Novi nVidijin čip zasigurno nije revolucionarno rješenje koje oduzima dah svojim mogućnostima i novim tehnologijama. U osnovi se radi o ispoliranom GTX-u 512 na višem radnom taktu čija je glavna prednost zapravo niska proizvodna cijena u odnosu na konkurenciju. Premda u nekim naslovima odnosno pri određenim postavkama GeForce uspijeva nadjačati ATI-jevu perjanicu ponude, Radeon X1900 XTX općenito pokazuje bolje performanse. Nažalost, 7900 GTX gubi i u pogledu mogućnosti s obzirom na to da i dalje rabi anisotropic filtering ovisan o kutu, nema mogućnost uporabe HDR-a u kombinaciji s antialiasingom (osim ako je riječ o implementaciji HDR-a kao u HL2: Lost Coast), a fali joj i VIVO, koji je standardan dodatak na ATI-jevim karticama. Prednosti nVidijinog rješenja su osjetno bolji hladnjak, niska potrošnja, lakša uporaba multi-GPU tehnologije (s obzirom SLI i dalje osjetno jednostavnije rješenje u odnosu na Crossfire) te performanse u specifičnim naslovima, pogotovo ako je riječ o OpenGL-u. Još jedan adut su driveri. Premda s ATI-jevim Catalystima nismo imali posebnih problema, još uvijek se radi o glomaznom komadu softvera s kojim je naporno raditi.

Premda se preporučene cijene za Radeon X1900 XTX i GeForce 7900 GTX razlikuju kao nebo i zemlja (650 USD naprema 500 USD), situacija je u praksi mnogo drugačija pa je X1900 XTX moguće kupiti po cijeni koja je jednakak GeForceovoj. Da ne bi bilo zabune, ovo je rezultat lansiranja GeForcea 7900 GTX budući da je nVidia predstavila konkurentni proizvod po vrlo niskoj cijeni u odnosu na postojeća high-end rješenja. Ono što nas zanima je cijena nakon što se tržište malo smiri, dakle za otprilike mjesec-dva, s obzirom da nVidia ima osjetno manji, a time produkcijski isplativiji čip.

Što se tiče kartice Leadtek WinFast PX7900 GTX TDH Extreme, možemo reći da smo prilično zadovoljni s onim što nam je pokazala. Ako je suditi prema cijenama u inozemstvu (bacite pogled), Leadtek trenutno ima jednu od najjeftinijih kartica na tržištu unatoč tome što se radi o "Extreme" modelu s nabrijanim taktovima. Moramo priznati da smo od bundlea koji dolazi s karticom očekivali više, ali dvije nove i prilično dobre igre (Serious Sam 2 i TrackMania Nations) su vrlo lijep bonus. Maksimalni taktovi koje smo dobili overclockiranjem nisu nešto posebno (696/876 MHz, tvornički takt je 675/830 MHz), ali valja imati na umu da se radi o kartici zasnovanoj na high-end čipu s ograničenim potencijalom dizanja takta, koja je uz to tvornički nabrijana. Sve u svemu, ako je suditi prema cijenama iz inozemstva, Leadtekov WinFast PX7900 GTX TDH Extreme bi mogao biti izvrstan izbor za one koji u svojem računalu planiraju ugostiti GeForce 7900 GTX čip.

 

Conclusion in english:

There is no doubt that new NVIDIA’s chip is not a revolutionary solution which amazed us with its features and new technologies. Basically, it is a polished version of 7800 GTX 512 with higher clock and cheaper production price (especially in comparison to ATI’s X1900 XTX aka R580). Although in some games and/or with specific settings GeForce manages to outperform ATI’s flagship, Radeon X1900 XTX in general has better performance. Unfortunately, 7900 GTX also has fewer features than X1900 XTX – no invariant anisotropic filtering algorithm, no HDR + antialiasing capabilities (HL2: Lost Coast is an exception) and it lacks VIVO – a standard feature on Radeon cards. Positive sides of the new NVIDIA solution are much better reference cooler, lower power consumption, easier use of multi-GPU tech (SLI is still more simpler and robust solution in comparison to Crossfire) and higher performance in specific titles, especially OpenGL games. One more plus for NVIDIA are drivers. We didn’t have specific problems with Catalyst, but they are still a big lump of code which is tiresome to use.

Although MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) for Radeon X1900 XTX and GeForce 7900 GTX are very different (650 USD for Radeon and cca 500 USD for GeForce), street prices are very similar. We must say that this is the result of GeForce 7900 GTX launch which caused competition to cut down prices for premium products. We are very anxious to see the prices when market settles a bit, in month or two, because NVIDIA has a chip that is much cheaper to produce.

WinFast PX7900 GTX TDH Extreme, first commercial implementation of the new chip that we could get our hands on, is a very solid product. If we check the prices outside Croatia (take a look), we can see that Leadtek has one of the cheapest retail boards, although it’s really a factory overclocked "Extreme" model. We expected a bit bigger bundle, but two new and pretty good games (Serious Sam 2 and TrackMania Nations) are a nice bonus. Maximal clocks we attained with the board (696/876 MHz, factory default is 675/830 MHz) are not something special, but keep in mind that we are talking about high-end card which is already factory overclocked. All in all, if we judge it by the prices in UK, Leadtek WinFast PX7900 GTX TDH Extreme is a very good choice for all those who are planning to get a card based on 7900 GTX chip to amplify their gaming experience.