Oblivion - Grass Test
| SLI 7900GS 450/660 | SLI 7900GS 520/700 | 7900GS | 7900GS OC | |||||
| Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | |
| 1024 | ||||||||
| Min | 36 | 26 | 48 | 36 | 27 | 16 | 29 | 19 |
| Avg | 42 | 31.98 | 57.32 | 43.58 | 32.64 | 19.75 | 34.49 | 22.4 |
| Max | 56 | 39 | 67 | 60 | 44 | 29 | 45 | 33 |
| 1280 | ||||||||
| Min | 17 | 13 | 27 | 20 | 23 | 13 | 27 | 16 |
| Avg | 21.46 | 17.33 | 34.94 | 23.24 | 26.73 | 15.52 | 31.26 | 18.56 |
| Max | 26 | 21 | 43 | 28 | 37 | 24 | 44 | 27 |
| 1600 | ||||||||
| Min | 15 | 11 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 9 | 21 | 11 |
| Avg | 17.47 | 13.87 | 27.98 | 18.11 | 20.74 | 11.95 | 24.39 | 13.71 |
| Max | 20 | 18 | 35 | 21 | 29 | 18 | 35 | 21 |
Oblivion - Tree Test
| SLI 7900GS 450/660 | SLI 7900GS 520/700 | 7900GS | 7900GS OC | |||||
| Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | Default | AA AF | |
| 1024 | ||||||||
| Min | 32 | 26 | 36 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 20 | 15 |
| Avg | 38.62 | 30.06 | 41.26 | 34.43 | 22.23 | 15.93 | 24.16 | 17.73 |
| Max | 53 | 35 | 49 | 41 | 28 | 20 | 29 | 21 |
| 1280 | ||||||||
| Min | 17 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 12 |
| Avg | 20.6 | 15.93 | 24.22 | 18.39 | 18.81 | 12.71 | 22.62 | 14.73 |
| Max | 24 | 19 | 28 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 27 | 17 |
| 1600 | ||||||||
| Min | 13 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 15 | 9 |
| Avg | 15.66 | 12.56 | 20.45 | 14.45 | 15.8 | 10.13 | 18.9 | 11.44 |
| Max | 18 | 15 | 24 | 17 | 20 | 12 | 23 | 13 |
all numbers are in frame rate per second
These results from Oblivion are stronger arguments for SLI and for the higher clocked GeForce 7900GS. Overall, we jumped from having average frame rates below 30 fps at 1024 x 768 to having minimum frame rates above 30 fps at 1024 x 768 without AA and AF, even with AA and AF with the higher clocked GeForce 7900GS SLI. That's a noticeable, hell, pretty significant improvement. But even with SLI, frame rates are only high enough for 1024 x 768, with and without AA and AF. Any higher and frame rates are again below 30 fps.
Of course, buying two GeForce 7900GS or even higher clocked GeForce 7900GS is not the same as buying a single GeForce 7900GS. You should compare results from a pair of GeForce 7900GS running in SLI to cards or setups within its price range - there's the single GeForce 7900GTX or even GeForce 7950GX2 to consider. Sadly, we do not have these cards to compare with at this time, but hardware review websites all over the Internet have made such comparisons, so if you're interested you should take at look at them. Our point here is to show the difference that exist between a (or rather a pair of) reference clocked and a higher clocked GeForce 7900GS in an SLI setup and how it may affect your buying decision (if you're looking for an SLI setup)
Conclusion:
There is a difference in performance between reference clocked and higher clocked GeForce 7900GS, but its very small and in most cases it won't help you in graphically intensive scenes. So, are higher clocked cards like Gigabyte GeForce 7900GS TurboForce or Leadtek PX7900GS TDH Extreme worth a buy? We found a stronger argument in an unlikely suspect - SLI. Benchmarks results are significantly higher with higher clocked cards than reference clocked GeForce 7900GS. Of course, that information is only useful if you're already planning to use SLI. What if you're only going to buy a single GeForce 7900GS? The answer is a definite no, if you're only looking at performance. In this case, bundles and price comes to play.From the three GeForce 7900GS cards here today, the most strikingly different is of course the Gigabyte GeForce 7900GS TurboForce. It runs at a slightly higher clock than the Leadtek PX7900GS TDH Extreme, with more accessories but less software, offering convenient power connectors but takes more space due to its cooling solution. These differences pretty much cancels each other out, however your have to decide which one you like.
In conclusion, we recommend the Gigabyte 7900GS TurboForce and Leadtek PX7900GS TDH Extreme. These cards are not that different in performance to each other or the reference clocked GeForce 7900GS, but they certainly offer more in terms of bundle than the ASUS EN7900GS. For those with limited space in their setup, the Leadtek PX7900GS Extreme is more appropriate. If budget is more of a constraint for you, you might want to take a look at the reference clocked Leadtek PX7900GS - the same bundle, same cooling solution, practically the same card though slightly slower and quite probably less expensive.
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