With the launch of the first DirectX 10 graphics cards expected in a month's time, now is probably the best chance for graphics chipmakers to clear some of their inventory to make room for the upcoming newcomers. Hence, we have seen a massive influx of these cards, like the GeForce 7900 GS to the retail channels. Many of these GeForce 7900 GS cards are overclocked and even non-standard features like HDCP support has been added. Prices have also become more reasonable and this has probably started something of a buying spree among enthusiasts. ASUS had not yet made their mark in that sector, but that is all set to change with the latest TOP edition. - Hardware Zone

ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP 256MB Edition Review

In case you're unaware, the TOP edition is ASUS' special, overclocked version and from our past experiences, they can be quite the speed demon. So would the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP live up to its billing? For starters, how about a daring core clock of 590MHz and an equally aggressive memory frequency of 1440MHz? Those were the surprisingly high clock speeds we discovered on installing the drivers. When we first took out the Extreme N7900 GS TOP from its humongous box packaging, we had no clue about its aggressive clock speeds. And you can't blame us, as the ASUS looks identical to the reference model.

It's not like the XpertVision GeForce 7900 GS Sonic and its large cooler fan. The cooler on the ASUS was petite in comparison, though you would recognize that it is the same as NVIDIA's default. The memory chips were left to fend for themselves, which is a little bizarre when even the overclocked Leadtek Extreme and the EVGA had larger main cooling units that took care of this aspect. However, it's not all that bad as the cooler's exhaust does blow over the memory chips to assist in some form. Upon installing the drivers, we were quite startled to find the true clock speeds of the Extreme N7900 GS TOP.

At a core clock of 590MHz and a memory frequency of 1440MHz, this is the fastest that we have seen in our experience with pre-overclocked GeForce 7900 GS cards so far and looking at the competition out there, it might be the fastest of them all. In contrast, the Leadtek WinFast PX7900 GS TDH Extreme, the fastest we have encountered to-date out of the box, only had a 520MHz core. ASUS must be very confident of the NVIDIA reference design to attempt such aggressive clock speeds without further enhancements or perhaps these were handpicked cores that could maintain these clock speeds.

Appearances can be deceiving and we admit that the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP had us fooled for a while, with its innocently conformist exterior. Deep inside though, it was a raging beast that overran the competition in all our benchmarks. Thanks to its record high out-of-the-box clock speeds, the Extreme N7900 GS TOP simply demolished the scores of its competitors in our benchmarks, leaving us with no doubts about its prowess. ASUS has certainly achieved its goal of topping the GeForce 7900 GS charts, without any detrimental side effects besides having slightly elevated temperatures.

One could argue that the overclocked frequencies are within the reach of most enthusiasts and while we would generally agree with that, it does seem to be very close to the limits for the GeForce 7900 GS core. Only the Palit GeForce 7900 GS Sonic managed higher so not all GeForce 7900 GS cards may maintain the high clock speeds found on the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS consistently and over a long period of time. After all, the whole point of buying an overclocked version is not that you can also get these speeds yourself, but that you are now guaranteed such clock speeds, with the usual warranty terms.

This is a boon for those who desire the performance but are less confident of the card's limitations or their own. However, as you can expect, there is a price to be paid for this. For the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP, this has been set at $270. Compared to its rivals, which hovers around the $238 mark, the ASUS represents a significant premium. The extras included, especially the new Ghost Recon game probably contributed to some of the cost. It is up to the individual to decide if the included bundle is worth paying for. Compared to some of the more affordable variants, the ASUS card commands a premium of up to $50.

While it may seem like an expensive GeForce 7900 GS card, if you turn the perspective the other way, the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP ends up as a very enticing alternative to a full fledged GeForce 7950 GT graphics card. With great speed, comes great price, but the ASUS Extreme N7900 GS TOP manages to justify its price-to-performance ratio. In the end, it's your choice of how future proof you want your next card to be, what price points are comfortable and what plans of usage you've in mind.