Best PCI-E Card For ~$120: Tie
| Radeon X1950 PRO | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV570 |
| Process: | 90nm |
| Pixel Shaders: | 36 |
| Vertex Shaders: | 8 |
| Texture Units: | 12 |
| ROPs: | 12 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 575 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 690 (1380 effective) |
| DirectX / Shader Model | DX 9.0c / SM 3.0 |
The X1950 PRO is still holding on as a great $120 gaming card. The card's main competition in this price range is the 8600 GTS, which doesn't have the brute strength the X1950 PRO offers, but has a more advanced architecture that sports advantages in specific gaming situations.
| GeForce 8600 GTS | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | G84 |
| Process: | 80nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 32 |
| Texture Units: | 16 |
| ROPs: | 8 |
| Memory Bus: | 128-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 675 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1000 (2000 effective) |
| DirectX / Shader Model | DX 10 / SM 4.0 |
On release, the 8600 GTS was grossly overpriced compared to the X1950 PRO, but now with both as low $120, the 8600 GTS looks much more attractive. While the X1950 PRO has better raw specifications than the X1950 - especially its 256 bit memory interface - the 8600 GTS has strong shaders that can perform very well in certain titles. If you're buying a card at this price point, it's worth looking at the benchmarks to see which performs better with your favorite games.
Best PCI-E Card For ~$170
| Radeon 3850 256 MB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV670 |
| Process: | 55nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 320 |
| Texture Units: | 16 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 670 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 833 (1666 effective) |
| DirectX / Shader Model | DX 10.1 / SM 4.0 |
The Radeon 3850 brings us something we've been begging for ever since the DirectX 10 cards were introduced: a sub-$200 card with performance comparable to the high-end products. The Radeon 3850 delivers Geforce 8800 GTS 320mb performance for $100+ less.
If you're looking to get the best possible performance for the dollar, this card hits the sweet spot.
