Summer 2006 GeForce 7 Graphics Gear

XFX GeForce 7900GT

XFX GeForce 7900GT slide show

The GeForce 7900GT is a slower version of the flagship GeForce 7900GTX. Unlike previous versions of GT models, the GeForce 7900GT has the same number of vertex and pixel shader units with eight vertex and 24 pixel units. The differences come in the memory density and clock speeds. The model we received from XFX was the PV-T71G-UCP7. This model is HDCP and RoHS compliant. It comes with VIVO for video capture and output to digital monitors, including the 30" panels from Dell and Apple. The packaging also includes a cable to deliver and capture video.

The graphics core on the XFX GeForce 7900GT runs at 550 MHz and the memory is at 815 MHz (1.63 GHz DDR). That is 80 MHz above the Nvidia specifications on the core and 155 MHz for the memory. The card has a 256 bit memory bus with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory.

As a note of concern, there have been reports of higher levels of return material authorizations (RMAs) in various forums, and we have gotten reports from readers. However, the card manufacturers have not confirmed this. Two Nvidia-powered card makers told us that their RMA figures for GeForce 7900GT cards are normal. We will continue to look into this, but we have nothing to report conclusively at this time.

The standard cooler on the GeForce 7900GT has a really annoying fan. When the system boots, there is this loud whine and whistle. The only way to get rid of the noise is to turn the system off. The card also includes a copy of Tomb Raider Legend.

XFX GeForce 7900GT slide show