Enhanced Performance & Overclocking

Since the Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ Golden Sample performance depends a lot as well on the performance of the system itself, we included some figures on what can be reached with a better CPU. For that we started overclocking our Intel P4 Prescott from 3.0GHz (with 200MHz FSB) to 3.3GHz, 3.4GHz, 3.5GHz and even 3.6GHz. First we ran the latest Futuremark suite to check the difference in results. A better processor should have some impact on the overall performance of the G71 chip. So take a look at what we found...

BLISS 7800 GS+ Golden (595/1500MHz)	3DMark06 Score
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.30GHz	4627
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.40GHz	4703
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.50GHz	4779
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.60GHz	4841

As shown, there is quite some extra potential hidden away within the Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ video card and an ultra speedy processor certainly can unlock all of that. Just for the heavy overclockers, I managed to overclock the BLISS 7800 GS+ Silent all the way up to 595/1500MHz with some extra airco cooling to lower the temperature. So with some water cooling these speeds should definitely be reachable and even beyond. Next, I also wanted to confirm the results and did a spin with AquaMark 3 and even gotten the CPU all the way up to 3.70GHz.

BLISS 7800 GS+ Golden (595/1500MHz)	AquaMark 3 Score
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.30GHz	73613
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.40GHz	75738
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.50GHz	77879
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.60GHz	79838
Intel P4 Prescott - 3.70GHz	81479

Once again we see some great improvement on the raw performance figures deducted by our benchmark run with AquaMark 3. The results just go up and the Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ keeps up with the extra power delivered by the system. For sure, this is the best graphics card available for the AGP platform and can keep up with the PCI Express version. So looking for an AGP card and top notch performance, then look no further and just go for the BLISS 7800 GS+ Limited Edition.

Final Thoughts

Gainward definitely has a winner on its hands. The GeForce 7800 GS line of cards breaths yet another breath of life into the AGP platform, but it make us wonder how many more AGP cards we are going to see in the future. It's exciting to see Gainward bring out these super fast enthusiast boards, but it really is a tough balancing act to get right. There is no denying that this is a seriously fast, impressive card. It's fantastic that Gainward have managed to make a GeForce 7800 GS outperforming the competition by far. The Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ Golden Sample is one hell of a kick ass product!

Considering that the GeForce 7800 GS AGP is basically an insult on a PCB, the pressure has really been on AGP gamers to make the switch to PCI Express. This pressure has been exerted somewhat unfairly, as the Gainward clearly shows that there is no good technological reason for not making a very fast AGP card. Excellent initiative of Gainward for finally sticking up for the AGP users. If you have a top-end AGP system that you really want to hang on to then the Gainward is a great buy, as it's without doubt, the best AGP graphics card ever made.

With Gainward and its company commitment to bring the end user the best possible video card experience and customer support, you are sure to have a professional experience. Gainward puts the consumer first and offers one of the best sales and support staff in the business. Each staff member is highly trained and very skilled at there responsibilities and you will get prompt professional help. Gainward certainly knows how to differentiate themselves and their products, and are second to none when it comes to innovation and going one step further than the competition. We can only encourage Gainward on having taken this approach.

Having touched the innovation let me remind you about the Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ Limited Edition. When you look around for any GeForce 7800 GS based graphics card, none will match the offer from Gainward. Gainward went that one extra step further and by using a fully enabled 24 pipeline G71 core, adding high performance 512MB GDDR3 memory, applying a silent cooling solution and on top of that supporting the AGP interface. It shouldn't come to a surprise that this graphics accelerator just blows away all other video cards designed for the AGP platform. Awesome to say the least!

But what about the overclocking of the Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ Silent graphics card? Well I must say I was amazed that right out of the box I was only able to reach 575/1450MHz. Quite impressive results, providing quite some room for overclocking. When you start to apply better cooling techniques, higher speeds are reachable. In our case we ended up with an impressive 595/1500MHz overclock. No change on the cooling solution was done; we only applied some kind of airco system to lower to temperature. For those hardcore gamers and enthusiasts who won't settle for default clock speeds, this is certainly looking quite a bargain.

The Gainward BLISS 7800 GS+ Golden Sample performed above and beyond our expectations. However, the main benefit of the GeForce 7800 GS is that it provides a new choice, which allows existing AGP users with a fast CPU to upgrade their mid-range graphics card and extend the life of their system. Although it might be a bit more expensive than a standard GeForce 7800 GS, it is worth every penny. I would definitely put this on my shopping list of upgrades and so should you! As I said before, it's without doubt, the best AGP graphics card ever made. Thumbs up for Gainward!

Pros

• Outstanding Performance
• High Quality & Quiet Cooling Design
• Fast Infineon GDDR3 (1.4ns) Memory
• Excellent for Gamers and Power Users
• Amazing Head Room for Overclocking
• Impressive & Catchy Bundle
• Impressive Gaming Performance
• Competitive Pricing

Cons

• N/A

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