Final thoughts, HEXUS awards, HEXUS where2buy, and HEXUS.right2reply
We like what Inno3D has done with its iChill GeForce 7950GT package. The good starts with the cooler - an Arctic Cooling-designed Accelero S1M, which provides better-than reference cooling from a zero-noise heatsink. Inno3D has appreciated the qualities of the heatsink and shipped this particular model with clock and memory speed that are a touch above default.
The bundle and warranty are also good. Gaming performance can be considered adequate for the money if evaluated in pure isolation, which nicely leads us on to the biggest failing of the GeForce 7950GT. The underlying GPU - G71 - is directly derived from an architecture that made its debut nearly two years ago. Spend £25 more and you can have considerably greater performance, albeit actively (and quietly) cooled, from a GeForce 8800GTS 320, which sports a forward-looking architecture that will further distinguish itself with comparatively better performance in next-generation gaming engines.
The advancement of technology and the effects of price-snipping over time means that GeForce 7950 GT isn't all that alluring when retail pricing hovers around the £155 for this 256MiB model; it's too close to GeForce 8800 GTS 320 and higher than the soon-to-be-introduced G84 midrange SKU. Our advice for most users would be to save the extra pennies and opt for the '320, or wait a short while until various G84- and RV630-based cards flood the market.
Even with that in mind, the Inno3D iChiLL 7950GT Accelero S1M's saving grace is its zero-noise operation, and if you happen to be looking for a silent card with reasonable midrange performance, this is as good as any. That's enough for it to receive our Gaming Innovation award.
Most users, however, would be better advised looking at the new batch of midrange SKUs that are to be launched by NVIDIA and ATI imminently.
Bottom line: a well-executed non-reference design on an outgoing GPU.
HEXUS Awards
Inno3D iChiLL 7950GT Accelero S1M 256MiB
HEXUS Where2Buy
TBCHEXUS Right2Reply
At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any of Inno3D's representatives choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.HEXUS related reading
HEXUS.reviews - ECS GeForce 8800 GTS 320 graphics cardHEXUS.reviews - ASUS EAX1950PRO HDTP/256M graphics card
HEXUS.reviews - XFX GeForce 8800 GTS XXX Editions compared - 320MB vs 640MB
HEXUS.reviews - Foxconn GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB O.C. graphics card
HEXUS.reviews - Inno3D GeForce 7950 GT 512MB Zalman Edition graphics card
HEXUS.reviews - Foxconn GeForce 7950 GT graphics card
HEXUS.reviews - XFX 7950GT Extreme Edition Passive 512MB graphics card
HEXUS.reviews - XFX GeForce 7950 GT XXX Edition Passive 512MiB graphics card
