Final Words
In our last review of the BFG 7800, we found that, out of the box, BFG's 7800GTX has a slight edge over the original EVGA 7800GTX in terms of performance, strictly due to BFG's higher factory memory clock (BFG has 1.3GHz, while EVGA has 1.2GHZ). With this article, we've pretty much established that EVGA is back on the top with a core clock speed of 490MHz and a memory clock of 1.3GHz. These are the highest speeds that we've seen yet, and the numbers have proven that the EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX KO is the fastest graphics card on the market (out of the box and in our labs with air cooling anyway).Keep in mind that the margins between performance gains are still fairly close between these four cards. While EVGA's e-GeForce 7800GTX KO is at the top of the list in terms of speed, the BFG 7800GTX OC isn't that far behind. As we've said before, most people wouldn't be able to tell a difference between all these cards out of the box by simply playing their favorite games. That's why we consider every factor when recommending a graphics card from the framerate increase to whether it comes with a t-shirt or not (and no, sadly, the EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX KO does not). It's difficult ranking these cards because they are all exceptional, and it can be a very subjective process, especially given that prices for these parts are changing constantly.
As for the prices, it looks like the old EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX with Battlefield 2 bundle is back down to about $500. This is good news for those on a budget. The MSI NX7800GTX with Chronicles of Riddick is about $520, and the BFG 7800GTX OC is $540. The EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX KO is listed right now at $560 without BF2. Since this card is so new, we couldn't find any other prices for the version bundled with BF2 except on the EVGA website, sold at retail price for $612. However, keep in mind that you'll likely be seeing deals here and there for the KO+BF2 bundle in the near future.
That being said, taking into account the current prices (at the time of this review) as well as features and warranty, we have to say that the overall winner is the EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX KO. If you are on a budget – if we can call any computer part in the $500+ range "budget" – or just don't want to pay that much, then we recommend the other EVGA card with BF2 for $500. This one made a very close second, and many people will want to choose this one just because of the price, especially if you don't already own Battlefield 2. However, we feel that in terms of sheer value with performance in mind, the KO rises to the top. With the lifetime warranty, you'll get a very solid investment for this card, and will be playing the most graphically demanding games as they come out for a long time. If we thought that more people didn't already own Battlefield 2, we would have been more inclined to recommend the $500 EVGA bundle, and if you don't have BF2, then definitely get it instead of the KO. That is, of course, unless you have an extra $112 to burn, get the KO BF2 bundle; you won't be disappointed.
In short, if you already have Battlefield 2 (or don't want it – all 3 of you), then get the EVGA e-GeForce 7800GTX KO for $560. If you still need to get BF2, then get the 450MHz EVGA bundle for $500 before the price goes up again. Both of these cards will give you great performance and they both come with good warranties to ensure years and years of quality gaming. You could even get a second copy of BF2 if you wanted, and the prospect of selling bundled games is there, though the legality of doing so as well as the return is debatable. Selling your original copy and keeping the bundled copy would be okay, of course – you could probably get $30 or so for it, making the total cost of the EVGA bundle at $470. It's almost like a mail-in rebate (which many don't particularly like).
The next card that we'll be looking at will be the XFX 7800 (we promise), and as always, feel free to email us with any questions or suggestions that you may have.
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Medium - Wednesday, February 8, 2006 - link
Hey Guys..I noticed that you didnt tell anything about which ns the ram was, and what brand of ram that the Evga card was using, is it rated at 1.6ns as almost all the other GTX or did they put faster one? :)
Best Regards
Medium
robert5c - Friday, September 2, 2005 - link
First off i would just like to say that i was shopping for 7800GTX and i've read most of the separate articles and being able to read an article that is concentrated on one specific product not just the technology helps when shopping, and with your guys great links to prices and price engine you guys are a shoppers dream in my oppinion so i'm glad you guys were able to show me what this card was and why it was better.anyway i did buy this card, however i'm having some puzzling issues and i'm wondering if i should exchange for a new one or if thats not the problem.
In BF2 i cranked the video settins all the way up, monitor limited to 1600x1200@72hz
however i don't get very great frame rates at these settings...first off after the game loads, and i first start off by picking a spawn/weopon my framerate is incredibly slow, for about a minute after i join after the loader its like this, then after that for the most part the game plays pretty smooth however i still lag here and there and my framerates really bomb during explosions.
i find this really weird considering the framerates you guys get with the same card and settings so i'm woundering if there are things i should check/change or if i might just recieved a slightly defective card.
My computer:
Windows XP PRO SP2, latest nvidia drivers 77.77
Broadband 4Mbps Cable Internet Connection
Intel D925XECV2 MOBO
Intel P4 3.73ghz EE
1 gig ram in dual channel (2x512) DDR2-533
WD Raptor 36gb boot sata HD
WD Caviar 80gb secondary sata HD
485W Power Supply Enermax Noisetaker
LanParty case with stock 2x120mm fans cooling
before i had a gigabyte pci-e 6600GT and could play very well at 1280x1040 with all high except med texture and lighting
any help would be much apperciated
VideoQuasar - Wednesday, August 17, 2005 - link
I was going to be interested in how much improvement the 7800 such as this one would be in SpecView or CineBench. Just games...games games!! Do you realise how cheap 600 bucks is for a workstation card. Cater to the kiddies you do, and this card is to expensive for kiddies.Review rating...incomplete
AtaStrumf - Thursday, August 11, 2005 - link
Derek I gotta tell that this article reads like a press release, If you know what I mean. Come on, how much praise do an improved heatsink and a few more MHz warrant???It just get's one thinking it's a paid article, so I think, you might wonna tone it down a bit.
And I agree that all these 7800 GTX reviews do seem kind of weird. I don't really see a need for it. I wonder if it's gonna be the same for a cheaper 7600 GT?! Much more people will actually be interested in that.
AtaStrumf - Saturday, August 13, 2005 - link
Ups, I mean Josh.What, no reply??? Am I correct??? Is this just an advertisement disguised as an article? They have those in paper magazines too, but they at least have a small print somewhere on the page saying so.
DerekWilson - Sunday, August 14, 2005 - link
I'm glad you all are suspicious of site out there -- it means you will test our claims for yourselves, do independant research, and come to your own conclusions. And after doing this it will become abundantly clear that we report only what we see as fact. We don't need small print because what we report isn't for any other purpose than to keep our readers as well informed with good information as possible.One of the very few things manufactueres can do to distinguish themselves is to invest in cooling technology. The other options are software bundle and warranty. Aside from having the best warranty we've seen, an exemplary customer service record (in our experience), and an upgraded HSF, the EVGA KO has the highest out of the box clock speeds on the market (tied for first with the XFX overclocked 7800 GTX).
Josh didn't gush about this card for any reason other than the fact that it is the best card out there right now. It's really hard to argue with the facts on this one.
The only factor that this card does not lead on is price. There are cheaper 7800 GTX parts out there, our performance tests show pretty clearly just how much faster the EVGA KO is ...
We just call em as we see em around here.
Quiksel - Tuesday, August 9, 2005 - link
Derek (and anyone else who cares),Am I just on crack, or is it that there has been only one 7800GTX review after another on this site? How much of this chip do we need? I admit that this particular one is pretty neat in it's own way, but isn't there something else out there in the computer world worth reviewing and spending time and effort on?
Certainly it can't be 5 brands of the same video card.
DerekWilson - Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - link
What if we review all the 7800 GTX cards (and all the brands of all the other cards that come out from now on) as well as all the stuff we reviewed before (and more)? Our intention is to review other graphics solutions as well, we just started with the 7800 GTX.We realize that quality is more important than quantity. Be assured that adding articles like this won't reduce our quality but will give us more time to focus on researching some very in depth and interesting technology articles. Reviewing one card per week is much faster and easier than doing a roundup, and we are able to spend more time with the individual cards and go into more detail as well.
Quiksel - Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - link
(1) I understand that taking new tech and reviewing it on launch day, etc., is important. (2) Then comes the mass production of the tech by different manufacturers, so there's a need for the readers to be informed on the differences between the different products. (3) Then there's the difference between the interim releases after the initial launch of the new tech that also need reviewing and explanation. From those three different times of a piece of new tech, I would typically expect 3 articles or so for each piece of said new tech. From my initial post, I have just been surprised that what seems to be happening are lots of reviews centered around the second phase of your review cycle, and so that's why I was asking whether this is really what readers want to see on AT all the time (i.e., $500 graphic cards to oggle and wish a relative would die so that we could afford it)Can't tell you how weird I felt last night to read the new article about the $3000 desk. I guess it helps to have some off-the-wall review about such a nice piece of desk. But is that really what the readers want to see? More hardware that they can't afford? One poster above me here mentioned that you've lost touch with your readers, and sometimes, I wonder whether you're really just trying to fill a niche that no one else is really pursuing in an effort to either drive the industry in that direction or just cater to a crowd that may or may not even visit here. Who knows. I sure got confused with such an article. These 7800GTX articles have done the same for me.
I don't know what to tell ya to do, because I'm not in your position. But I certainly don't feel as at home on this site as I used to. Am I getting too old to appreciate all this nice shiny new expensive hardware?? :)
OvErHeAtInG - Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - link
Uh - like they've said and said again - they can either review each one individually as they get them, or wait another month and do a big roundup. Frankly this is better - more in-depth info. I find it interesting and I'm not even in the market for this.