ASUS EAH2600XT/HTDP/256M

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 delivers a remarkable combination of DirectX 10 gaming performance and hardware processed 1080p video. Connect to big-screen TVs with HDMI including built-in 5.1 surround audio to enjoy Blu-ray and HD DVD movies. Unleash the HD visual effects within Windows Vista and DirectX 10. Plug-n-play CrossFire upgradeability makes it easy to scale up graphics performance to boost the most demanding games; and built-in multi-channel 5.1 surround audio over HDMI establishes a new level of entertainment designed for tech savvy gamers.

ASUS EN8600GT/HTDP/256M GeForce 8600GT

Model
Brand ASUS
Model EN8600GT/HTDP/256M
Interface
Interface PCI Express x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU GeForce 8600GT
Core clock 540MHz
Stream Processors 32
Memory
Memory Clock 1400MHz
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0
Ports
DVI 2
TV-Out HDTV Out
VIVO No
General
Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2048 x 1536
SLI Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
Windows Vista Certified for
Features
HDCP Ready Yes
Features Superior Cooling Efficiency - 14°c cooler than reference design boards!
HDCP Compliant
NVIDIA Quantum Technology - Advanced Shader Processors architected for physics computation
Packaging
Package Contents EN8600GT/HTDP/256M
Driver Disk
User Manual
HDTV Cable
DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter
CD Wallet

Review
8600 GT cards is proven to provide nice price/performance ratio. SLI capable and provide adequate gameplay for latest games for a mere $120. The fan looks solidly built yet will not consume many space inside the case.

XFX GeForce 8600GT 256 Mb DDR3 PVT84JUDD3

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Model
Brand XFX
Model PVT84JUDD3
Interface
Interface PCI Express x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU GeForce 8600GT
Core clock 620MHz
Memory
Memory Clock 1600MHz
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0
Ports
DVI 2
TV-Out HDTV Out
VIVO No
General
Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
RoHS Compliant Yes
SLI Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
Features
Features Full Microsoft DirectX 10 Support
NVIDIA Lumenex Engine
Packaging
Package Contents PVT84JUDD3
Driver Disk
User Manual
S-Video Cable
DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter

Review
The reason I make this review is for those of us who would like DirectX 10 capable graphic while short in budget or refuse to pay for an 8800 series card at its current high prices. I understand that these two card are in different classes and that, is the point. If you are considering making this change from a nVidia 7950 to an 8600 GT simply to have DirectX 10 you may want to reconsider. You WILL sacrifice in overall performance. Also keep in mind that your processor and RAM will drastically effect any video card. Most DirectX 10 games coming out in near future will rely more on dual core processor and 2 Gb of RAM for use in high graphics settings. In my opinion, wait until you can afford what you really want/need. But if you come from ultra low end graphic cards and need significant improvement in graphic performance, 8600 GT is the one of the best solution out there.

This card was incredibly easy to install. I downloaded latest drivers from the XFX website (the disc was an older version of drivers), then uninstall old graphic card drivers in add/remove hardware, shut down, pull the old card, add new card, startup, point manually to new drivers. Total Time=15-20 minutess! This card is VERY quiet... even though I came from a passive (no fan) video setup GF7300, the fan on this is SUPER quiet... I can barely hear it. I even had to verify visually if the fan is really even moving, it really quiet! I try Battlefield 2142 with most settings on High which yield 60-70 fps at 1024x768 and at 40-50 FPS at 1280x1024 (using +szx 1280 +szy 1024).

MSI NX8600GT-T2D256E OC

Model
Brand MSI
Model NX8600GT-T2D256E OC
Interface
Interface PCI Express x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU GeForce 8600GT
Core clock 580MHz
Memory
Memory Clock 1600MHz
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0
Ports
DVI 2
TV-Out HDTV / S-Video Out
VIVO No
General
Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
SLI Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
Features
Features NVIDIA CineFX 5.0 Shading Architecture
NVIDIA Intellisample 4.0 Technology
NVIDIA UltraShadow II Technology
NVIDIA PureVideo Technology
Packaging
Package Contents NX8600GT-T2D256E OC
HDTV Cable
S-Video Cable
2 x DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter


Review
I achieved 63 fps average in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast @1440x900, max details with 8xAF and 4xAA and vertical sync ON! At the same time 44 fps reached with 7600GT and 49 fps with 7900GS at the same settings..and water and HDR lighting look much better than nVidia 7000 series. 128-bit memory makes no difference as it outperforms the 7900GS which had 256-bit DDR3

Diamond 9250 256 Mb S9250PCI256SB

Model
Brand DIAMOND
Model S9250PCI256SB
Interface
Interface PCI
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer ATI
GPU Radeon 9250
PixelPipelines 4
Memory
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type DDR
3D API
DirectX DirectX 8
OpenGL OpenGL
Ports
D-SUB 1
DVI 1
TV-Out S-Video Out
VIVO No
General
Tuner None
Max Resolution 2048 x 1536
RoHS Compliant Yes
Cooler With Fan
Operating Systems Supported Windows 2000/XP
Packaging
Package Contents S9250PCI256SB
2 x Driver Disk
S-Video Cable

Review
I bought this for a relative who desperately needed an upgrade from his GeForce MX400 256MB PCI. His motherboard lacked any AGP or PCIe slots, so finding a good PCI card that was also relatively inexpensive was wonderful. He's had it for nearly four months at the time of this review, and it outperforms ATI Radeon 9200 512MB AGP card by a high margin. I would definitely drop the cash to buy another one for any ultra-cheap PC rig.