS, 7900 GT and 7950 GT

Let’s take a look at the characteristics of the graphics processors that formed the basis of the video cards participating in this review.

Chip	GeForce 7900 GS	GeForce 7900 GT	GeForce 7950 GT	Radeon X1950 Pro
Core	G71	G71	G71	RV570
Technical process	90 nm	90 nm	90 nm	80 nm
Chip clock frequency, MHz	450	450	550	580
Memory clock frequency, MHz / DDR	660/1320	660/1320	700/1400	700/1400
Vertex processors	7	eight	eight	eight
Pixel processors	twenty	24	24	36
Textures per clock	twenty	24	24	12
Memory bus width	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit
Memory size, MB	256	256	256	256
Memory type	GDDR3	GDDR3	GDDR3	GDDR3
RAMDAC	2×400 MHz	2×400 MHz	2×400 MHz	2×400 MHz
Tire	PCI Express	PCI Express	PCI Express	PCI Express

NVIDIA released the GeForce 7950 GT to replace the GeForce 7900 GT. The novelty surpasses its predecessor in chip / memory clock speed. The number of pixel and vertex pipelines remained unchanged: 24/8. With such “ammunition”, the new GPU is even able to slightly press the GeForce 7900 GTX, which frequencies are 100 MHz higher for the chip and memory. At the same time, its price is practically at the same level as that of the GeForce 7900 GT, which, by the way, will soon disappear from the market altogether.

Today we have the GeForce 7900 GS as the “junior”. The speed of the GPU is similar to that of the GeForce 7900 GT, but the number of pixel and vertex pipelines has been reduced to 20 and 7, respectively. On the other hand, for video cards based on it, they ask for a good $ 100 less. So this is a very good choice.

As a competitor to the 7900 GS, the Radeon X1950 Pro is a good match. This is a new representative of the upper mainstream class (or lower hi-end – as it is more convenient for anyone), which has come to replace the Radeon X1900 GT. The novelty has increased clock speeds, and production standards have become thinner. All these innovations will affect the overclocking potential and heat dissipation of the chip, which is always welcome. Unfortunately, a graphics card based on this GPU is not included in this review. But in time we will make an article about it, but for now we will start reviewing our today’s “heroes”, namely ASUS EN7900 GS TOP, ASUS EN7950 GT, Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 and Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH.

ASUS EN7900 GS TOP

ASUS is one of the oldest video card manufacturers. If you wish, you can even find the classics of the genre of the mid-90s – the S3 Trio by ASUS. Today we will start with its video cards. In our review, there will be two of them: one based on the slower GeForce 7900 GS (EN7900 GS TOP), and the second based on the faster GeForce 7950 GT (EN7950 GT). Let’s start with the EN7900 GS TOP.

Perspective view of the ASUS EN7900 GS TOP board

ASUS EN7900 GS TOP Card Specifications
Card manufacturer	ASUS
GPU	GeForce 7900 GS (G71)
Chip frequency	450 MHz
Memory	GDDR3, 256 MB
Memory frequency	660 (1320) MHz
Memory bus width	256 bit
Interface	PCI Express x16
RAMDAC	2×400 MHz
Number of vertex conveyors	7
Number of pixel pipelines	twenty
API	DirectX 9.0c, OpenGL 2.0
Additional food	+
Monitor connectors	DVI and DVI
TV-Out	+
Video In	+
Price	$ 260

ASUS EN7900 GS TOP specifications do not deviate one iota from those recommended by NVIDIA. However, manufacturers rarely deviate from the nominal when it comes to hi-end products, for which they can only be praised.

Package type ASUS EN7900 GS TOP 1

ASUS EN7900 GS TOP came to us in a complete set. Previously, hi-end products from first-tier manufacturers, which undoubtedly include ASUS, were famous for their chic bundle and impressive box dimensions. But now more and more often there is a stripped-down version of the previous “traditions”: a large half-empty box, an uncommon equipment. The dimensions of the latter in the EN7900 GS are quite large, but the components inside it do not take up all the available space.

Package Contents ASUS EN7900 GS TO 1

In addition to the video card itself, the following was found inside the package:

• three CDs with proprietary software, drivers and the game “Tom Clancy’s GHOST RECON”
• two adapters DVI – > VGA
• adapter for additional power supply
• component output adapter
• user guide
• leather case for discs

The only thing that makes this video card stand out is the leather case for the drives. The rest is nothing special: a standard set of discs (earlier, by the way, more games were included in the package), a standard set of adapters and a subtle user manual (one might even say standard). Although it’s already nice to see the cover.

ASUS EN7900 GS TOP board top view

The design of the printed circuit board does not differ at all from the reference one. There is a feeling that it was simply copied, changing the color of the textolite from green to blue. However, video card manufacturers have not made serious changes to what ATI and NVIDIA offer them for a long time, because of the very complex wiring. The maximum that is replaced is the cooling system.

View of the radiator ASUS EN7900 GS TOP

But EN7900 GS is no exception. The cooler dimensions correspond to the reference one. The same applies to the copper heatsink. Only the stickers are different. The heatsink only cools the GPU, while the memory is deprived of additional cooling. The fan is connected to the video card with two wires, which indicates that there is no speed control. However, during testing, the video card was not very noisy.

Connectors ASUS EN7900 GS TOP

EN7900 GS is equipped with a standard set of connectors, which includes two DVI-I and S-Video. To connect a CRT monitor, you can use the DVI – > VGA adapters included in the package.

Memory & GPU RatingsASUSEN7900 GS TOP

The graphics processor has revision A2, that is, the third in a row. Hynix memory is marked HY5RS573225AFP-14. The last two figures indicate an access time of 1.4 ms, which corresponds to 1400 MHz. This is slightly more than what is required at par. So if you want, you can do overclocking. The number of memory chips is eight, and the capacity of each is 256 Mbit. The memory bus is 256 bits – a standard figure for this class of video cards.

ASUS EN7950 GT

The EN7950 GT, in contrast to the EN7900 GS, is the most productive participant in the survey. In any case, according to its characteristics, which we just propose to get acquainted with.

View of the ASUS EN7950 GT board In perspective

ASUS EN7950 GT Card Specifications
Card manufacturer	ASUS
GPU	GeForce 7950 GT (G71)
Chip frequency	550 MHz
Memory	GDDR3, 512 MB
Memory frequency	700 (1400) MHz
Memory bus width	256 bit
Interface	PCI Express x16
RAMDAC	2×400 MHz
Number of vertex conveyors	eight
Number of pixel pipelines	24
API	DirectX 9.0c, OpenGL 2.0
Additional food	+
Monitor connectors	DVI and DVI
TV-Out	+
Video In	+
Price	$ 360

The situation is similar to the above described EN7900 GS. No deviations from the norm in clock frequencies were noticed.

Package type ASUS EN7950 GT 1

Box design is identical to EN7900 GS. The only thing that distinguishes them is the inscriptions in the names of the models and the amount of memory.

ASUS EN7950 GT 1 Package Contents

The scope of delivery is the same, so we will not re-list the components. ASUS doesn’t bother to come up with something new for cards from the same segment, despite the difference in cost, reaching $ 100.

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Top view of the ASUS EN7950 GT board

The design of the board completely coincides with the reference one and is very similar to that used for video cards based on the GeForce 7900 GS. Any comments are superfluous here.

View of the radiator ASUS EN7950 GT

The cooling system is also no different. Still the same not very massive cooler, just a little more noise. It still has to cool the faster chip by 100 MHz. Rotational speed control is also lacking, and the memory chips are also not cooled.

Connectors ASUS EN7950 GT

We won’t say anything new about connectors either. Video card manufacturers install them in the order recommended by NVIDIA and rarely deviate from the norm.

Memory and GPU Ratings ASUS EN7950 GT

In the case of EN7950 GT, the third revision of the chip is also used. But the memory was changed. Chips manufactured by Infenion are installed. But from the marking (HYB18H512321AF-14) it follows that the access time is still the same 1.4 ms, and the maximum clock frequency is slightly more than 1400 MHz. And since this nominal frequency is 1400 MHz, this video card may show worse results in terms of overclocking. The capacity of the chips is 512 Mbit.

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2

Foxconn is a very young player in the video card market. But this does not mean that she “does not know how” to do them. She has long been engaged in the release of similar products for other eminent manufacturers, but under her own brand she began to sell them relatively recently. Nevertheless, the accumulated experience and good funding allowed her to quickly enter the market. Today Foxconn has solutions based on all modern NVIDIA GPUs in its range and continues to expand it. The FV-N79SM2D2 model that came to us is based on the GPU GeForce 7900 GS. Let’s look at its specifications in more detail.

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 board perspective view

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 Card Specifications
Card manufacturer	Foxconn
GPU	GeForce 7900 GS (G71)
Chip frequency	450 MHz
Memory	GDDR3, 256 MB
Memory frequency	660 (1320) MHz
Memory bus width	256 bit
Interface	PCI Express x16
RAMDAC	2×400 MHz
Number of vertex conveyors	7
Number of pixel pipelines	twenty
API	DirectX 9.0c, OpenGL 2.0
Additional food	+
Monitor connectors	DVI and DVI
TV-Out	+
Video In	+
Price	$ 230

Diagnosis: no abnormalities were found in the patient; the heart beats at the set frequency – 450 MHz, and the memory does not lag behind – 1320 MHz. But seriously, there is only one difference from a similar ASUS video card – the price. It is about $ 30 lower, which can be (and most likely will be) a decisive factor in choosing. Foxconn has always maintained that it offers a quality product at a fair price, but no frills. However, this case is rather a pleasant exception. Let’s consider the delivery set.

Packaging type Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2

The design of the box is quite original and unusual. While other manufacturers prefer to sculpt various faces and other miscellaneous games on the cover, Foxconn has designed the box in a very original way. It’s very nice to see at least some variety.

Inside, apart from the box, we found the following:

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Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 Package Contents 1

• two CDs with proprietary software and drivers
• two adapters DVI – > VGA
• adapter for additional power supply
• component output adapter
• user guide
• joystick with USB interface

Foxconn must be so eager to please customers that it included a proprietary joystick in the package.

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Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 Package Contents 5

Such concern for consumers deserves only praise, especially considering the lower cost of the model compared to its counterparts.

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Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 board top view

This is where the surprises end. The PCB design seemed to be developed by Foxconn itself (which, by the way, may turn out to be very close to the truth). Only the PCB shade differs from the reference NVIDIA FV-N79SM2D2 board.

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 radiator view

The cooler is similar to the two described above. It is characterized by its small size, low noise level, lack of speed control and a copper radiator.

Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 connectors

In terms of connectors, too, nothing new. Two DVI-I and one TV-Out is a standard for modern video cards.

Memory and GPU Ratings Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2

There are also no surprises with the memory and the chip. The used graphics processor NVIDIA G71 has the third revision, and the memory is exactly the same as on the ASUS EN7900 GS TOP: Hynix HY5RS573225AFP-14. With an access time of 1.4 ms, it is capable of operating at a frequency of the order of 1400 MHz. With a nominal 1320 MHz, you will have a chance to get more from this video card than you have to pay for it.

Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

Gigabyte and NVIDIA have a long and volatile relationship. There was a time when the Taiwanese manufacturer refused to release GPU-based graphics cards from the California-based graphics giant. But now Gigabyte offers a huge range from both ATI and NVIDIA.

Today we are going to review the GV-NX79T256DP-RH video card based on the outgoing GeForce 7900 GT. But first, their cost will be reduced. So for now, these accelerators will take their place between the GeForce 7900 GS and the 7950 GT. And we are moving on to the characteristics of the video card in question.

Perspective view of the Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH board

Technical characteristics of the card Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH
Card manufacturer	Gigabyte
GPU	GeForce 7900 GS (G71)
Chip frequency	450 MHz
Memory	GDDR3, 256 MB
Memory frequency	660 (1320) MHz
Memory bus width	256 bit
Interface	PCI Express x16
RAMDAC	2×400 MHz
Number of vertex conveyors	eight
Number of pixel pipelines	24
API	DirectX 9.0c, OpenGL 2.0
Additional food	+
Monitor connectors	DVI and DVI
TV-Out	+
Video In	+
Price	$ 330

In terms of clock frequencies, the GeForce 7900 GT corresponds to the nominal ones, which are also nominal for the GeForce 7900 GS. But as we already noted, the number of pixel and vertex pipelines is different. This determines not only performance, but also cost. For GV-NX79T256DP-RH they ask for $ 100 more than for Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2, which is quite logical. But you can add another $ 20-30 and get the GeForce 7950 GT, which is even faster. It all depends on you.

Packaging type Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

The GV-NX79T256DP-RH has the poorest package bundle. There is only the most necessary:

• two CDs with proprietary software and drivers
• two adapters DVI – > VGA
• component output adapter
• user guide

Unlike other test participants, there is not even a power adapter. But he is not needed here.

Connectors Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

For some unknown reason, Gigabyte equipped the GV-NX79T256DP-RH with a standard Molex connector, which is almost never used in modern solutions.

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Top view of the Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH board

And the design has been changed. However, it is insignificant and in the direction of simplification. The memory chips are rotated 90 degrees compared to the reference board, the number of elements is reduced.

View of the radiator Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

The cooling system is what distinguishes the video card from Gigabyte from other “reference” masses. Although the heatsink is made of aluminum, its fins are more efficient and the fan is larger. The manufacturer specifically designed it to improve heat dissipation to reduce noise and increase overclocking potential. No wonder this video card supports Turbo Force technology, designed to specifically improve this very overclocking.

Connectors Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

With the connectors removed, there are no surprises. Two standard DVI-I and TV-Out are included.

Memory ratings GPU Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH

The graphics processor has the same third revision A2, and the memory has a 1.4 ms run time. True, this time it is made by Samsung and its marking is as follows: K4J55323Q6-BC14. The frequency potential of the installed chips is almost 1400 MHz, but they work almost 100 MHz slower. Their capacity is 256 Mbit, and the memory bus is standard 256 bits.

Testing

The following components took part in testing:

• Motherboard
  • Intel 975XBX
• CPU
  • Intel Pentium D 955 3.4 GHz (Dual Core)
• Memory
  • 2х512 MB Kingston DDR 533
• HDD
  • Western Digital 80 GB

On the test bench, the operating system Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 was installed, as well as test programs and real game applications.

Drivers

• driver for video cards NVIDIA: ForceWare 84.63

The main parameters in the drivers for NVIDIA and ATI video cards were set as follows:

NVIDIA ForceWare

• Image Settings: Quality
• Trilinear optimization: On
• Anisotropic mip filter optimization: Off
• Anisotropic sample optimization: On
• Vertical sync: Off
• other settings: default

2D quality

Today the quality of a 2D image is increasingly dependent on the monitor used, as well as on the cable (which can be damaged and then negatively affect the picture). For several years now, high-quality RAMDACs have been built into all GPUs. In our case, the quality was excellent. In any case, no problems were observed even at 1600x1200x85 Hz.

Test results

3DMark 2001SE

3DMark 2001SE 1 performance graph

In the old 3DMark 2001SE benchmark, which uses DirectX 7 and DirectX 8, the result depends more on clock speeds than on architecture. Although this did not prevent the newly minted hi-end representative, the GeForce 8800 GTS, from taking the lead. All the rest have relative parity, with the exception of overclocked video cards.

3DMark 2005

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3DMark 2005 Performance Graph 1

In a much newer and “harder” test, clear winners stand out. The GeForce 7950 GT, of course, will be ahead of everyone else thanks to its clock speeds and pipelines. But the gap between the GeForce 7900 GT is not very significant. Ahead of all, of course, the GeForce 8800 GTS is a representative of a new generation of graphics processors.

3DMark 2006

3DMark 2006 Performance Graph 1

The newest 3DMark 2006 generally confirms all of the above. Although the video card from Foxconn for some unknown reason is behind everyone else. Either ASUS EN7900 ES TOP overclocks in frequencies when the load is increased, or these same frequencies do not rise to the desired level in Foxconn.

Aquamark

Aquamark performance graph

In the fairly old Aquamark benchmark, the results are about the same as in the rest. Relatively, of course. Everyone lined up in the required order – faster in front, and slower behind and, of course, cheaper.

CodeCult CodeCreatures

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Performance graph of CodeCult CodeCreatures 1

CodeCult Test CodeCreatures is also not very young, but it can load even modern video cards. However, all our participants show the result they should. But the product from Foxconn is still a little behind. But the GeForce 8800 GTS shows its potential. Before turning on antialiasing and anisotropic filtering, it did not stand out, and after that it turned out to be far ahead. The new architecture makes itself felt.

Doom iii

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Doom III 1 performance graph

In the not newest, but still relevant game “Doom III”, the alignment of forces does not change. Although the GeForce 8800 GTS does not stand out as much as in other tests. In other cases, we can observe the superiority of ASUS EN7950 GT. It is explained by the high frequencies of the chip / memory.

Quake 4

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Quake 4 Performance Graph 1

In Quake 4, based on the Doom III engine, everything is repeated. GeForce 8800 GTS does not stand out from the rest, and the rest show the results in a proper order: slow behind, fast ahead.

Half-life 2

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Half-Life 2 1 performance graph

In Half-Life 2, the GeForce 7900 GT came out ahead, which is somewhat strange, since formally it is slower than its replacement “in the face” of the GeForce 7950 GT, presented by a video card from ASUS.

Serious sam

Serious Sam 1 performance graph

But the good old “Serious Sam” was not to the taste of the newcomer GeForce 8800 GTS. This accelerator shows the last result, while the others observe relative parity. The old engine is unable to fully unleash the potential of the new GPUs.

Serious sam 2

Serious Sam 2 Performance Graph 1

But “Serious Sam 2” is quite capable of loading even the very best. The GeForce 8800 GTS is in the first place, the GeForce 7950 GT is in the second, the 7900 GT is in the third, and two video cards based on the GeForce 7900 GS close the chain.

Chronicles of Riddick

Chronicles of Riddick 1 Performance Chart

More or less new game “Chronicles of Riddick” confirms all of the above. The GeForce 7950 GT is ahead of everyone thanks to its frequencies and pipelines, while the GeForce 7900 GS is behind thanks to the same.

Call of duty 2

Call of Duty 2 Performance Chart 1

In Call of Duty 2, the difference between video cards is almost imperceptible, but it is still there. And, of course, in favor of the faster ones. This is especially true of the GeForce 8800 GTS.

Return to the castle wolfenstein

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Return to the Castle Wolfenstein 1 performance graph

The old Quake 3 game, Return to the Castle Wolfenstein, is on par with slight deviations. But the GeForce 8800 GTS is behind. Yet the past generation of games is unable to appreciate all the delights of its hundreds of millions of transistors.

Output

All video cards showed the performance level for which they were designed by the manufacturer. Since all of their characteristics correspond to the nominal ones, it is worth comparing all participants in the review for other qualities.

Both ASUS graphics cards are the perfect solution for any modern computer. Choosing between them, you will have to decide which is more important: speed or price. As for the rest, I would like to note such nice “goodies” in the delivery set as a leather case for disks. But for a well-known brand you have to overpay a certain amount.

But we give the Foxconn FV-N79SM2D2 video card an award for the best package bundle. This is the first time we see the joystick included in the delivery package of a video card. Moreover, this is not a special Deluxe, Special Edition, Mega Updated Pack, Super Maxi and so on version of the complete set, but the most common one. It is worth noting the similar cost of this instance. True, during testing, this video card was behind everyone, albeit only slightly.

The Gigabyte GV-NX79T256DP-RH has only a cooler and a non-standard design. But it cannot be said that the first and second had a serious impact on performance. Rather, it is an ordinary video card based on the GeForce 7900 GT with a slightly extraordinary cooling system.

Geforce 7900 gtx specifications

Description

NVIDIA started GeForce 7900 GTX sales 9 March 2006. This is Curie architecture desktop card based on 90 nm manufacturing process and primarily aimed at office use. 512 MB of GDDR3 memory clocked at 1.6 GHz are supplied, and together with 256 Bit memory interface this creates a bandwidth of 51.2 GB / s.

Compatibility-wise, this is Single slot card attached via PCIe 1.0 x16 interface. Connection requires an additional 1x 6-pin power cable, and power consumption is at 84 Watt.

It provides poor gaming and benchmark performance at 0.05 percent of a leader’s which is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 SLI Mobile.

As you know, quite recently Canadian ATI Technologies announced the release of new products, so far from the Hi-End family (X1950) and the senior from the Middle-End (X1900XT 256MB), but other solutions for cheaper sectors will soon follow.

However, we already know about the X1300 XT and X1650 PRO, although, in fact, these are the renamed X1600 PRO and X1600 XT, respectively, shifted to other price niches, but this is all below the $ 199 level. And in this price segment, which is, for example, the most popular in Russia, whole wars are outlined. And so far, as we can see, Californian NVIDIA went on the attack without waiting for a competitor.

Today we present the GeForce 7900 GS, which is the direct successor to the GeForce 7900 GT, and is actually made of it. The core was simply cut down in pipelines and blocks. And the price is reduced accordingly.

Here I would like to express outrage from the point of view of the consumer. How long can you torture a user with your indexes and suffixes? Few people already understand: is 7900GS faster than 7800GTX or not? Or 7800 GTX versus 7900 GT. Moreover, there are two types of 7800 GTX with different memory sizes and different speeds. All names have numbers with two zeros. Is it really that hard to find just intermediate numbers? 7850, 7920, 7870, etc. Of course, marketing will be against it. The video card came out last, a novelty, and, according to its performance, it should be given a number like 7880. And there are already 7900 and 7950. And that’s why everyone crawls out of their skin, increasing numbers with every sneeze, supplying products with ridiculous suffixes.

So, the 7900 GS is the same 7900 GT with its 450 MHz core and 660 (1320) MHz memory. However, the 7900 GT has 24 pixel units, 8 vertex pipelines, 24 texture units, and 16 ROPS in action. The 7900 GS has only 20 pixel units (1 quad is cut off), 7 vertex pipelines, respectively, 20 texture units and the same 16 ROPs.

That is, the G71 turned out to be very cheap and prolific. It has already turned into 7950GX2, 7900 GTX, 7900GT and now 7900GS. I suspect that full-fledged chips that could have 24/8/24/16 of the above blocks went under the knife. However, you cannot put a full-fledged chip in the $ 199 segment, since you will break the entire market. All cards come out for their price plug, and they can move from niche to niche only after obsolescence and production termination. Therefore, it will not work simply to shift the full-fledged 7900 GT from the level of $ 299 to the level of $ 199 – hundreds of partners and customers who have already purchased earlier at the old price and did not have time to sell will suffer. Therefore, the dreams of members of the forum to get a 7900 GTX for $ 200 or an X1900 XTX for such a price will remain dreams. Maybe two years from now, when these cards are a thing of the past, and warehouse leftovers will drain, such a price will appear. But who will need them then, when for the same price it will be possible to buy a new Middle-class representative with support for all new functions. And we know that sometimes the new “middle peasants” can easily beat the old “aristocrats” in speed.

Sales of new cards begin on September 6th. Let’s explore what this product will give us.

NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB PCI-E
GPU: GeForce 7900 GS (G71)

Interface: PCI-Express x16

GPU frequencies : 450/450/470 MHz (nominal – 450/450/470 MHz)

Memory frequencies (physical (effective)): 660 (1320) MHz (nominal – 660 (1320) MHz)

Memory bus width: 256bit

Number of shader vertex processors: 7

Number of Shader Pixel Processors: 20

Texture processors: 20

ROPs: 16

Dimensions: 190x100x15 mm (the last figure is the maximum thickness of a video card).

PCB color: green.

Output jacks: 2 x DVI (Dual-Link), TV-out.

VIVO: no

TV-out: integrated into the GPU.

NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB PCI-E
The card has 256 MB of GDDR3 SDRAM located in 8 chips on the front side of the PCB.

Hynix memory chips (GDDR3). The access time for the memory chips is 1.4ns, which corresponds to the operating frequency of 700 (1400) MHz.

Comparison with reference design, front view
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB PCI-E	Reference card NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT

Comparison with reference design, rear view
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB PCI-E	Reference card NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GT

Obviously, GeForce 7900 GS = GeForce 7900 GT in terms of the board, layout, etc. And that’s right. The 7900 GT’s PCB turned out to be extremely cheap among 256-bit motherboards. And therefore even profitable at such a price. After all, earlier only new products with a 128-bit bus got into this segment. For example, the GeForce 7600 GT. Now it goes down to the $ 149 level.

The card has a TV-out jack, which is unique in its connector, and to output images to TV both via S-Video and RCA, you need special adapter adapters supplied with the cards. You can read more about TV-out here.

Connection to analog monitors with d-Sub (VGA) is made through special adapters-adapters DVI-to-d-Sub. Maximum resolutions and frequencies:

• 240 Hz Max Refresh Rate
• 2048 x 1536 x 32bit x85Hz Max on analog interface
• 2560 x 1600 @ 60Hz Max on digital interface

As for the cooler, the product has the same reference cooler that we saw in the 7900 GT. Made of copper alloy, it is a closed radiator with an off-center fan.

The device allows, while maintaining almost silent operation, very efficiently cooling the accelerator core:

Memory microcircuits do not have heatsinks, but their heating is not great, besides, the memory operating frequency is lower than its nominal value.

I will say to fans of overclocking and unlocking that since the days of the 7800 GT, unlocking pipelines has become impossible, cutting is done at the hardware level, and therefore we must forget about the possibility of getting 24/8 pipelines on such video cards.

Considering that this is a sample, we are not talking about bundling and packaging.

Installation and drivers

Test bench configuration:

• Athlon 64 based computer (939Socket)

• процессор AMD Athlon 64 4000+ (2400MHz) (L2=1024K);
• MSI K8N Diamond Plus mainboard on NV chipset> VSync is disabled.

Test results: performance comparison

As a toolkit, we used:Advertisement

Half-Life2 (Valve / Sierra) ?? DirectX 9.0, demo (ixbt01 Testing was carried out at maximum quality, option -dxlevel 90, presets for map types are removed in the dxsupport.cfg file.

FarCry 1.33 (Crytek / UbiSoft), DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, demo from Research level (start the game with the -DEVMODE option), test settings are all Very High.

DOOM III (id Software / Activision) ?? OpenGL, multitexturing, test settings ?? High Quality (ANIS8x). There is an example of starting automation with an increase in speed and a decrease in the number of jerks (precaching).

FEAR v.1.02 (Multiplayer) (Monolith / Sierra) ?? DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, test settings ?? maximum, Soft shadows are off.

Call Of Duty 2 DEMO (Ubisoft) ?? DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, test settings ?? maximum, shaders 2.0, testing with Benchemall, demo and a script to run, there is an instruction in the readme

Summary diagrams of graphics cards performance

Note that we have carried out two tests: a single card and in SLI mode (two accelerators). GeForce 7900 GS results

Game tests that heavily load vertex shaders, mixed pixel shaders 1.1 and 2.0, active multitexturing.

FarCry, Research

Game tests that heavily load vertex shaders, pixel shaders 2.0, active multitexturing.

Test results

3DMark03	18878
3DMark06	8505
3DMark06	4503

Rating

3DMark06
288. AMD Radeon HD 8670M	4670
289. NVIDIA GeForce 610M	4598
290. NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX	4503
291. AMD Radeon HD 6470M	4502
292. Intel HD Graphics 4000	4415
Rating of all mobile video cards

NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX is the predecessor of the 7950 GTX and has good performance in applications and games requiring DirectX 9. The video card will easily allow you to play games such as Doom3 at a resolution of 1600×1200.

The graphics adapter can only be used in large notebooks due to its high heat dissipation.

Manufacturer:	NVIDIA
Series:	GeForce Go 7000
Code:	G71M
Streams:	24 / 8 Pixel- / Vertexshader
Clock frequency:	500 MHz *
Shader frequency:	500 MHz *
Memory frequency:	600 MHz *
Memory bus width:	Page 256
Memory type:	GDDR3
Maximum memory:	512 MB
Common memory:	No
DirectX:	DirectX 9c, Shader 3.0
Energy consumption	45 watts
Transistors:	278 million
Technology:	90 nm
Additionally:	90nm
Laptop size:	big
Release date:	18.04.2006
Information:	90nm, 278 million transistors, MXM module
Manufacturer link:	http://www.nvidia.de/page/go_7800gtx.html

* The indicated clock speeds are subject to change by the manufacturer.

GeForce 7900GT – Analysis

Introduction The Geforce 7900GT has probably become the highest-end card with the best price-performance ratio. For just over € 300 we get a chip with a very high processing power, higher in terms of numbers than a 7800GTX and with improvements that go beyond brute force. 

A renewed product that takes advantage of the new lean production processes that nVidia is incorporating in all its new generation of graphics chips. In this article we will not only have the opportunity to test this new generation of chips but we will also be able to compare it with the previous generation, to see the differences and also with the best chip in the competition.

 Point Of View Geforce 7900GTThe Geforce 7900GT POV model is a very standard model that meets the requirements set by Nvidia for this type of card. What stands out as soon as you see this new generation of cards is that they have been shortened, in terms of dimensions, significantly. 

It is substantially shorter than the previous model with similar characteristics and the volume of the heatsink necessary to cover its thermal needs has also been reduced. All this undoubtedly achieved by the introduction of a 90nm manufacturing process that makes it easier for the card to run more, consume less and therefore generate less heat.

 These cards do not incorporate great technical improvements except for the optimizations of the production process that allow them, added to higher speed memories, to increase the gross power of the card. These engines have the main characteristics of supporting Vertex Shaders 3.0, HDR, and the typical filters such as anisotropic and antialiasing. 

Where the power of this card is really housed is in its screen filling architecture that has 24 channels supported by 8 units of vertex shaders. The higher processing speed of this card, whose processor works as standard at 450Mhz, added to the high speed of its 256MB of memory, of the GDDR3 type, mean that the fill rate of this card and its bandwidth is higher than that of generations Previously, although it maintains the rest of the features such as purevideo, nview, ultrashadow, cineFX and all those acronyms that complete a lot the specifications of a product but that at the moment of truth tell us rather little. 

Physically the Point Of View 7900GT incorporates two DVI type I, and therefore convertible to analog with the included adapters. The other output is an HDTV compatible component convertible video. On the back we will need a PCI Express power connection.

Suffice it to say that this card uses this interface to communicate with the PC. And for those of you who like strong sensations, the card supports SLI so we can mount two of these beauties in parallel as long as our motherboard supports it. On the back we will need a PCI Express power connection. Suffice it to say that this card uses this interface to communicate with the PC. 

And for those of you who like strong sensations, the card supports SLI so we can mount two of these beauties in parallel as long as our motherboard supports it. On the back we will need a PCI Express power connection. Suffice it to say that this card uses this interface to communicate with the PC. And for those of you who like strong sensations, the card supports SLI so we can mount two of these beauties in parallel as long as our motherboard supports it.

Overclocking,

Overclocking.The new manufacturing process for this new card makes its overclocking potential very high. Its 660MHz memories also have much more potential for frequency increase thanks above all to the fact that they are manufactured with 1.4ns of access time. This guarantees us at least 713MHz of frequency without passing an iota of the specifications set by the manufacturer. Even so, we know that this type of high-quality memory can significantly increase its working frequency well above what is marked in the factory. 

These are high-performance Samsung memory modules and it is certain that by improving their dissipation somewhat, they will behave in an exemplary way. There are a total of 8 memory modules mounted in a ring only on the front of the card, so its dissipation, with joint chip and memory heatsinks is more than feasible. In fact, the design sets the standard for a larger heatsink that will surely be sold in somewhat more advanced models with some factory overclocking. 

The heatsink of this Point Of View model is small, made of copper and perfectly regulated by the card. The idle temperatures of the chip are around 43º but the temperatures at full load barely increase by 5º according to what the nVidia driver always indicates. The 7900GT works fast and works with temperatures that have not been seen on a graphics card for a long time. 

It is undoubtedly the ideal model for those who want a cube with maximum performance and that mounting a card like this does not pose a problem. In order not to do this longer than necessary, I will say that the speeds that we can achieve with this card are around 600MHz of GPU, which is somewhat far from the speeds of its older sister the 7900GTX, probably because the design of the card reduces the voltages of the GPU.

and therefore its maximum speed. The memory, bypassing the specifications can work at a speed of 900MHz, 1800MHz DDR. An outstanding speed but for which we will need a little more cooling if we want to keep it stable.

Improving dissipation and temperatures

Improving dissipation and temperatures. At the marked speeds we noticed a certain lack of stability, in the form of artifacts on the screen, so we decided to improve the dissipation of the card with an inexpensive and reliable Zalman VF700. It is a copper heatsink for graphics cards, fully compatible with this model, which also includes small aluminum heatsinks for memory. The only drawback of this heatsink is that it will use an additional PCI slot, this card being a single slot.

With our new finish we achieve much more stable results at the frequencies achieved so far. This improvement will allow us to enjoy these frequencies with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that all components are properly cooled. With this heatsink we reach a temperature of just 42º in standstill and 47º in full operation. 

They are excellent temperatures if we take into account the rise in frequencies especially if we compare it with previous generations of Nvidia such as the 6800 series that easily reached 80º in full load.

The Testing Machine

The Testing Machine. In order to test the entire battery of tests that we have carried out on the three cards in our contest, we have preferred to use a dual-core processor since some of the tests carried out take advantage of this type of system. Specifically, it is an AMD64 X2 4200+ that we make work at a frequency of 2600MHz real. 

The motherboard used is a DUAL SATA2 from Asrock with 2GB of DDR400 memory and a 74GB Raptor hard drive. The applications that we will use for our tests are the last three editions of 3DMark, Quake 4, Serious Sam 2, FEAR, Half Life 2: Lost Coast and X3 Reunion. 

The cards have been tested with the latest driver versions, in the case of nvidia with 84.21 and in the case of ATI with 6.3. These are the results: The Results. 3DMark.Everything indicates that the 7900GT, especially at the established frequency, behaves much better than a previous generation card but also a higher range and is not surprised by the X1900XTX that even being much more expensive does not manage to justify almost double the price with respect to the results of the 7900GT.

The results. Quake 4 and FEAR

The results. Quake 4 and FEAR.Quake 4 is nVidia territory. Its OpenGL engine is totally oriented for this type of chip. What you do not have the slightest doubt is that this card moves you as you want. 4x FSAA, 16x Anisotropic Filter, high quality … all with truly amazing speed rates. It is time to test another engine with high requirements such as FEAR.At FEAR the results are also spectacular. We can play at good resolutions with very high fill rates, almost double what the game advises. In addition, the performance drops are minimal, only 2% of the time the test under 25FPS. Significant raw power results from this attractive card.

More tests. X3 Reunion and Serious Sam 2

More tests. X3 Reunion and Serious Sam 2The revamped X3 engine with full Vertex Shaders 3.0 support is also a tough nut to crack for any current graphics card. Once again the 7900GT misses the 7800GT and places itself in an interesting position relative to the X1900XTX. 

Keep in mind that we use the highest levels of game quality with the most advanced filters active. Including a reduced HDR mode.In Serious Sam 2, another good example of a high-performance engine, the 7900GT proves intractable again. 

The high memory speed, which is around 1800MHz DDR, allows to have a very high bandwidth that exceeds 60GB / s and its 24-channel architecture works wonders when the use of shaders is not too intensive. Hence the wide capacity to support filters such as full-screen Antialiasing without losing hardly any power.

Half Life 2 and Conclusion

Half Life 2 and ConclusionEach test we carry out confirms once again the good results and performance offered by this graphics card. It has managed to reduce consumption, size, dissipation and best of all it runs like the devil. Without performing extreme overclocking, without modifying voltages, without the need to mount two or more graphics cards, we can obtain results as brilliant as those achieved with the Half Life 2: Lost Coast demo. 

conclusion

It is a pleasure to say that this time the good work of Nvidia has not been based solely on adding power to its graphics engines or simply adding more MHz. This has been done, it is demonstrated with the various tests that we have carried out but it is no less true of that from the design and size of the card something has changed and for the better in the design of these new cards. Cooler, faster, and above all cheaper. Recently released to the market we can find these cards for just over € 300 when the 7800GT cost around € 500. The downsizing of the manufacturing process has done Nvidia as good as it did ATI with the start of its X1K series. Hopefully future products will learn from how round this chip, the Geforce 7900GT, has come out.