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My first impressions of the BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC SLI have been very well received. I feel that this is an ideal product for the gamer on a mid-level budget, or a DIY-enthusiast that wants a video card with some kick to it that won't turn his/her HTPC box into a nuclear reactor. The 7600 GT series cards were going for just under $200 USD on Pricewatch yesterday, which makes them an awesome bang-for-the-buck deal. With the Radeon X1600 XT going for slightly more than the 7600 GT (believe it or not!), while being a miserable slowpoke in comparison, this becomes a no-brainer if ~$200 is precisely your budget allocation.

The next-fastest ATI card that we compared the 7600 GT against, the Radeon X1800 XT, can be had for about $300-$320 USD, which makes for a tough call if your budget allows for some flexibility. Once you get in that range you'll also be interested in the 7900GT - which we are reviewing this Friday. In most of our tests, the X1800 XT is as fast or faster than two BFG GeForce 7800 GT OCs in SLI, which alone are ~40-80% faster (depending on the benchmark) than a single 7600 GT OC. I won't make any decisions for anyone, but the issue really rests on whether you are just a casual to mid-level gamer playing some older games, mixed in with some of the newer ones, or whether you play just new games and at higher resolutions to boot. If you are of the former type, then a single 7600 GT will suffice in almost every case, but if you are of the latter type, with more stringent needs (or is that wants?), then the X1800 XT or perhaps the 7900GT (review forthcoming) will keep you happier in the long term.

That said, I think the BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC is a product for the masses. Considering that most computers even nowadays still ship with resource-sucking (and sucking in general) integrated graphics, a power-efficient, sleek and "oomphy" card like the 7600 GT is a very smart upgrade -- and one that doesn't siphon off your funds like some punk hanging around your car with a gas siphon.

Do I have any complaints about the BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC? It's hard to say, to be honest. From the perspective of a high-end gamer, this card is not what I'd be looking for. From the perspective of a "Joe average" consumer, this card would be just what I'd be looking for. From the perspective of a picky hardware reviewer ... by God do I hate that little whiney fan. Granted, once the NVIDIA drivers kick in, the fan slows down to almost inaudible levels, but once the GPU heats up and things kick into gear, I am reminded of the great days of yore where 40/60 mm high-RPM fans ruled the lands. There's no cheating physics -- if you want a small fan to push as much air as a large fan, it has to spin faster -- but I would have preferred a flat fan in the ~80 mm range that could spin delicately while pushing a decent CFM. Something like what the Radeon X800 XTs had would be ideal.

That about sums up my complaints with the GeForce 7600 GT OC, so it's high time that I slap the "Recommended" sticker on this sucker. Good work, BFG.