XFX 7600GT XXX Edition Video Card Review

Conclusion

Looking back through our tests the XFX 7600GT was the fastest sub $210 (Current Pricing) card in our testing and only got beat by $50+ more expensive competition. Since the ATI X1800 GTO is not even out yet the Geforce 7600 GT is what we would safely call the fastest card on the market for under $250. Kudos to NVIDIA for getting out a killer main stream card for a price point that other video card companies can’t hit with a quality part.

F.E.A.R. and Call of Duty 2 are a couple of games that are extremely demanding on video cards today. In both games the 7600GT was always right there with the $50 more expensive X1800 GTO. I was extremely impressed by the fact that it could hang with the ?paper launched? X1800 GTO and the much more expensive X1800XL, a card that just 4 months ago was $450. It was originally intended that this card would compete against the X1600Pro, but that card has recently been moved down to the $100 segment. If the X1600 Pro was still in the price range of the GeForce 7600 GT it would have been smashed by the 7600 GT.

Nvidia is very proud of the 7600GT and have every intention to keep it around for quite some time. This is a worthy upgrade for anyone running anything lower than a 6800GS or X800XT. With Microsoft Vista on the horizon the 7600GT would be a perfect upgrade for those wanting to experience the new interface without spending big bucks.

Heat is not an issue on the XFX 7600GT. It does idle a little warm at 40c but the heatsink does a great job of keeping the core cool when pressed into action. 55c was the highest we were able to get this card with the overclocked load. The fan is from the XFX GeForce 7600GT and does leave a little to be desired. While under load it spins up and was noticeably louder than the rest of the system. For most the noise would not likely be an issue in a closed case but is worth noting for those looking for near silent operation.

Something to keep in mind when picking out your new video card is the warranty, most vendors offer a ?lifetime? warranty but XFX goes one step further with their ?double lifetime? warranty. A double lifetime warranty means that XFX will repair and service your 6-Series or 7-Series Graphics Card for as long as you own it. All you have to do is register the card with them. And, should you sell or transfer the card, XFX will honor the warranty for the card’s second owner, too, as long as they register it online.

If you are looking to spend around $200 on a mid-range PCI Express graphics card that can play all of today’s game NVIDIA’s GeForce 7600 GT is definitely the way to go. The cards are aviable and priced to move. This review was done on a retail card from our friends at XFX and the numbers speak for themselves. It is time to upgrade that GeForce 6600 in your gaming system and this card to take its place.

At this time the 7600GT is the card to buy in the $200 or less category. With ATI paper launching the X1800 GTO Nvidia is questioning the availability and price of the card. I also can?t recommend a card that you can?t order from your favorite e-tailer at this very moment. If the X1800 GTO is indeed available on March 31st as promised then the decision is a little tougher and will depend on how the market is pricing each card. If price were the same or you had the budget for the GTO it would be our choice, but that is a very big ?IF.?

Legit Bottom Line: The XFX 7600GT XXX Edition is the most powerful card you can get for less than $250. XFX has put together a great value and the best bang for the buck in 3D cards.