The GeForce 7950 GT boards

As we mentioned on the previous page, the GeForce 7950 GT reference board design called for by NVIDIA is based largely on NVIDIA’s older GeForce 7900 GT reference board: physically the GeForce 7900 GT and 7950 GT reference boards look nearly identical. (This is also largely the same board design employed for the GeForce 7900 GS.) The one key difference between the 7950 GT and 7900 GT reference board design lies in the memory subsystem. For the GeForce 7950 GT, denser 16Mx32 memory modules are used (Infineon Part Number HYB18H512321AF-14) since 512MB of memory is called for. These modules are rated for speeds up to 700MHz, which is right in line with NVIDIA’s reference clock speeds.

Looking at the GeForce 7950 GT reference board’s cooling, we see that NVIDIA uses the same single-slot heatsink/fan unit first integrated on the GeForce 7900 GT reference board. The heatsink itself is made completely from copper and does a good job of keeping the graphics core cool, and is accompanied with a small fan. We should note that physically this is the exact same fan used on the 7900 GT reference board, only now it has been tweaked to run at variable fan speeds based on the GPU’s temperature. The GeForce 7900 GT was not equipped with a variable speed fan, running at full speed at all times. This change allows the GeForce 7950 GT to run a little quieter than the 7900 GT.

BFG 7950 GT and 7900 GT reference board

Because the 7900 GT and 7950 GT board designs are so similar, NVIDIA’s board partners shouldn’t have a difficult time transitioning from the GeForce 7900 GT to the 7950 GT. From their perspective, the GeForce 7950 GT is basically a drop-in replacement for the GeForce 7900 GT. This should make the conversion even easier for NVIDIA’s board partners. In fact, already we’ve received boards from BFG, EVGA, and XFX. Let’s take a look at a few of the first GeForce 7950 GT cards that will be hitting store shelves today.

BFG GeForce 7950 GT OC

BFG’s got one SKU planned for the GeForce 7950 GT, their GeForce 7950 GT OC graphics card. The 7950 GT OC boasts all the features BFG’s cards are famous for, as its “OC” name implies, the card is overclocked from the factory, running 15MHz higher than the stock GeForce 7950 GT on both the graphics core and memory. This equates to 565MHz on the graphics core, 715MHz (1.43GHz effective) on the memory, which should provide a nice boost over the stock 7950 GT.

BFG GeForce 7950 GT OC

Another shot of the BFG card

For their GeForce 7950 GT OC BFG uses their now familiar blue PCB which they’ve used on other cards in the past. Other than this change, BFG’s GeForce 7950 GT OC deviates little physically from NVIDIA’s 7950 GT reference board. The card uses NVIDIA’s stock single-slot cooler for the 7950 GT and of course, it’s offered with BFG’s lifetime warranty.

The card is shipping to retailers now and carries an MSRP of $349, although some online vendors may carry the board closer to $300.

EVGA e-GeForce 7950 GT KO

EVGA’s got two SKUs currently planned for the GeForce 7950 GT, their e-GeForce 7950 GT 512MB w/EVGA fan is their stock GeForce 7950 GT board, while the e-GeForce 7950 GT KO is their higher-end card. This is the card we’re looking at today.

The e-Geforce 7950 GT 512MB with EVGA fan runs at the stock GeForce 7950 GT speeds of 550MHz core/700MHz memory. What sets the card apart from other 7950 GT boards is its cooling. Rather than rely on NVIDIA’s stock heatsink/fan unit for their GeForce 7950 GT cards, EVGA has integrated their own custom copper cooler that cools both the GPU and memory modules. This helps to keep the temperature of both of these components down. EVGA’s fan also has another added benefit: it runs a little quieter than the stock NVIDIA fan.

The EVGA e-GeForce 7950 GT KO

EVGA uses the same cooling on their 7900 GS board

For enthusiasts looking for a little more performance, EVGA offers the e-GeForce 7950 GT KO. The e-GeForce 7950 GT KO ships with the same heatsink/fan unit for cooling, but also runs at higher clock speeds than the regular e-GeForce 7950 GT: 560MHz graphics core/725MHz (1.45GHz effective) memory.

Both EVGA cards are offered with a very good game bundle. Inside the box you’ll find a copy of Hitman: Blood Money with both cards, while EVGA is also offering a free copy of Half-Life 2: Episode 1 to the first 1,000 card owners who register their card with EVGA and Dark Messiah: Might and Magic to the first 500 card registrants. That’s three free games for those who are the first to purchase and register their card! EVGA also backs the board up with their lifetime warranty program.

Both cards are available now with the e-GeForce 7950 GT with EVGA fan carrying an MSRP of $369.99 while the e-GeForce 7950 GT KO retails for $379.99. Both prices come directly from EVGA’s own website, which is usually higher than actual street prices, so we wouldn't be surprised to see online retailers selling EVGA's 7950 GT cards for less.

Gigabyte GV-NX795T512H-RH

Like BFG and EVGA, Gigabyte’s targeting enthusiasts with their GV-NX795T512H-RH graphics card. Gigabyte has partnered with Zalman to provide cooling for the card; in particular it’s outfitted with Zalman’s venerable VF700Al-Cu VGA cooler.

Gigabyte GV-NX795T512H-RH

The VF700Al-Cu has been on the market for awhile now, and proven popular with enthusiasts looking to enhance the cooling of their graphics card. The cooler has also been used by card manufacturers like Sapphire, who used an all-aluminum derivative of the VF700 for their X800 XL Ultimate card. The VF700’s unusual shape gives it more surface area while still taking up less space on the graphics board, although it is a dual-slot cooler.

Based on photos provided by Gigabyte, their GV-NX795T512H-RH board won’t ship with the RAMsinks that normally accompany the VF700, but with the cooler’s reputation for generating very little noise, it should be a very interesting card for anyone looking to build a near-silent system around the GeForce 7950 GT. Gigabyte sticks to NVIDIA’s reference specifications for the rest of the board, including the graphics core and memory, while Gigabyte expects the first boards to ship in late September.

Leadtek WinFast PX7950 GT TDH/Extreme

Leadtek is another NVIDIA board partner that plans to spice up their GeForce 7950 GT board a little bit over stock. Rather than relying on NVIDIA’s stock heatsink/fan cooling unit, Leadtek has come up with a solution of their own that they also use on their GeForce 7900 GS board.

The Leadtek WinFast PX7950GT TDH Extreme

Another shot of the Leadtek board

What really sets Leadtek apart though is the clock speeds they’ve announced for the PX7950 GT TDH Extreme. Leadtek’s shooting for 600MHz on the graphics core for the Extreme card, while the board’s memory runs at 715MHz (1.43GHz effective). With such high clock speeds, this could be the board to beat when it comes to performance, but we’ll have to wait and see when the board actually ships.

For more budget-minded consumers, Leadtek will also be offering the PX7950 GT TDH. This board sports the same cooling as the Extreme card, only it sticks with the stock NVIDIA clock speeds of 550MHz core/700MHz memory. Both cards also ship with a copy of Serious Sam II and Spell Force 2: Shadow Wars and should be available later this month.

XFX GeForce 7950 GT 570M Extreme

Without a doubt, the award for the most unique GeForce 7950 GT card on the market goes to XFX so far. Unlike the other manufacturers, XFX’s GeForce 7950 GT cards run completely silent, relying on heat pipe cooling to keep the graphics core and its memory cool. XFX’s cooler is single-slot, so those of you with small cases shouldn’t have a problem getting the 570M Extreme to fit inside your case. When you combine this with the card’s silent operation, this makes XFX’s 570M Extreme ideal for home theater PC applications. In fact we’re so impressed with this card so far that Alan’s going to be featuring this card in his next HTPC build article. XFX’s heat pipe does a very good job of dissipating heat off the graphics core and memory, the fact that they were able to pull it off without the use of copper or a dual-slot heatsink is even more impressive.

Silent cooling for XFX

Large heat pipe on top of the card

Besides the massive heat pipe on the top of the card, you’ll also notice that like previous Extreme cards from XFX, the 570M Extreme sports a black PCB with neon green DVI connectors. It’s a sharp-looking board in our opinion.

In addition to the silent cooling, XFX also overclocks the board out-of-the-box, with the GPU running at 570MHz while its memory runs at 1.46GHz, making it a pretty spry performer as well.

Another shot of the heat pipe

XFX 7600 GS and 7950 GT cards

XFX offers two SKUs for the GeForce 7950 GT, both feature XFX’s silent cooling. There’s the overclocked 570M Extreme that we’re testing today which carries an MSRP of $329.99 (Part Number PV-T71J-YHE9), and the regular XFX GeForce 7950 GT (Part Number PV-T71J-YHF9), which sells for $299.99. Both cards are available for purchase today, and both ship with a copy of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter inside the box.