GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost Redefines Value Under $200
Before we get into pricing and availability, let's have a look at the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost's performance compared to its competition:
Nvidia's GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost matches its principal competition, AMD's Radeon HD 7850. On average, it's even a tiny bit faster in the titles we used for testing. At first blush, then, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost looks like a solid contender against the Pitcairn-based board we've been recommending for months now.
And that was going to be the general theme of our last page...until Nvidia called up to talk pricing. At launch, the 2 GB model is going to cost $170 and enjoy immediate availability. Furthermore, company representatives let us know that there's a 1 GB version coming in early April that'll sell for $150. Mixing things up even more, the GeForce GTX 650 Ti should be getting knocked down to somewhere between $115 and $130 with rebates (Ed.: Rebates. Why'd it have to be rebates?).
With the Radeon HD 7770 at $120, Radeon HD 7790 at $150, and Radeon HD 7850 above $180, Nvidia is rendering all three products ineffectual at their respective price points. With one swift stroke, the company engineered a hostile takeover of the $100-$200 market, increasing graphics performance at any given budget in that space. We're particularly excited about the price/performance of a $150 GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 1 GB. Family-wide reorganizations like this remind us of the days when fierce competition took the GeForce 8800 GT under $200.
Of course, we may be getting ahead of ourselves. We want to be sure Nvidia's prices will stick, and that availability is immediate as the company claims. Moreover, we've seen AMD react with its own price drops in the past (though it'd hard to imagine a cut on something like the 7790 before it even starts shipping). With all of that said, should Nvidia deliver on its promises, we have a feeling you're going to see some big changes in next month's Best Graphics Cards For The Money column. Budget-oriented gamers, get ready for some deals!