MaximumPC 2006 09

reviewsTESTED. REVIEWED. VERDICTIZED

Considering it has two powerful GPUs, how

could it not be?

BFG’s card had no trouble outrun-

ning a solitary overclocked 7900 GT and

a single overclocked 7900 GTX. It beat up

on a single stock X1900 XTX, too. But the

GX2 had a tougher time challenging two

high-end cards running in either SLI or

CrossFire mode. For instance, it outclassed

a matched pair of overclocked 7900 GT

cards running in SLI in only one test: Quake

4. Two 7900 GTX cards in SLI, meanwhile,

absolutely crushed the single GX2; as did

two X1900 XTX’s in CrossFire.

We think the 7950 GX2 is a compelling

value, especially if you don’t have an SLI or

CrossFire motherboard. The overclocked

EVGA 256MB 7900 GT cards (600MHz core,

800MHz memory) used in our comparison

were selling for $360 each at press time,

so a pair would cost $110 more than BFG’s

card and would provide only half the video

memory. Meanwhile, the least-expensive

7900 GTX cards we could find were fetching

$466 each, or $932 per pair. An ATI X1900

XTX with a matching CrossFire master card

costs even more. It’s more difficult to place

a value on the GX2’s HDCP feature, howev-

er, because it’s unclear whether it will ever

be necessary.

—MICHAEL BROWN

There’s an SLI connector, but nVidia is

giving system builders first crack at build-

ing quad-SLI rigs.

$600, http://www.bfgtech.com

BFG GEFORCE 7950 GX2

The fastest single videocard

money can buy.

TWO HEADS 9

Can’t run two displays in dual-

GPU mode; not as fast as

two high-end cards in SLI or

CrossFire.

MA XIMUMPC

KICKASS

TWO BRAINS

SEPTEMBER 2006 MA XIMUMPC 7