When PCI Express was launched two years ago everyone thought that AGP, the previous graphics standard, would quickly die a death. But they were only half right. ATI has stopped making AGP compatible graphics chips - but nVidia is still in the game.
The problem is that a graphics chip can only talk to one kind of connector, either AGP or PCIe, not both. Developing two simultaneous product lines was expensive, so ATI decided not to do it. The thing is, there are still millions of people out there whose PCI has an AGP slot. nVidia wisely decided to cater for this market by making an translator chip, which allows PCI-Express graphics chips to talk to the AGP connector, and through the connector to the rest of your computer.
The Palit 7600GS is based on one of our favourite chips, the GeForce 7600. The 'GS' suffix tells you that the chip on this card isn't as fast as one of the nVidia's pricier 7600GTs. Where the 7600GT runs at 560MHz, the chip on this card runs at only 400MHz. Don't write this card off, however, it scored an impressive 80% in our 3D gaming benchmark. That's faster than the Sapphire card opposite, even though the Sapphire's chip has a far higher MHz rating. This shows two things: that the Sapphire is terrible value for money and that you can't judge a graphics card on clock speeds alone.
Your £76 doesn't just buy you a keenly-priced graphics card either - there are extra goodies in the box. You get CyberLink PowerDVD 6, a handy DVD-playback suite and a full copy of ToCA Race Driver 3. We gave this game five stars in issue 181, so it's a welcome inclusion and not merely a make-weight.
As a modern, current-generation GPU, this card is more than capable of running the fancy Aero visual effects in Vista Premium when it arrives. You'll be able coax some good-quality gaming from it too, although don't expect to turn all the detail settings to maximum in every game. Still, you'll struggle to find better for the £76 asking price, which is right at the bargain end of graphics cards for gamers. Find it on www.scan.co.uk with the code LM16093.
System Specifications
CONNECTION AGP CHIPSET nVidia GeForce 7600 MEMORY 256MB DDR2 OUTPUTS DVI, D-SUB, S-Video, component
Verdict
The GeForce 7600GS is capable of running most current games, without juddering to a halt.
Author: Clive Webster
Computer Buyer Online