Second Life Forums Archive - AGP version of NVidia 7600GS -- thumbs up

Shirley Marquez

Ethical SLut

Join date: 28 Oct 2005

Posts: 788

11-02-2006 11:39

I wanted to make my old computer (Athlon XP 2600+, 768MB RAM, NVidia FX5600 with 128MB) run Second Life reasonably well; I also have a newer computer, but I occasionally need two! So I decided to take the plunge on a new video card for it; what I chose was an XFX NVidia 7600GS AGP8X with 256MB RAM. The final net cost (from buy.com) was $110, after a $10 rebate and a $10 deduction for using Google Checkout; not an unreasonable amount to spend on upgrading this system.

It's a big improvement. With the same version of NVidia driver (the brand new 93.71 that was just posted today), my frame rate in SL more than doubled; looking off the balcony at my house, it went from 7.5fps to 16fps. Then I tried turning on some more eye candy (local lighting, bump mapped and cloth avatar rendering, anisotropic filtering) -- STILL 16fps, so adding those video rendering features didn't slow things down at all. And as an added bonus, everything looks a little better, even without the extra features turned on.

The card has a fan, but it's not very loud. It needs one power supply connection, but it comes with a Y cable in case you need it. (I didn't, so it went to the spare parts collection.)

In summary, lots of bang for a bit over a hundred bucks. Sure, a 7800GS would be even better, but I can't see spending close to $300 on an upgrade for most AGP systems. This one hits the sweet spot in my view, and it's what I'll be recommending to people with AGP who are looking to get a little more life out of their computers.

Richard Renneville

Registered User

Join date: 10 Jul 2006

Posts: 11

11-02-2006 15:06

I have a PNY nVidia GeForce 7600GS AGP 4x/8x (my board is not 8x compatible) with 512mb onboard DDR-2 video ram, and I havent really paid much attention to the differences between that one and my old BFG nVidia GeForce FX6200 AGP 4x with 256MB onboard DDR-3, It may also be that my processor is only an Intel P4 1.3Ghz.

Teeny Leviathan

Never started World War 3

Join date: 20 May 2003

Posts: 2,716

11-02-2006 16:08

The OP in this thread should repost this review over here. Much better than a 6200.

Shirley Marquez

Ethical SLut

Join date: 28 Oct 2005

Posts: 788

11-02-2006 18:49

A bit of a clarification: I'm endorsing the CLASS of cards, not just the specific model that I bought. I expect the performance of other brands of 7600GS AGP cards would be similar; I chose mine on price and availability. All else being equal, 512MB would be better than 256MB, but I didn't want to spend an extra $40 for it.

Anna Gulaev

Registered User

Join date: 25 Oct 2006

Posts: 154

11-03-2006 09:21

I have a 256M fanless version of this card and like it a lot. Paid about $130 for it if I recall.

AGP version of NVidia 7600GS -- thumbs up
Shirley Marquez Ethical SLut Join date: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 788	11-02-2006 11:39 I wanted to make my old computer (Athlon XP 2600+, 768MB RAM, NVidia FX5600 with 128MB) run Second Life reasonably well; I also have a newer computer, but I occasionally need two! So I decided to take the plunge on a new video card for it; what I chose was an XFX NVidia 7600GS AGP8X with 256MB RAM. The final net cost (from buy.com) was $110, after a $10 rebate and a $10 deduction for using Google Checkout; not an unreasonable amount to spend on upgrading this system. It's a big improvement. With the same version of NVidia driver (the brand new 93.71 that was just posted today), my frame rate in SL more than doubled; looking off the balcony at my house, it went from 7.5fps to 16fps. Then I tried turning on some more eye candy (local lighting, bump mapped and cloth avatar rendering, anisotropic filtering) -- STILL 16fps, so adding those video rendering features didn't slow things down at all. And as an added bonus, everything looks a little better, even without the extra features turned on. The card has a fan, but it's not very loud. It needs one power supply connection, but it comes with a Y cable in case you need it. (I didn't, so it went to the spare parts collection.) In summary, lots of bang for a bit over a hundred bucks. Sure, a 7800GS would be even better, but I can't see spending close to $300 on an upgrade for most AGP systems. This one hits the sweet spot in my view, and it's what I'll be recommending to people with AGP who are looking to get a little more life out of their computers.
Richard Renneville Registered User Join date: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11	11-02-2006 15:06 I have a PNY nVidia GeForce 7600GS AGP 4x/8x (my board is not 8x compatible) with 512mb onboard DDR-2 video ram, and I havent really paid much attention to the differences between that one and my old BFG nVidia GeForce FX6200 AGP 4x with 256MB onboard DDR-3, It may also be that my processor is only an Intel P4 1.3Ghz.
Teeny Leviathan Never started World War 3 Join date: 20 May 2003 Posts: 2,716	11-02-2006 16:08 The OP in this thread should repost this review over here. Much better than a 6200.
Shirley Marquez Ethical SLut Join date: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 788	11-02-2006 18:49 A bit of a clarification: I'm endorsing the CLASS of cards, not just the specific model that I bought. I expect the performance of other brands of 7600GS AGP cards would be similar; I chose mine on price and availability. All else being equal, 512MB would be better than 256MB, but I didn't want to spend an extra $40 for it.
Anna Gulaev Registered User Join date: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 154	11-03-2006 09:21 I have a 256M fanless version of this card and like it a lot. Paid about $130 for it if I recall.

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AGP version of NVidia 7600GS -- thumbs up