Final Thoughts
The GeForce 7600GS is a exceptionally good value at just $110 and this Gigabyte model can be had for just that. At this price the 7600GS is cheaper than the older 6600GT. The 7600GS is an excellent option for those on a tight budget that enjoy a little overclocking. The 7600GT on the other hand is clearly the faster option for which you will need to pay a small premium.
Even when overclocked to its max, the 7600GS followed closely but was not able to surpass the standard 7600GT performance output. The $40 difference between these two graphics cards is then justified if you want the best performance on this price range.
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The GeForce 7600GT delivered playable performance in F.E.A.R with medium quality settings at 1280x1024 using FSAA 2x + Aniso 8x. While the 7600GT managed a playable 45fps, the 7600GS was left behind with just 34fps. Overclocking did boost this number to 40fps, but then the overclocked GT managed 51fps. Relatively new gaming titles such as Quake 4 appear to work flawlessly with the GeForce 7600GT or 7600GS. With FSAA 2x + Aniso 8x enabled these graphics cards managed to deliver playable performance at 1600x1200.
When looking at the performance results with FSAA and anisotropic filtering turned off, there is little difference between the 7600GS and 7600GT at 1024x768 and 1280x1024. Therefore, if you are after higher quality visuals rather than higher frame rates, the 7600GT is more what you require.
Overall, while there are slightly cheaper GeForce 7600GS and 7600GT cards out there, few offer the level of quality found on these Gigabyte products. The cooling solutions of both these graphics cards work flawlessly and make very little noise. Both graphics cards come with decent gaming titles, the 7600GT ships with Civilization IV and the 7600GS comes with Serious Sam 2.
Bottom line is, if you can afford the slight difference in cost go for the 7600GT as it will prove valuable in the longer run. But if you are more of a casual gamer willing to spend this amount of cash on a videocard, you can't go wrong with the GS version either. And remember both of these cards can come equipped with completely silent heatpipe cooling solutions.