Vendor Cards: XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked

Final Words

The fact that the EVGA KO and the XFX Overclocked perform the same out of the box means that there's now a tie for the best card in terms of performance. Ranking the cards that we've tested from the fastest to the slowest looks something like this:

XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked & EVGA e- GeForce 7800 GTX KO
BFG 7800GTX OC
EVGA e- GeForce GTX (450MHz)
MSI NX7800GTX (and NVIDIA reference card)

Note that technically, we managed to overclock the EVGA KO a little more than the XFX, but as this can be a subjective process, we give them a tie for first. Also, we'd like to stress again that the difference in performance between these cards is very small.

Let's talk about prices for a second. We understand that NVIDIA's 7800 GTX series is not a card for people who are on a budget. These cards represent the absolute best in gaming performance, and at anywhere from $500 to $600, their prices reflect that. We also know that every little bit of money that you can save when buying a card is important, so we try to look at the best overall value (given the price at the time of the article) when judging the cards.

We place a very high importance on performance with these individual 7800 GTXs, and the reason for that is simple enough. Those in the market for a 7800 GTX are obviously looking for the most powerful card available, and we feel that these same people would be willing to pay a little more for the added performance of a factory overclocked card. Obviously, how much more you pay compared to the actual increase in performance is what it boils down to, which can be tricky considering how card prices are constantly changing.

That being said, here is what we recommend. If you still don't have Battlefield 2 and want to get a good 7800 GTX with BF2 bundle, then definitely go with the XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked (with BF2 bundle), which is available for about $550 right now. You could also get the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX with Bf2 bundle for about $530, but you won't get the higher factory overclock of the XFX. Strictly looking at the cards themselves though, our pick for the best 7800 GTX would be the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX KO for $575. The XFX GeForce 7800 GTX Overclocked ($530) came in a very close second, and the $45 difference will make some people choose the XFX, especially given that they are the two fastest 7800's right now and perform exactly the same out of the box. But there are other factors that we considered when making this decision.

Firstly, as we mentioned earlier in the article, the EVGA KO has a modified heat sink and RAM sinks on the back, thus making it a little better candidate for user overclocking. Second, we are still impressed with EVGA's warranty policy and feel that this gives it a definite edge over the other manufacturers right now. Thirdly, the modified heat sink on the front of the card does more than just look good and dissipate heat; it also looks like a very effective protection against physical damage to the board. We realize that these are all very small things individually, but when put together, they add up. At the time that this article was written, the EVGA e-GeForce 7800 GTX (450MHz) with BF2 had gone back up in price to $530, and for $20 more, you can get the XFX Overclocked with BF2 plus a significant performance boost, but this is weighed against EVGA's quality warranty. We feel that the BFG 7800 GTX OC ($535) isn't a bad deal considering its performance, but again, we feel that if you are going to drop that much money on a card, you might as well pay another $40 and get the added benefits. Those who want the absolute cheapest 7800 GTX should probably go with the MSI NX7800 GTX. At $480, this is the cheapest one, and it will still make the bundled Chronicles of Riddick (and all other games) look great.

EVGA has proven itself with the 7800 GTX KO, and we feel that this is the best overall investment out of all the 7800's that we've tested. You may have to do a little searching to find one of these, as they seem to be popular right now, but they are out there. Next, we'll be looking at some of the 7800 GT graphics cards that have just been released, so be on the look-out for those soon.