Board analysis

With their e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition, EVGA set out from the start to build the fastest GeForce 7800 GT solution on the market, bar none. With this in mind, the e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition is clocked from the factory at 470MHz on the graphics core (15% higher than NVIDIA’s reference speeds), and 550MHz on the memory (1.1GHz effective). These figures are both significantly higher than the GeForce 7800 GT’s stock speeds of 400MHz on the core and 500MHz on the memory, with the e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition boasting a memory bandwidth figure of 35.2GB/sec; that’s 3.2GB/sec higher than stock.

In comparison to other GeForce 7800 GT board manufacturers, these are also the highest clock speeds on the market to date.

Of course, hitting the high clock speeds necessary to achieve EVGA’s performance goals wasn’t that much of a problem, thanks to its fewer functional shader units the GeForce 7800 GT has proven to be an excellent overclocker. The real dilemma was providing high clocks with a product EVGA could supply proper support for. In order to accomplish this and still provide EVGA’s new lifetime warranty, EVGA devised a new cooling solution for their e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition board, hence the “CO” in the card’s name.


The CO in this case stands for copper, which shouldn’t be confused for cobalt, which is the proper designation for CO in the periodic table. EVGA uses copper on their e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition board rather than aluminum because copper is a better conductor of heat than aluminum; the latter is the material of choice for the reference GeForce 7800 GT cooler that most 7800 GT manufacturers are using on their boards. (EVGA also uses an aluminum heatsink on their older e-GeForce 7800 GT card.) The only downsides to copper are that it’s pricier and heavier than aluminum.


EVGA places a copper heatsink directly over the GeForce 7800 GT’s G70 core. This heatsink is responsible for cooling the graphics core, and four of the board’s eight memory modules. EVGA then uses a separate aluminum heatsink to cool the four remaining modules. The cooling unit itself is also larger in size than the reference GeForce 7800 GT heatsink, this gives the cooler greater surface area to absorb more heat and thus increases its effectiveness. The black duct used to top the cooler off is adorned with EVGA’s corporate logo (a large “E”) and is borrowed straight from their e-GeForce 7800 GTX board.

Besides the enhanced heatsink, EVGA also outfits the e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition with the same fan used on GeForce 7800 GTX cards. This fan spins at roughly the same RPMs as the 7800 GT fan, only it has more fins and thus can push more air than the standard GeForce 7800 GT fan.

With supercharged performance (thanks to the higher clocks) and better cooling, EVGA has positioned their e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition to enthusiasts who want a card that’s better than your typical everyday GeForce 7800 GT board, but they’ve also got other cards in their 7800 GT lineup

EVGA’s 7800 GT family

In addition to the e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition board we’re reviewing today with clocks of 470MHz core/1.1GHz memory, EVGA also provides a slightly tamer version of the e-GeForce 7800 GT CO Edition with a 460MHz core. This is a little lower than the card we’re taking a look at now, but it sells for $15 less and since it ships with the same 1.1GHz memory speed, so its performance will be very similar. If you want EVGA’s flagship 470MHz part, be on the lookout for part number 256-P2-N517-AX, the 460MHz board’s designation is 256-P2-N516-AX. Again, the only difference between the two cards is the GPU speed (460MHz versus 470MHz) and price, EVGA expects the 460MHz board to sell for a street price of $354.99 while the 470MHz card will go for about $369.99.

In addition to these two cards, keep in mind that EVGA also produces a third 7800 GT SKU, the e-GeForce 7800 GT (Part Number: 256-P2-N518-AX), this board ships with a 445MHz GPU and 535MHz memory and is the least expensive of the three GeForce 7800 GT cards EVGA manufactures.