Introduction
I was the hilariously lucky so and so that authored our 4872th bit of content, according to our database system. And number 4872 just so happened to be a preview of three new graphics products from NVIDIA -- GeForce 7600 GT, 7900 GT and 7900 GTX -- and I mostly declared all of those SKUs to be 'for the win'. Buy any of the three and you'll end up with a worthy 3D accelerator with few niggles.So you've digested that piece, picking over the performance and environmental data. You've considered the IQ question, you're happy you can find the SKU you want in stock, and the prices are within your budget.
That's all grand, and good on you for choosing a fine modern graphics accelerator for your PC, but which vendor are you buying from? Does bundle or warranty matter to you? Interested in a pre-overclocked version from someone? Should you even consider one in the first place, despite a list of obvious upsides? All those questions need answering.
We haven't managed to round up every last offering from all vendors (as much as I'd love to evaluate 30 GeForces!), but to kick off our quest for that particular truth we've nabbed boards from XFX and eVGA to see what they're doing, encompassing 7900 GT and GTX.
XFX have long been considered a 'performance' brand for NVIDIA graphics boards, and rightly so. There's always a XXX Edition, overclocked out of the box, to consider from one of NVIDIA's best partners. They've got some competition though, and with ex-Gainward man Hans Wolfram Tismer now at eVGA, it's been no surprise to see Wolfy take some of what made Gainward a high-profile NVIDIA performance brand to eVGA, sticking those guys into the same space.
This article therefore looks at pre-overclocked boards with a GTX from XFX, and both GT and GTX from eVGA. Are any of the three are worth a squirt? We find out.
