Need opinions/facts on video card comparisions

Yes, you would see a difference but it won't be a BIG JUMP, The 8600GT is a old card and is not meant for gaming. What you have to look for is a Low Profile Card if regular size cards do not fit your case.

IT`ll be a useful jump, just do n`t expect to play high end games at anything other than low settings and low resoloutions though.
FYI the Egg has quite a few low-profile cards on its inventory including a 9600GT and a 9800! Of course you`ll need to upgrade the PSU for them, just thought I`d mention it;)

thanks for the replies everyone. i did see the 9800gt on newegg but like i said i'm on a $50 budget.lol i pretty much figured the 8600gt is about as good as it gets for $50. unless anyone knows of a better card?

Yes there is a better low profile card with similar power consumption, the low profile DDR3 HD 4650. It doesnt need the power adapter as any more powerful card (except 4670 which isnt low profile yet), and only consumes 55w vs the 47w of the 8600 GT.

Now I cant find if the 8600GT you referenced is DDR2 or DDR3 (i couldnt even find it on aopen's site), but the 4650 comes in both flavors.

You can get a DDR3 4650 for $80, which outperforms a DDR3 8600GT, and a DDR2 4650 for $50, which im not sure if it beats a DDR3 8600GT but definately beats a DDR2 8600GT.

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Apollo Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Note: I am referencing Toms Chart for performance references
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-radeon,...

Now considering your 8600GT is only listed at $37, im not sure if the $80 price tag is worth it for a DDR3 4650. If anyone can find reviews on the DDR2 4650 vs 8600GT you may be able to justify the extra $13.

Wish I would have known about that one before.   There's no going back now. The cards already been paid for and it's on its way to my house as I write this. Maybe when I get it I'll just take it along with my x1350 pro and sell them on craigslist, then buy the sapphire :]. Then again maybe the 8600gt will make me happy. I usually don't run resolutions higher than 1024x768. The games I usually play are like... Half Life 2, Oblivion, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., FEAR, Far Cry 2, etc. So maybe it'll be sufficient? Right now I'm getting 7-10fps outside with oblivion on high settings. I saw a video on youtube where someone had it on very high, lag free. If I can get it to do that I'll be happy. :]

I did some researching and I found some reviews on both the DDR2 and DDR3 versions of the 4650.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_4650_iSilence...
This review compares a DDR2 4650 to a DDR3 9500GT which is a rebadged 8600GT. Usually the 9500GT outperforms it.

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=671&pa...
This review compares a DDR3 4650 to a DDR3 9500GT, again a rebadged 8600GT. In every game except Crysis, in which neither are playable, the 4650 gets about an extra 20-30fps.

Considering the DDR3 4650 costs double the 8600GT you may be better off, especially since you originally said you didnt want to spend over $50 and if your $38 8600GT is DDR3 it'll outperform the $50 DDR2 4650. It seems Ive almost countered my orginal post  

If that 8600GT is DDR3, you found a REALLY good deal because I actually have the same card in my wifes Dell Vostro and the cheapest I could find was $70 on amazon, which makes me nervous of yours. I havnt tried Oblivion on her pc, but I think with your specs a DDR3 8600GT would play Oblivion nicely at that resolution.

Wow im tired of typing DDR.

Hmm.. well I only assumed it was gddr3. They have this one (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=8600GT-256P-PB&...) and its gddr3 for the same price basically but its not low profile. :[ If it is the gddr2 I guess I'm just screwed. I should atleast be better off than what I'm with now anyways. When I get it I'll let you know what it is and how it performs. Thanks for your help

^ get yourself a DDR3 4670 for around $70, or even better a 4830 for around $80-$90

^^ He needs low profile and there isnt a 4670 or 4830 low profile in existance (unfortunately, Id love a 4670). There are low 9600GTs and 9800GTs but his power supply cant handle it.

^ Oh, I see....crap.

From another thread... Galaxy released a Low-Pro Low-Power 9600GT. LINK

However, I cannot find it for sale anywhere, and I have checked at least 15 different websites by now...

yea I found it here -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

but they want an arm and a leg for it. 129.99 is 2.5x's over my pathetic budget.  
maybe when I see the prices go down or I don't have as many bills...

Sparkle has their version of it too, but its still 84.99. Not a bad price really.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

And here's their 9800gt version going for 114.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Those are NOT the low-profile low-power versions. The LP-LP version has a core running at 600MHz, not 650Mhz. Look at the link in my previous post and it's specs. Also, take a look at the card. Do you see a 6-pin power connection at the end of it past the RAM heatsinks? Nope. Not a one...

This is why I am saying, I cannot find the Low-Pro Low-Power version, anywhere.

Yeah Ive had my eye on that since it first showed up in March.

http://vr-zone.com/articles/galaxy-has-a-low-profile-lo...

http://vr-zone.com/articles/nvidia-to-roll-out-cheaper-...

Only 59 watts! Thats pretty close to the 4650's 51w but its so more powerful. Its even lower than the 4670. I havnt even seen a full size low power 9600 GT, let alone a low profile.

jtsanda, i have used like 10 different search engines getting the same verbatum info about your 8600GT, 188-03N19-00CEV. None of them say what type of memory, just 256mb. Its driving me nuts  

LOL. Look what else Galaxy has... Low Power 9800GT

Back to main question... I'd go with a 9600GT or 4650 low-pro, all depending upon how much power your system can supply. That or wait for the 47XX cards next month and see if ATI makes a low-pro version of it.

yea.. the newegg cards i was looking at where the closest thing i could find to what you where talking about. i seen a few reviews on there that said they run good on crappy power supplies, but i looked at the requirements of the galaxy you posted and it says 350wtts, 26a. I have 300wtts with 18a. weeeee totally garbage. I think i'm going to save up and buy a new moboard, case, and psu. that way i won't be so limited to the junk i have now. does anyone know of any good motherboards that support crossfire/sli and is cheap???




hah.. yea now you know how i feel. the only way to find out is wait till it gets here. when that happens i'll be sure to let everyone know how bad it sucks.lol