One graphics card we never really paid much attention to was the GeForce 7600GT and we can honestly say, we aren’t too sure why. It’s pretty safe to assume though that with cards like the GeForce 7900GS, 7950GT and the 8800 series out and about, our focus was mainly there.
We have with us today a MSI GeForce 7600GT - unfortunately the particular model we have on hand isn’t found in Australia though it does carry the same reference core and memory speed seen on the standard 7600GT from other companies. 575MHz on the core and 1.4GHz DDR on the memory alongside the inclusion of 256MB DDR-3 memory sees the card spec for spec sit very similar to the Radeon X1650XT. Though, it comes in well under $200 AUD with it being found closer to $185 AUD giving it almost a $50 AUD price advantage or 25% cheaper than the competing Radeon X1650XT.
Like both AMD offerings, the GeForce 7600GT has just been released under the AGP umbrella to give it a bit more attention. With both models coming with the standard 256MB DDR-3, you don’t have to be worried that you’re going to buy a crippled DDR-2 version or anything like that.
GeForce 7900GS
Sitting roughly 10% cheaper than the Radeon X1950PRO is the GeForce 7900GS which can be picked up for around $270 AUD and being released first, it is clear why it got more attention than the ATI offering when launched.
Coming stock clocked at 525MHz and 1440MHz DDR the core sits a fair bit behind the Radeon X1950PRO’s 575MHz clock speed. The main difference though is that we see the Radeon X1950PRO max out at around the 650MHz mark and the memory hit just under what the GeForce 7900GS offers at standard. The GeForce 7900GS on the other hand though sees core speeds in excess of 675MHz and memory hitting almost 1800MHz DDR on a common occurrence. While it is generally a slower performer out of the box, when people really start having a look at bang for buck, the card is recommended left right and center if you’re willing to take that little plunge into overclocking land and many are these days.
Unlike all the other cards here though the 7900GS is only available in PCI Express which is a bit of a bummer for AGP users that this kind of bang for buck is only limited to users of PCI E systems.
