BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT OC™
We start with their 7600 GT OC™.
It's reference hardware alright, from the cooler, DRAMs (pictured shortly) and DVI ports, to the SLI connector and no need for external power.
That the reference cooler is carried over to BFG's OC™ SKU is where we find most fault. It's a frustrating cooler to live with and makes a lot of noise dealing with 7600 GT's rough 70W of heat output, at the overclocked frequencies.
The 1.4ns GDDR3 DRAMs are a nice choice for the G73 graphics processor, giving mostly sufficient bandwidth in the face of a restricted bus interface.
Like the reference board, just one of the DVI ports is dual-link capable, and the video output port is just that, with no input capablility.
Clocked at 580/725, versus 560/700 from the reference board, the theoretical figures show around 3.5% of extra performance possible from the BFG Tech board, compared to the reference example, at peak execution. We'll see if that translates when we examine performance.
Presentation and Bundle
The box is classic BFG Tech, spelling out what's inside in no uncertain terms without the need for robotic animals or pneumatic breasts. Hooray for that, say we. The board itself is visible through a clear plastic window, which lets you see what you're considering.
Hopefully looking through that window won't have you greeted with what we saw, though. The board had obviously come clear of the clamshell inside and was moving around the box somewhat freely. Indeed the board had actually pierced the plastic. Erk.
The same was true of 7600 GT OC™ number 2, indicating a rough journey to the UK from BFG Tech's base in the USA. However both survived the trip and the damage was only to packaging, not boards, thankfully. We offer up the advice of some foam inserts to further protect the board inside the clamshell, should BFG be reading.
Bundle contents run to DVI-to-VGA adaptors, a component output cable for connecting the board to a compatible display (likely a HDTV or projector of some kind), driver CD and manuals. Pretty sparse, but it helps to keep costs down, and you do get the connectivity essentials.
