HardOCP review BFG and XFX 8600GTS...

[Geneticfreak]

Here is the link:

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMyNCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

Pretty good review! Here is the conclusion of it:

BFGTech GeForce 8600 GTS OC


The BFGTech GeForce 8600 GTS OC performed very well for us. It ran quite and cool and provided an enjoyable gameplay experience in every game. We were thrilled to see how high this video card can overclock. There is a lot of potential for enthusiasts with these video cards. BFGTech provides a full lifetime warranty and 24/7 tech support and a decent bundle.


XFX GeForce 8600 GTS XXX Edition


While the BFGTech was a solid gaming video card, we do have to give the nod to the XFX GeForce 8600 GTS XXX Edition. The XFX 8600 GTS XXX simply provided the best gaming performance in its class and price range. We experienced performance that exceeded the BFGTech GeForce 8600 GTS which let us increase quality settings in games. With Oblivion we were able to turn on full grass, with Flight Sim X we were able to use a higher AA setting, with BF 2142 we were also able to use a better AA setting.


Overclocking potential is better with this video card since the memory is already overclocked to 2.26 GHz. The BFGTech GeForce 8600 GTS OC only mustered a 2.15 GHz memory clock speed. The XFX was able to overclock up to 2.36 GHz on the memory with potential for possibly hitting 2.4 GHz with some modding. Both video cards reached at least 775 MHz core speed, so combine that with the faster memory on the XFX 8600 GTS XXX Edition and you have one killer video card. There is also a full version of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter which only sweetens the bundle. The only caveat is a slightly high $239.99 price tag.


The Bottom Line


AMD/ATI should be very worried at this point. NVIDIA just released their entire DX10 mainstream lineup and it delivers. Compared to ATI’s current generation the GeForce 8600 GTS kicks its butt. Compared to NVIDIA’s own last generation, GeForce 7 series, the GeForce 8600 GTS kicks its butt. We experienced the highest playable settings we have ever seen at this price range. The XFX GeForce 8600 GTS XXX Edition is one of the best gaming video cards we have ever used at $239.99. It provided the best gameplay experience for the money and has further performance potential for hardware enthusiasts.


If you are in the market for a mainstream video card that delivers great gaming, the GeForce 8600 GTS should be the only GPU on your list. It provides the best gaming performance for the price in today’s games, and has DirectX 10 support for tomorrow’s games.

 

[Glacier]

Thanks for posting this link, I've been looking for more info on these cards.

 

[raytracer06]

found another 8600gts test. This time, it's the Gigabyte version

Only problem : it's in french... anyway, it might be interresting because the test includes a SLI benchmark

Link : http://www.vtr-hardware.com/articles/a9823_1.html

 

[pauldh]

Hmm, no time to read the whole review, but they sure seem to paint a different picture of these cards than we have been seeing. If other reviews go this same route...What a nice surprise. 8O

 

[pauldh]

The French reviews' charts don't match up to [H]. X1950GT often has the lead at higher res. But from what I can tell, NV pulled a big launch driver performance boost with these 158.16 drivers. Either pulled them drivers out just in time, or they are sneaky lil' guys keeping their performance hidden til now.

 

[TonyStark]

If the card wasn't crippled with 128bit Memory bandwidth, it might have been worth the money. According to benchmarks, it only barely beats a x1950PRO.

I'd fork out a few extra bucks and get the 8800GTS 320MB, or wait a little longer and see how the ATI's mid-range R600 performs.

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

I agree, they look good, tho Im not into midrange. I wonder how the ATI products will do??

 

[raytracer06]

The French reviews' charts don't match up to [H]

True, the card seems to perform better in HardOCP's review. anyway, the tested games are not the same (same goes for settings), and HardOCP's test was about OCed versions of the card

anyway, it is still better than older tests, maybe because of the drivers... those 158.16 look quite good

 

[Geneticfreak]

I have always found HardOCP quite credible and rightly stated, these are pre overclocked versions of the cards so would increase performance.

I really like the look of these cards. Waiting to see the UK price for them and also waiting to see if AMD/ATI's new cards drive prices down or not.

 

[dpgqb]

you can buy a radeon x1900xt for 209..189 after rebate

that would've been a fairer comparison at the price point

its a nice card for low power requirements, but honestly its a waste of money

 

[Geneticfreak]

Anandtech now have a review up:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2970

 

[Eviltwin17]

holy crap, check out how much the new drivers help performance.

ill re-link

http://www.vtr-hardware.com/articles/a9823_2.html

 

[Phrozt]

Anandtech now have a review up:

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2970

Jeez... all I can see is how far the 8800gts 320 blows all of those cards out of the water....

at a $20 difference, the 8800GTS is well worth the extra money.

 

[TSIMonster]

you can buy a radeon x1900xt for 209..189 after rebate

that would've been a fairer comparison at the price point

its a nice card for low power requirements, but honestly its a waste of money

8600GT XXX are going for $160 on zipzoomfly.com already!!! 8O

 

[pauldh]

Not at all bad for $160. But based on Tom's and Firingsquads reviews, the X1950 pro still looks to be as fast or faster. Not sure what's up with [H] lately.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I now what's up with [H], just look at Kyle's rants in the forums. :roll:

If everyone is using the same launch drivers, there shouldn't be that much difference.

I find it interesting that none of the reviews pit the GF8600GTS against the X1950XT which is selling on NewEgg for that price range. But they all throw in a GF8800GTX as if it's even a consideration for someone buying a GF8600GTS.

I'd love to see [H]'s testing up against the X1950XT card with the greater number of shaders and faster memory, especially since they picked OC'ed versions of the GTS but not even a Turbo version of the X1950Pro.

The cheapest GTS thought is $189.

TSImonster, the GTS XXX is $229 at ZZF, the GT is not in the review;
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321122

 

[pauldh]

I am so pressed for time today but want to read more. ALways seems to happen on launch days.

I do like the comment Kyle and Brent made about everyone else uses canned benchmarks, that's why the difference. Then Someone points out there are no canned timedemo's in Oblvion, yet [H] shows the X1950 pro getting crushed while other reviews show them very close. :lol: