nVidia GeForce 7600 GT

[FlightDeck]

G'day folks,

I'm trying to choose a video card for a new PC for photo work. Based on some recommendations here, I chose the GeF 7600 GT.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize there are like 50 companies producing this card, each with their own flavours. For example, eVGA has 9 different models of 7600 GT on their website! What the heck are the differences? The websites are very poor as pointing these out. Some seems to have fans, some don't, some don't have heatsinks?... Does it need a fan? And for that matter, what is the difference between GT and GS? (Even nVidia's site doesn't seem to have the answer.)

Thanx.

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[Guy Scharf]

I'm in the same boat you're in -- trying to sort out the different 7600's.

The eVga site shows that the different models run at different GPU and memory speeds. That's one big difference. There are probably more that I haven't figured out yet. I'm looking for a good side-by-side comparison and haven't found one yet.

Guy

 

[Mogambo]

I am no expert but here are a few pointers.

1. The cards are usually the same (almost). Different vendors provide different cards based on in card memory, cooling systems, noise levels, and quality of components, clock speed etc.

2. A good way to choose is to go to Newegg.com and look at all the makers of this card and the differences in the card specs.

3. Even better is to look at the card with the most reviews and a high rating. See why people have rated the card well. Its important to read these reviews because a lot of users run benchmarks and report actual FPS (Frames per Second) data and other useful data.

For example a card by PNY is rated high but some users says its cooling fan is noisy. Is that acceptable for you? These are the decisions you need to make. It should take about an hour to make your decision based on the link I added below. Hope this helps.

Here is the link on newegg for the 7600 GT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010380048+1305520548+106790717+1067920131&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48

 

[Guy Scharf]

I found a comparison page for eVga at http://www.evga.com/products/compare.asp .

The 7600GS models use DDR2 memory; the 7600GT models use DDR3 memory for faster access.

Of the four 7600GT models, the primary difference appears to be in different core clock speeds. Three use the GEForce 7600GT chipset, while one uses the NVIDIA 7600GT chipset. I don't know what the difference is.

Some of the 7600GS models, being slower and cooler, have a passive heatsink instead of a fan.

There is some difference in TV outputs: some have HDTV and some have HDTV-7. Again, I have no idea what the difference is (and don't care).

Guy

 

[mdmsam]

If you are just doing photoshop, vs going for overclocked cards for games, you can get a 7600GT that is not overclocked to very high speeds and you will be fine. I found an eVGA card 2 months ago that had a rebate which brought the cost down. It was slightly over-clocked, and I actually changed clocking DOWN to stock nvidia speeds, put in a zalman vga cooler, and ended up with a VERY QUIET card. You can change clock speed with registry patch which lets you then change settings inside the new nvidia control panel.

There are 7600gt models that are fanless, but you need to make sure that your case and motherboard spacing works with this card and whatever else you put in your case. I wanted a very slim solution, that was also quiet, so my result will differ from others with different needs. You should also look at the ATI card (model number escapes me at the moment) that is comparably priced to the nvidia model - I think both have 2 DVI connectors, which for me as a necessity so that I could run 2 19-inch LCD monitos with DVI interface. Take a look (if you have not already done so) at anandtech and/or toms hardware for card comparisons.

If you are going 7600gt, look for the vendor that has the best warranty and lowest price/best rebate offer. Then, if you are happy with stock cooler noise, you are done - otherwise there are excellent coolers for this card...

good luck!

 

[FlightDeck]

So I scanned the reviews for the eVGA version at NewEgg. Pretty bad. Almost a quarter of review complaing of lock-ups and/or overheating (noting poorly mounted heatsinks). Like you, some indicated they had to underclock the card from the as-shipped value. RMAs abound.

I know nothing of eVGA, never heard of them until yesterday. What are better brands carrying this nVidia chipset?

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[FlightDeck]

I found a comparison page for eVga at
http://www.evga.com/products/compare.asp .

Very useful link, thanx!

The 7600GS models use DDR2 memory; the 7600GT models use DDR3
memory for faster access.

Good to know.

Of the four 7600GT models, the primary difference appears to be in
different core clock speeds.

I think this is the biggie, based on the reviews I've just read about overclock problems as-shipped.

Three use the GEForce 7600GT chipset,
while one uses the NVIDIA 7600GT chipset. I don't know what the
difference is.

They should all be the same..., may be a mis-type.

I'm learning to hate eVGA's site. It keep locking up MSIE whenever I click on the "Features" option for a card...

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[Reg Quiring]

You can "drill down" right to all 12 NVIDIA GeForce 7600GT cards at NewEgg or use this link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010380048+1305520548+106790717+1067920131&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48

Some other brands have good ratings. Pick a couple and Google them for other site reviews. Then seach for Canadian vendors like Canada Computers that have quite a few Ontario stores and sell many of these cards.

Reg

So I scanned the reviews for the eVGA version at NewEgg. Pretty
bad. Almost a quarter of review complaing of lock-ups and/or
overheating (noting poorly mounted heatsinks). Like you, some
indicated they had to underclock the card from the as-shipped
value. RMAs abound.

I know nothing of eVGA, never heard of them until yesterday. What
are better brands carrying this nVidia chipset?

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

--
RegQ

 

[turtile1]

EVga has a lifetime warranty with all their cards. They are the best brand I've used.

The reason so many break is due to out of box overclocking.

As long as you move the speed back to Nvidia stock speeds, you should not have a problem. The KO version has a better cooler.

 

[Steve_]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

These cards are all reference designs, most with reference coolers. Many are actually manufactured by Nvidia anyway, so brand name isn't that relevant. I'd get the cheapest one, and change the cooling to this if the noise or performance of the stock cooler aren't sufficient.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835127101

I use one of these on my (nuclear blast furnace, in comparison) 7800GT. Total silece, and no fan to wear out. And super nice looking, too.

And the reason you get the 7600GT is for the dual-DVI outputs, but just as importantly the fact that the first is dual-link. A 7600GT is a great card, and will be a premium PS solution for as long as you care to use it--and even be an entertaining entry level gaming card for some time. Long enough for 30" LCDs to become irresisitably cheap...
--
Panasonic FZ5 and LZ3 pics - http://www.s90223656.onlinehome.us

 

[Steve_]

I've got several eVGA cards, and they do stand behind their products superbly. I've got a 7800GT KO currently, clocked at 470/1100MHz instead of the default 435/1000MHz. Great card; stable as can be at the elevated clock it was sold as.
--
Panasonic FZ5 and LZ3 pics - http://www.s90223656.onlinehome.us

 

[FlightDeck]

I've got several eVGA cards, and they do stand behind their
products superbly. I've got a 7800GT KO currently, clocked at
470/1100MHz instead of the default 435/1000MHz. Great card; stable
as can be at the elevated clock it was sold as.

Apparently their 7600GT isn't as well sorted out of box. They're clocked to 580 or even 600 MHz depending on the flavour you buy. It sounds like you have to drop it right back to standard 560 to make it run. I don't mind that (I can't imagine the small gain being worth it), but it's not clear to me from reviews I read if even 560 is okay. It also appears the cooler mounting is a little shoddy, though more critical at the non-std speeds I guess. Many people are replacing the cooler, so I wonder if this card makes good sense at all---couldn't I spend the cooler money on a more reliable out-of-box card?

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[mdmsam]

I wouldn't fret too much about stock cooler - it is just a little noisy. As to overclocking, the licensed nVIDIA manufacturers would be buying themselves a lot of support pain and cost if people ended up buying overclocked (and higher-cost) cards and then under-clocking them.

Look at this article if you want a sample comparison of several 7600Gts:

http://www.vr-zone.com/print.php?i=3551

Anyway, I think that at stock speeds as spec'd by nVidia, I sincerely doubt that you will run into issues, even with a stock cooler. My sense is that most people who replace stock cooler are either overclocking for gaming and/or investing in quiet/silent technology to make their pcs as quiet as possible. For example, in my recent PC build, I probably spent a $200 price permium on parts (case, power supply, fans, cpu adn vga coolers, soundproofing materials, etc) just to make the box quiet. That's my own choice, but it is admittedly not an absolute necessity....

 

[FlightDeck]

As to overclocking, the licensed nVIDIA manufacturers would
be buying themselves a lot of support pain and cost if people ended
up buying overclocked (and higher-cost) cards and then
under-clocking them.

According to reviews on NewEgg, that's exactly what is happening. People are buying the eVGA, out-of-the-box they aren't working (freezing problems, mostly), and it seems under-clocking back to standard is the only thing making them run reliably. There are a ton of RMAs on this by the sounds of it.

Thanx for the review link. Unfortunately it focuses only on overclock results performance, which I have no interest in. The reviews on NewEgg are indicating pretty wide variations in reliability with the eVGA, with the freezing problem due to the out-of-box speed being reported in significant numbers. I had planned to get one but now I'm thinking it might be better to try a BFG or other instead.

Anyway, I think that at stock speeds as spec'd by nVidia, I
sincerely doubt that you will run into issues, even with a stock
cooler.

That's just it, the EVGA cards aren't shipping at the stock speed spec'ed by nVidia. They're at 580 (CO model) and 600 (KO model), vs the std 560 MHz.

My sense is that most people who replace stock cooler are
either overclocking for gaming and/or investing in quiet/silent
technology to make their pcs as quiet as possible.

The folks replacing coolers or fixing the cooling mountings were finding excessive high temps out-of-the-box, apparently because the coolers weren't well mounted (i.e., cooler itself is adequate, but not always mounted correctly).

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[mdmsam]

I guess as long as you buy a slightly overclocked verison from a reputable supplier and then clock it back to stock speeds, you'll probably be OK. Admittedly, this is my first try at an nVIDIA card (previously had all ATI cards), and at the time the 7600GT as the most reasonably-priced card with 2 DVI connectors. As I mentioned earlier, stock cooler would probably have been fine...

Good luck!

 

[FlightDeck]

That's just it, the EVGA cards aren't shipping at the stock speed
spec'ed by nVidia. They're at 580 (CO model) and 600 (KO model),
vs the std 560 MHz.

Correction (I think): Both CO and KO are 580 MHz. There is also a "CO Superclocked" that is 600. And there is a plain non-CO/KO that is the standard 560. All this according to eVGA site. Though if you look at other sites you seem to get different answers---I like how nice and confusing this is!

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)

 

[mdmsam]

I agree it is a little crazy with all the over-clocked verisons out there.

I took a peek at the 7600GT eVGA reviews on newegg - i think that the freeze problems are probably due to over-optimistic overclocking of the chip by the various vendors. I put on a Zalman cooler with new thermal paste, popped on the little RAM heatsinks that came with the Zalman kit (on the chip side only), and the board has run fine, even at the overclocked speed (tested for one week), then clocked at nVIDIA stock speed (quieter, slightly cooler). I run the Zalman cooler at 5V, so it's very quiet, and the board never has gotten hotter than 45C. If I run the fan at 7V, it runs at 42C max, still very quiet. Total cost after rebates and adding the cooler was less than $175 at the time I purchased (early June).

I have Antec Sonata II case with acoutipak kit inside, Slienx case fans, and Zalman 9500 CPU fan, and a Antec HE power supply, so the loudest noise is now the CPU fan, which at 3 feet from the PC, is barely audible during most tasks (40% speed with Speedfan). Once I upgrade to Conroe chip next year, I expect that I can dial the fan speed back even further - the Pentium D950 that I have now is power-hungry and runs warm. When rendering video at 100%CPU load, the system gets a little louder as fans ramp up a bit, but it's very even fan noise, still less obstrusive than my earlier system.

 

[Steve_]

Apparently their 7600GT isn't as well sorted out of box. They're
clocked to 580 or even 600 MHz depending on the flavour you buy.
It sounds like you have to drop it right back to standard 560 to
make it run. I don't mind that (I can't imagine the small gain
being worth it), but it's not clear to me from reviews I read if
even 560 is okay. It also appears the cooler mounting is a little
shoddy, though more critical at the non-std speeds I guess. Many
people are replacing the cooler, so I wonder if this card makes
good sense at all---couldn't I spend the cooler money on a more
reliable out-of-box card?

I never recommended an eVGA 7600GT, and in fact if you read my post above I recommended a BFG (use what is cheapest, the hardware is all the same...):

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1004&message=19886642

At all times you need to view the reference cooler with skepticism. The are generally just-adequate and usually don't have flat bases and/or good TIM. I don't care what the stock clock is, if you are to do it right you replace it with a good cooler first off. I also linked the cooler I recommned (although you may have to enlarge the HS mounting holes slightly on a 7600GT, but no biggie there). I used the more-slender screws that attached my stock heatsink to affix the VM-101, if you use the included screws you must enlarge the holes in the card (slightly).

eVGA does not void your warranty if (when) you replace the stock heatsink, one of may ways their support is top-notch. And if you find the stock clock too high, just flash the card's bios with the reference one and restore 560MHz as the default. These cards are all the same, as I've mentioned. Or use the BFG. Just plan on replacing the reference cooler, in any event.
--
Panasonic FZ5 and LZ3 pics - http://www.s90223656.onlinehome.us

 

[FlightDeck]

I never recommended an eVGA 7600GT, and in fact if you read my post
above I recommended a BFG (use what is cheapest, the hardware is
all the same...):

Yes I know, however I'm in Canada and buying from NCIX.ca where the BFG is $70 more than the eVGA. It's half that price at NewEgg, which is probably where I should have bought it, but I was trying to sort this out at 1 am and still chose NCIX. At any rate, I decided what the heck, buy the eVGA anyway since the warranty is supposed to be so good, and if I have problems, I'll worry about it then. I have no 3D plans for it anyway, so I'll probably be blissfully unaware of any problems it may have.

--
Regards,
K
Ontario, Canada
(See my profile for equipment list.)