XFX GeForce 7900 GT 256MB PCI-E XXX Edition - Articles / Reviews

Reviews: Hardware

Motherboards | Power Supplies | Memory | Systems | Video Cards

XFX GeForce 7900 GT 256MB PCI-E XXX Edition

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Kurtis Kronk
Brian
XFX
Jun. 8, 2006

<< Previous

Next >>

The Card & Bundle

Here we find ourselves looking at XFX's standard "X" shaped product package, complete with rear window to give you a sneak peek at the card. Once you open the box you will find the following inside: 7900 GT XXX Edition, driver CD, quick install guide, user's manual, self-promotional flyer, (2) DVI-D to VGA adapters, 4-pin to 6-pin PCIe power cable, S-Video cable, and a component video out cable. Though XFX has a unique package design, the 7900 GT itself is the standard NVIDIA reference design, except for the cool reflective sticker on the heatsink. There are eight 32MB memory chips on the front of the card and none on the back for a total of 256MB of GDDR3. You'll notice that the GDDR3 does not have a heatsink or heatspreader, which isn't a problem since it runs relatively cool. I was a little surprised when I first saw the 7900 GT because the cooler looks really small, just like the one on the 7600 GT. It's pretty quiet too, as I couldn't hear if over my ArcticCooling Freezer 64 CPU fan. On the back side of the card, the only things of interest are screws holding the stock cooler in place, and mounting holes for a larger cooling solution (That is, of course, if you find screws and mounting holes to be exceedingly interesting - Ed.).

Whether you purchase the XXX Edition or one of XFX's other 7900 GT variants, you will get all the same features - the only difference is clock speeds. The card has two dual link DVI-D outputs and an HDTV-out connector. As usual with high-end cards, there is a 6-pin auxiliary power connection on the front edge of the card. On the top edge of the card you will find an SLI connection.

The 7900 GT XXX edition has a core clock speed of 560MHz and the 256MB of GDDR3 is clocked at 825MHz (1.65GHz DDR). NVIDIA's reference 7900 GT calls for a core clock speed of 450MHZ and a memory clock of 660MHz (1.32GHz DDR). That's an increase of 110MHz and 165MHz (330MHz DDR) respectively. The memory modules used in the 7900 GT are Samsung's GDDR3 256MB K4J55323QG-BC14 with a maximum frequency of 700MHz.

Starting today, XFX will start bundling the 7900 GTX, 7900 GT, and 7600 GS with Tomb Raider: Legend. This game was just released today, which is why we haven't seen it bundled with XFX's cards until now. While I can't personally comment on the game, IGN reviewed it and gave it an 8.2/10 overall and even said "If you've been pining for a good adventure, Tomb Raider: Legend is waiting for you." I've previously played other Tomb Raider games on PC and I personally found it hard to play with a keyboard and mouse. This might be the type of game where a gamepad (such as XFX's XGear Dual Reflex PC Controller) might come in handy - I used to love Tomb Raider games on the original PlayStation.

We'd like to thank Directron.com for donating the ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 Motherboard which we used for testing.

<< Previous

Page 2 of 16

Next >>

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: The Card & Bundle
Page 3: The HDR+AA Fiasco
Page 4: Test Setup
Page 5: Benchmarks: Half-Life 2
Page 6: Benchmarks: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Page 7: Benchmarks: Quake 4
Page 8: Benchmarks: X3 Reunion Demo
Page 9: Benchmarks: Chronicles of Riddick
Page 10: Benchmarks: F.E.A.R.
Page 11: Benchmarks: Need for Speed Most Wanted
Page 12: Benchmarks: Black & White 2
Page 13: Benchmarks: 3DMark '06
Page 14: Overclocking... and Underclocking?
Page 15: Performance Summary
Page 16: Conclusion

Subscribe to Video Cards [more info]

Add Comment

1 User Comment

1 - Posted by Kurtis on June 8, 2006 - 3:48 pm

I've updated this review. (See conclusion)

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.