Initial Thoughts
At a stated £229 including dreaded VAT and available from today at your favourite retailer, GeForce 7800 GS AGP looks like the best last-gasp option for AGP system users before they are forced into a jump to PCI Express.While GeCube announced AGP Radeon X1600 boards recently, and whispers of Sapphire doing the same persist, they've yet to hit retail or be announced by ATI in any formal fashion. They'll be the only brand new competition for 7800 GS from ATI, as the war on AGP draws to a close.
As 7800 GS approaches the sub £200 price point it almost becomes a mandatory purchase on AGP, based on performance numbers we've obtained with the BFG card so far. Some early numbers can be found on the following page, and look out for our full analysis in due course.
It brings enough extra performance and image quality to best 6800 GS as the best current NVIDIA AGP product you can get your hands on, and for the system I might have had I'd likely be picking one up today if I was buying brand new.
G70 powers another sales winner it seems and GeForce 7800 GS appears like an attractive parts for those determined to stick with AGP. While PCI Express systems have large inherent platform benefits over even the best AGP-only systems, and it's really worth examining the switch if you can, this new AGP SKU will do the hangers-on just nicely.
Again, look out for our full evaluation, comparing the hardware to its price and availability competitors, very soon.
