
For this latest graphics card buyer's guide, we reviewed 27 cards using either ATI Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce chips. Of those, two are designed for the AGP interface, while the rest use the PCI Express (PCIe) bus. To be eligible for inclusion in our buyer's guide, the candidates must reach our lab in their retail packages. This means that we expect the final hardware version of the card in its final shipping box, with the software bundle and all necessary cables.
Products based on ATI's graphics chips were painfully underrepresented in our last buyer's guide, which was due in large part to their very limited availability. Luckily, this situation has improved; there is arguably even an oversupply of ATI-based graphics cards available in stores. The large number of ATI-based test samples present in this guide is mainly a result of the fact that HIS and Sapphire have just filled out their product lines in the last few weeks. Both companies now carry the full gamut of ATI products, from the X1300 to the X190 XTX.
Our special thanks go out to Powercolor and GeCube for sending us fast X1900 XTX samples, as well as newer boards such as the Radeon X1300 Hypermemory 2 and the X1800 GTO. The Radeon X1800 may no longer be the top of the line, but cards using this chip are still available from all vendors in several variations. Although ATI is officially replacing the X1800 with the newer X1900, there is a new update option available in the form of the X1800 GTO. Price-wise, the X1800 fills the space between the X1600 in the lower middle class, and the high-end X1900s.
- Introduction
- Introduction, Continued
- A Detailed Look At The Candidates
- EVGA GeForce 7800 GS AGP - Tools And Software
- EVGA GeForce 7800 GS AGP - Web Support
- EVGA GeForce7800 GS AGP - Overclocking And Heat
- Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro AGP
- Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro AGP - Accessories
- Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro AGP - Tools And Software
- Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro AGP - Web Support
- Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX
- Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX - Accessories
- Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX - Tools And Software
- Tools Und Software, Continued
- Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX - Web Support
- Gainward Golden Sample BLISS 6800 GS PCX - Overclocking And Heat
- Gecube Radeon X1900 XTX
- Gecube Radeon X1900 XTX - Accessories
- Gecube Radeon X1900 XTX - Tools And Software
- Gecube Radeon X1900 XTX - Web Support
- HIS Radeon X1600 XT ITurbo IceQ
- HIS Radeon X1600 XT ITurbo IceQ - Accessories
- HIS Radeon X1600 XT ITurbo IceQ - Tools And Software
- Tools And Software, Continued
- HIS Radeon X1600 XT ITurbo IceQ - Web Support
- HIS Radeon X1600 XT ITurbo IceQ - Overclocking And Heat
- HIS Radeon X1800 XT ITurbo
- HIS Radeon X1800 XT ITurbo - Accessories
- HIS Radeon X1800 XT ITurbo - Tools And Software
- Tools And Software, Continued
- HIS Radeon X1800 XT ITurbo - Web Support
- HIS Radeon X1800 XT ITurbo -Overclocking And Heat
- Powercolor Radeon X1900 XTX
- Powercolor Radeon X1900 XTX - Accessories
- Powercolor Radeon X1900 XTX - Tools And Software
- Powercolor Radeon X1900 XTX - Overclocking And Heat
- Sapphire Radeon X1300
- Sapphire Radeon X1300 -Accessories
- Sapphire Radeon X1300 - Tools And Software
- Sapphire Radeon X1300 - Web Support
- Test Setup
- Benchmark Results
- Age Of Empires 3, Continued
- Black & White 2
- Black & White 2, Continued
- Call Of Duty 2
- Call Of Duty 2, Continued
- F.E.A.R
- F.E.A.R., Continued
- Quake 4
- Quake 4, Continued
- Serious Sam 2
- Serious Sam 2, Continued
- 3DMark06
- 3DMark06, Continued
- 3DMark06, Continued
- 3DMark06, Continued
- Power Consumption
- Conclusions
- Feature Table