Final Words

While still not quite being what we would call a “mid-range” card, the 7800 GT comes a step closer to it. At about $390 (at the time that this article was written), the XFX 7800 GT puts a noticeably smaller strain on your wallet than the GTX. Meanwhile, it still provides comparable performance at decent resolutions. The lowest priced 7800 GTX that we could find was the MSI NX7800 GTX for about $480; almost $100 more than XFX's factory overclocked 7800 GT. Considering what we've seen in our performance tests, this is a pretty sweet deal, and we feel that those looking for a high end card would not be missing out by choosing the 7800 GT over the GTX.

Those who might still want the GTX over the GT are those who like playing at the highest resolutions possible (and have the monitors to do so) with AA enabled. The majority of gamers, however, will be more than pleased with how well this card handles at 1600x1200 with or without AA. We even found that when enabling ultra high quality in Doom 3 at 1600x1200, the game ran just as smoothly on the GT as on the GTX.

If you are on a tight budget though, it's a sad fact that this card is still quite a bit out of your reach. It will be hard for some to justify paying $400 on a graphics card, but if ever there was a reason to do so, then this is it. Coming in at the same price point that the 6800 GT occupied at its launch, the 7800 GT is quite a worthy replacement. Because of the great performance that we see with this card, we feel that it's worth the splurge if you can manage it, especially if you want to make newer games look good and run smoothly. We feel that this card (the XFX GeForce 7800 GT Overclocked) is also a particularly good deal at $390 because of the factory overclock, which puts it closer to the GTX in terms of performance.

We'll be looking at how the different 7800 GTs compare to each other as we review them, so be on the lookout for another 7800 GT article soon. We want to make these reviews as helpful as possible, so any comments or suggestions that you have regarding tests, cards, or anything else, please let us know.

Power, Heat & Noise
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  • JNo - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    "We'll be looking at how the different 7800 GTs compare to each other as we review them, so be on the lookout for another 7800 GT article soon. We want to make these reviews as helpful as possible, so any comments or suggestions that you have regarding tests, cards, or anything else, please let us know."

    I second (or third or fourth...) the call for a round up review. I don't want to have to read 5-7 separate reviews of 7800GT cards just to determine the best one. I want you to tell me! Obviously with graphs summing up different characteristics (overclocking, noise, plateau characteristics, $ per FPS etc) so I can make a different choice if the emphasis on my individual needs differs...
  • bob661 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    This is the first time I've seen some value in OCing a video card. Near 7800GTX performance for $100 less.
  • Avalon - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Seems like at 1600x1200, an overclocked GT is right up there with a GTX. I would like to have seen higher resolution benchmarks of the GT overclocked at 462/1.2, so we could see how much ground the GT lost, if any. For all you 2005/2001FP owners out there, grab the GT model, and forget about the GTX. $100 isn't worth 1% boost in performance.
  • Houdani - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    But, but, but ... the noise!

    You are correct, financially the GT is a better choice than the GTX -- just not this particular card. Who at XFX chose that fan? It's a screamer!
  • Ozz1113 - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Im sure there will be aftermarket cooling solutions out real soon to bring the db's down.

    Oh, I use water =D
  • Scarceas - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    I too would like to have seen comparison to a 6800Ultra and a Radeon x850
  • fishbits - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    quote:

    We've already looked at how the 7800 GT ranks alongside the GTX and other graphics cards, including dual-card SLI setups, and you can take a look at the review here.


    Third paragraph into the article (with EZ-Klik hyperlink technology!). No it doesn't bench every possible video card, but more than enough to figure out where the GT fits in. The 6800 Ultra you said you wanted to see is right there.
  • Furen - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    OMG, make it stop...
  • Houdani - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    Agreed! I much prefer the roundups over these single vendor reviews. A /short/ summary of all the vendors is more than adequate, contained within the roundup article.
  • 4AcesIII - Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - link

    What happened to the group reviews, they missed the Leadtek 7800GTX and now they probably won't so they can do XFX and EVGA again only maybe a MSI to make it look good. Sheesh why do I even come here anymore?

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