Foxconn 7950 GT OC 512MB PCI-E

Reviews: Hardware

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
FOXCONN
Feb. 4, 2007

Specifications

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Conclusion

After looking at our benchmark results, it's hard to really recommend one card over the other when it comes to the 7950 GT and X1900 XT. The majority of the time, performance is identical, though of course ATI still has the upper hand for HDR+AA. I should mention, though, that none of the games we tested had HDR except for HL2 Episode 1, for which the HDR+AA NVIDIA issue does not apply due to the way HDR was implemented into their engine. I should also mention that NVIDIA's 8-series fully solve the HDR+AA issue where it did apply.

To make things less complicated, ATI's X1900 XT isn't really available for purchase anymore, at least not for a competitive price (I was able to find some for $400). By contrast, Foxconn's 7950 GT OC goes for $245, and you can get it for $210 after mail-in rebate at Newegg right now. The standard version of the card runs for $235 or $190 after mail-in rebate, also at Newegg.

But things aren't so cut and dry as they may seem, as the X1900 cards were replaced by X1950 variants. In this case, the X1900 XT was succeeded by the X1950 XT. And wouldn't you know it, it's priced to compete with the 7950 GT. Just my luck, as I didn't have one to test. Nevertheless, I did a bit of research on the internets and while I don't have my own data to back it up, it looks like the X1950 XT puts a beating on the 7950 GT. Did I mention it's about the same price as the 7950 GT?

Don't go jumping to conclusions just yet... I'm almost done, promise. The last thing I want to throw into the mix for your consideration is that ATI is set to release a new series of cards in March/April, and in the same time frame NVIDIA is set to release their mid-range and low-end 8-series cards.

If you've got about $250 to spend ($215 after rebates) and you simply can not wait until March/April for ATI and NVIDIA to release new cards, I have to recommend that you go for the X1950 XT over the 7950 GT. While Foxconn's 7950 GT OC and the bundle it comes with is really nice, there's no getting around the fact that the X1950 XT will get you better performance for the same price. If there wasn't a rebate available on the X1950 XT to match the 7950 GT's price after rebate, it might be harder to recommend, but obviously that is not the case as I write this. I would definitely recommend that you stay away from the X1950 Pro, because with the XT being the same price after rebate, there's basically a free upgrade for the taking. And the 7950 GT sort of stomps the X1950 Pro anyways.

The last thing I will say is that if you don't mind waiting until the March/April time frame, you should hold off on buying a new video card until then. At that point we'll see the cards in question replaced, and you should also expect to see prices drop a bit on these cards as stores try to get rid of old stock.

Pros

Overclocked out of the box
Great bundle (the gamepad is really nice)
Single slot design (ATI's X1900 XT and X1950 XT take up two slots)

Cons

ATI's X1950 XT offers more performance for the money
HDR+AA issues

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Page 10 of 10

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Page 1: Introduction, The Card / Bundle
Page 2: Test Setup
Page 3: Testing - Half-Life 2 Episode 1
Page 4: Testing - Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay
Page 5: Testing - F.E.A.R.
Page 6: Testing - Need for Speed Most Wanted
Page 7: Testing - X3 Reunion Demo
Page 8: Testing - 3DMark 06
Page 9: Performance Summary
Page 10: Conclusion

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1 User Comment

1 - Posted by daytroxative on February 13, 2007 - 2:09 am

The packaging i've seen for them is funny looking for this card. Overall, foxconn cards in retail are some of the cheapest, pretty well manufactured cards you can get. Or maybe it's just the suppliers around here. But we get these and the 8800's cheap.

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