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PCI Express Interface

The Best Gaming Graphics Cards for the Money: November 2007
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Best PCIe Card For Under $100
Radeon X1650 GT
Codename: RV560
Process: 80nm
Pixel Shaders: 24
Vertex Shaders: 6
Texture Units: 8
ROPs: 8
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 400
Memory Speed MHz: 400 (800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 9.0c / SM 3.0

Found as low as $75 online, the X1650 GT is a low-cost gaming darling, with 24 pixel shaders and fast-for-the-price GDDR3 memory. At stock speeds it should be a little faster than the 7800 GS and X1650 PRO, and overclocked it should be on par with the 7600 GT and X1650 XT. This overclockable card is a great base for a budget gaming machine.

The worst thing about this card is that it's priced close to competitors. The 7600 GT can be had for as low as $90 now. Then again, if you're going to spend the extra $15 for a 7600 GT, you should consider spending a further $10 for the 2600 XT. We have to make a recommendation, so the X1650 GT gets the props for its low price and gaming potential.

Best PCIe Card For ~$100: Tie
Radeon HD 2600 XT
Codename: RV630
Process: 65nm
Universal Shaders: 128
Texture Units: 8
ROPs: 4
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 800
Memory Speed MHz: 700 (1400 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The performance of the 2600 XT is very close to that of the GeForce 8600 GT, but the 2600 XT has a performance edge when antialiasing is disabled. Although the GeForce seems to have the edge when antialiasing is turned on, it's not much of a real-world advantage, since neither card can effectively use 4x AA beyond 1024x768.

GeForce 8600 GT
Codename: G84
Process: 80nm
Universal Shaders: 32
Texture Units: 16
ROPs: 8
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 540
Memory Speed MHz: 700 (1400 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The 8600 GT was a terrible buy at $150, but now, as it approaches the $100 price point, it's much more attractive. The 8600 GT will slightly beat the old 7600 GT and X1650 XT in raw performance in the $100 price category. In addition to speed, the 8600 GT has the added bonus of being DirectX 10 compatible, as well as being a good overclocker.

NOTE: Beware of slower DDR2 versions of the 8600 GT! The GDDR3 versions are the recommended cards - DDR2 equipped 8600 GTs will be notably slower. The cheapest GDDR3 versions of the card we could find started at $105 online.