AGP 7600 nVidia graphic card

[nicoliani]

I'm buying a new graphic card. So I need to know what to buy from the list I have made. Witch card is the best one? Features may come before performance but not that much.


BFG GeForce 7600GS OC 512MB
Club-3D GeForce 7600GS 256MB
Club-3d GeForce 7600GT 256MB
Gainward BLISS GeForce 7600GS AGP TV-DVI256MB
Gainward BLISS GeForce 7600GT (BA7600GT-TV-DVI) 256MB
Gigabyte GeForce 7600GS Silent Pipe 256MB
Inno3D GeForce 7600GS 256MB
Leadtek GeForce WinFast A7600 GS TDH 256MB
Leadtek GeForce WinFast A7600 GT TDH 256MB
Msi GeForce NX7600GS-TD256 256MB
Msi GeForce NX7600GS-TD512Z 512MB
XFX GeForce 7600GS (PVT73KUAL3) 256MB
XFX GeForce 7600GS 512MB

[undr0atH]

Either the
Gainward BLISS GeForce 7600GT (BA7600GT-TV-DVI) 256MB
or the:
Leadtek GeForce WinFast A7600 GT TDH 256MB
It really depends. The Gainward uses 1.2ns RAM chips where the Leadtek uses 1.4ns RAM chips. If you're not going to overclock it then take the card with the best price (probably the Gainward anyway). The Gainward is a great overclocker if you volt-mod it.

[nicoliani]

Memory, GPU, DVI can vary but do all brands have exactly the same nVidia tech features.

[AngelfireUk83]

I was going to go for the Gigabyte GeForce 7600GS Silent Pipe 256MB it has GDDR2 memory but I heard it's a good card. And it's only £80 in the Uk a GDDR3 GT version would cost £128 and that's for faster memory only the GPU clock speed in the GS stays the same.

[undr0atH]

Memory, GPU, DVI can vary

Memory: Yes the memory can vary big time. If you do not to intend to overclock the card and play Fear in all its glory then it doesn't make too much difference which GT card (the GT cards have stock 1400 mHz GDDR) you buy. If you DO intend to overclock I'd say go for the Gainward and do the volt-mod for it and overclock it to get good value for your money. As I've said before, the Gainward is supposed to be cheaper anyway, but that's because it only has ONE DVI port, so if you need two just buy the leadtek card. Lastly, I wouldn't consider any of the other cards because of their slower RAM speeds which is critical for the performance of this card. Oh and no, the GPU's are all the same, I mean that's why it's called a 7600 card...


do all brands have exactly the same nVidia tech features.

Yes because they all use the same core

[undr0atH]

I was going to go for the Gigabyte GeForce 7600GS Silent Pipe 256MB it has GDDR2 memory but I heard it's a good card. And it's only £80 in the Uk a GDDR3 GT version would cost £128 and that's for faster memory only the GPU clock speed in the GS stays the same.

I wouldn't go for a 7600GS if I were you, the 7600GT is given a serious performance boost by its GDDR3, as you can see here:

GT vs GS (http://www.ixbt.com/video2/g73-1-d.shtml#p16)

Enjoy

[AngelfireUk83]

I've decided to max out and get the 7600GT instead might as well go for it.

[nicoliani]

Memory: Yes the memory can vary big time. If you do not to intend to overclock the card and play Fear in all its glory then it doesn't make too much difference which GT card (the GT cards have stock 1400 mHz GDDR) you buy. If you DO intend to overclock I'd say go for the Gainward and do the volt-mod for it and overclock it to get good value for your money. As I've said before, the Gainward is supposed to be cheaper anyway, but that's because it only has ONE DVI port, so if you need two just buy the leadtek card. Lastly, I wouldn't consider any of the other cards because of their slower RAM speeds which is critical for the performance of this card. Oh and no, the GPU's are all the same, I mean that's why it's called a 7600 card...




Yes because they all use the same core

What the difference between having one and two DVI ports. When will I need to use two? Is it for HDTV screens?
Until now when I did some reading I had no idea what DVI is. I think I use a VGA cable to connect from my graphic card to LCD screen. That was the only cable I had I think that's why I connected like that.
I have a DVI port on my graphic card but on the LCD screen there is only one port and that is a VGA port.

[raevien]

What the difference between having one and two DVI ports. When will I need to use two? Is it for HDTV screens?
Until now when I did some reading I had no idea what DVI is. I think I use a VGA cable to connect from my graphic card to LCD screen. That was the only cable I had I think that's why I connected like that.
I have a DVI port on my graphic card but on the LCD screen there is only one port and that is a VGA port.

The older VGA output is an analog signal thatyour video card converts to from its digital output and your lcd needs to convert back to digital in order to display the image. It is left over from the days of CRT monitors that needed an analog signal.

Newer LCD displays use the DVI output which is digital so there is no conversion of the signal and you maintain better image quality especially at high resolutions.

The two DVI outputs either let you use two monitors for extra desktop space or are needed with certain very large 30"+ lcd monitors.

[nicoliani]

I just found my DVI adapter and can already notice better image. Can't believe I have run my LCD analogue for over 5 years.

[nicoliani]

I just found my DVI adapter and can already notice better image. Can't believe I have run my LCD analogue for over 5 years.

Will I need to reinstall my video card drives or do any other configurations?

[AngelfireUk83]

You shouldn't need to re-install your drivers just for switching to DVI over the original analog connection. If you've already noticed the difference between the 2 connections and picture quality then your done.

[nicoliani]

I'm sure the video card will work on my motherboard but I'm not sure about what RAM-memory that I also will have should be. DDR will work but I'm not sure about DDR2.

Here is my motherboard specification:

Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID 62-2000-001136-00101111-040201-VIA_P6$6A6LXSN9_REV AJ1.4
Motherboard Name Soltek SL-85ERV(-L)/ERV2(-L)

Front Side Bus Properties:
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 133 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 533 MHz
Bandwidth 4267 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties:
Bus Type DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 167 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 333 MHz
Bandwidth 2667 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties:
Bus Type VIA V-Link
Bus Width 8-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (ODR)
Effective Clock 533 MHz
Bandwidth 533 MB/s

Motherboard Manufacturer:
Company Name Soltek Computer Inc
Product Information http://www.soltek.com.tw/soltek/product/index.php?catid=1
BIOS Download http://www.soltek.com.tw/soltek/download/index.php

[AngelfireUk83]

What is your actual motherboard make and model number like for example mine is AOPEN AK79D-400 MAX if you can tell use that. Then we can find some info on it I don't understand the stuff you've put in the box.

And also is your Pentium 4 a HT model or just a plain P4 overclocker to 2.4ghz?

[nicoliani]

Here is some info from Lavalys:

Motherboard: Soltek SL-85ERV(-L)/ERV2(-L)
Chipset: VIA VT8754 Apollo P4X400
Bios: AMI (09/27/02)

The P4 is without HT

You can see my previews post, I have translated it into English!

[nicoliani]

[ North Bridge: VIA VT8754 Apollo P4X400 ]

North Bridge Properties:
North Bridge VIA VT8754 Apollo P4X400
In-Order Queue Depth 12

Memory Timings:
CAS Latency (CL) 2.5T
RAS To CAS Delay (tRCD) 3T
RAS Precharge (tRP) 3T
RAS Active Time (tRAS) 7T

Memory Slots:
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC2700 DDR SDRAM)

AGP Controller:
AGP Version 3.05
AGP Status Enabled
AGP Device Asus V9280
AGP Aperture Size 64 MB
Supported AGP Speeds 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x
Current AGP Speed 8x
Fast-Write Not Supported
Side Band Addressing Supported, Enabled

Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name VIA Technologies, Inc.
Product Information http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets
Driver Download http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2

[nicoliani]

CPUID Properties:
CPUID Manufacturer GenuineIntel
CPUID CPU Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz
CPUID Revision 00000F27h
IA Brand ID 09h (Intel Pentium 4A)
Platform ID 0Fh (Socket 478)
IA CPU Serial Number Unknown
HTT / CMP Units 0 / 0

Instruction Set:
64-bit x86 Extension Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD 3DNow! Professional Not Supported
AMD Enhanced 3DNow! Not Supported
AMD Extended MMX Not Supported
Cyrix Extended MMX Not Supported
IA-64 Not Supported
IA MMX Supported
IA SSE Supported
IA SSE 2 Supported
IA SSE 3 Not Supported
CLFLUSH Instruction Supported
CMPXCHG8B Instruction Supported
CMPXCHG16B Instruction Not Supported
Conditional Move Instruction Supported
FEMMS Instruction Not Supported
MONITOR / MWAIT Instruction Not Supported

CPUID Features:
36-bit Page Size Extension Supported
Advanced Cryptography Engine Not Supported
Alternate Instruction Set Not Supported
Automatic Clock Control Supported
CPL Qualified Debug Store Not Supported
Debug Trace Store Supported
Debugging Extension Supported
Enhanced SpeedStep Technology Not Supported
Fast Save & Restore Supported
Fast System Call Supported
Hyper-Threading Technology Not Supported
L1 Context ID Supported
Local APIC On Chip Not Supported
LongRun Not Supported
LongRun Table Interface Not Supported
Machine-Check Architecture Supported
Machine-Check Exception Supported
Memory Type Range Registers Supported
Model Specific Registers Supported
No-Execute Page Protection Not Supported
Page Attribute Table Supported
Page Global Extension Supported
Page Size Extension Supported
Pending Break Event Supported
Physical Address Extension Supported
Processor Duty Cycle Control Supported
Processor Serial Number Not Supported
Random Number Generator Not Supported
Self-Snoop Supported
Thermal Monitor Supported
Thermal Monitor 2 Not Supported
Time Stamp Counter Supported
Virtual Mode Extension Supported

[nicoliani]

Is there anyone that knows the answer

[AngelfireUk83]

http://legionhardware.com/document.php?id=204

Go here for a review on your board, it supports only DDR400 PC3200 memory not DDR2 it says it gave out poor performance with some DDR400 settings and worked better with DDR333 settings. Make sure you have the latest chipset drivers as well I am assuming it is using a VIA chipset from reading that review but in my opinion I would buy another motherboard with better support and features to your Pentium 4.

My mate has a decent board for his P4 Dual Core 805 it's a ASUS P5ND2-Sli and I got it on a cheap supports a lot of features and I am sure you can get 1 cheap as well if you scanned the web. You can run a regular P4 as long as it's socket LGA775

[nicoliani]

I wouldn't like to switch my mboard as it would be allot of work for me. What I can tell is that I run a 512 SDRAM memory. Will there be a problem or would I need to do any configurations when adding another type off memory like a DDR400 PC3200, DDR333 PC 2700?

[AngelfireUk83]

Sicne the reviewer states that he got better performance with 333FSB then you should have no problems running 2x 256mb PC2700 modules to equal 512mb. You could also try running 2x 512mb PC2700 modules for 1GB which in my opinion should be better.

XP is a lot better with 1GB or more memory plus PC2700 modules should not costs anything from 15 euro's each. So look around target 2x 512mb PC2700 chips and see if that will run make sure it's a decent brand. But it dosn't have to be corsair or Kingston remember if your on a budget then go for the decent lowest hardware. I did when I 1st built this system up I started off with a crappy 256mb modules then added another 1 for 512mb.

I took me a year to get this GEIL 1GB pack and I've dam well happy ever since.

[nicoliani]

I was going to go for the Gigabyte GeForce 7600GS Silent Pipe 256MB it has GDDR2 memory but I heard it's a good card. And it's only £80 in the Uk a GDDR3 GT version would cost £128 and that's for faster memory only the GPU clock speed in the GS stays the same.

What about BFG GeForce 7600GS OC 512MB. It's have same speeds as Gainward but with bigger memory of 512?