There are a remarkable variety of graphics cards on the market aimed at gamers. While the very latest technology is always expensive, there are also solutions for those who don't have hundreds of dollars to spend. These video cards were selected because they are good values in their class, and they are ordered roughly from fastest (most expensive) to slowest (most affordable). I can't include every quality card, but I do update the list when I can, so your suggestions are welcome.
Similar in many ways to the GeForce 8800 GTS, the 9800 GTX is near the top-end of the GeForce 9 series from Nvidia. The 9800 GTX typically comes with 512 MB of memory, and it's the fastest single GPU solution available in the $300 price range. The 9800 GX2, which has 2 GPUs on board, is even more powerful, but given the price it's difficult to recommend over other SLI configurations. The 9800 GTX isn't a dramatic leap ahead of GeForce 8800 cards, but its competitive pricing has made it very attractive. Note that these cards can be almost 27 cm long, so it could be difficult, if not impossible, to squeeze them into some computer cases.
Despite having one less letter after its name, the GeForce 8800 GT was the last card released in the 8800 series. Nvidia made several improvements to the chipset with this edition. It consumes less power than other 8800 chips and it also included integrated HD video decoding. The 8800 GT performs better than the 8800 GTS on some benchmarks, and it almost catches the much more costly 8800 GTX, making it more appealing than both the GTS and the GTX. The 8800 GT offers high-end performance at a reasonable price, making it one of the most popular cards on the market right now.
The first GeForce 9 cards arrived in February 2008, beginning with the 9600 GT, which is aimed at the mid-range market. Although it has only half as many stream processors as the 8800 GT, it is a powerful chipset for the money, and it's putting downward pressure on video card prices across the board. These cards typically have 512 MB of memory and a core clock speed of 650 MHz, but there are overclocked versions available. At less than $200, they're also a solid option for people considering an SLI setup.
ATI cards are starting to look a lot more attractive again with the release of the HD 3800 series, their latest round of DX10 video cards. The HD 3870 has a core clock speed of 775 MHz and comes with 512 MB of DDR4 memory. Using a 55 nm process has allowed them to produce a chip with performance that rivals their former champ, the HD 2900 XT, at a far lower cost. Although the Radeon HD 3870 sells for about the same price as a GeForce 8800 GT, is a bit slower, but it's still a good gaming card that won't cost you a fortune.
Very similar to the HD 3870, the HD 3850 is clocked a little slower than its sibling, and it now comes with either 256 MB or 512 MB of memory. It's a respectable performer, falling only a few frames per second behind the GeForce 8800 GTS on some benchmarks. Recent price drops have made it a great deal for a mid-range GPU, and probably the best value of all ATI-based gaming cards at the moment.
The GeForce 8800 GTS is a toned-down version of the 8800 GTX. They run at slightly slower clock speeds, have a few less shader units, and are available with several different memory configurations. These cards offer solid game performance, but simply put, the 512 MB 8800 GT is a better buy right now unless you come across a GTS that's significantly reduced in price.
The GeForce 8600 is a mid-range chipset with DirectX 10 compatibility, so far available in GT and GTS flavors. The GTS has the higher clock speeds of the two. They use a 128-bit memory interface, which is a bit disappointing given that many previous-generation cards have 256-bit memory. Nevertheless, their performance in DX9 is respectable, even if they can't quite catch some of the DX9 cards in this price range. If you want the option to move to DX10 in the near future and don't have much money to spend, the 8600 GTS is worth a look.
A step down from the X1950 XT, the X1950 Pro is clocked slower and has fewer pixel shader units, but it will handle most games currently available with ease. These cards usually come with 256 MB of GDDR3, rather than the 512 MB of GDDR4 on XTX models. Although the X1950 is a DX9 chipset, it still performs well next to some of the DX10 cards on the market. It hasn't come down in price quite as much as the competition, and it will likely get hard to find these cards soon.
There are 256 MB and 512 MB versions of the Radeon HD 2600 XT, and you may want to look for one that uses GDDR4 memory rather than GDDR3. The performance is on par with GeForce 8600s using the latest drivers, and most of these cards need only a single-slot with no additional power connector. Like all Radeon HD cards, it features hardware processed High Definition Blu-ray and HD DVD video.
Now within the reach of "budget" game systems, the GeForce 8600 GT aims to make DX10 cards mainstream. As usual, the primary difference between the GT and GTS models is that the GT runs at slower clock speeds. While a Radeon X1950 Pro will outperform them in most DX9 games, these are still decent cards for the money. They overclock quite nicely and they've gotten remarkably affordable in recent months.
The GeForce 8500 GT is one of a number of good budget cards on the market at the moment. Their performance in DX9 games isn't much better than some GeForce 6 cards, but they sell for well under $100. While you obviously can't expect to run the latest games at the highest settings for that price, it will get you into the action, and you get DX10 support as well.
Another card that will appeal to gamers with limited funds to spend is the Radeon HD 2600 Pro. It's slower than the 2600 XT, but you're getting a DX10 compatible card for less than $100, although it's anyone's guess how it will run DX10 games when there are a significant number of them to choose from. I'd look for one with GDDR3 memory rather than GDDR2. If you use your computer as a media center, it's not hard to find these cards with silent cooling solutions.
| 