INTRODUCTION
O.K, now as a dealer, and as a TE member for the past one year, I had received lots of queries for graphic card purchases in a specified budget. Now these can be sometimes downright easy, or stupidly hard to decide. So I decided to write a guide and split the best graphic cards according to their price segments. So let’s get down right to it. By the way, this guide is for current cards available in the market only. Any future or obsolete products are not taken into consideration here.
Index
1. Introduction
2. Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 5000 Segment
3. Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment
4. The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment
5. The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment
6. The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment
7. Summary and The End
[BREAK=Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 4000 Segment]
Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 5000 Segment
Now this segment is for those people who either game very less , or do not want to spend much on gaming systems, and even the bare minimum cards would do. Here, the contenders are
-GeForce 7300GT 512 MB DDR2 – Rs 3000-3500
-GeForce 8400GS 256 MB DDR2 – Rs 2600-2800
-GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR2 – Rs 3500-3800
-GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR3 – Rs 3800-4100
-Radeon X1550PRO 512MB DDR2 – Rs 3800-4000
-HD 2400XT 256MB DDR2 - Rs 3800-4200
Now, of these, the fastest of the lot is the 8500GT DDR3 .Also, it features DX10 support, which I doubt anyone would be using on this card. But still, it is priced nearly at around Rs 4000. So if you can go with the 4000 expenditure, the 8500GT would be a nice choice. But of these cards, the winner in my books is a 7300GT, because of its decent performance, and really low pricing. Over that, you are just paying the premium for that tad extra features and performance .The ATi X1550PRO , though better in performance than the 7300GT, is highly overpriced, as usual . A person willing to spend that much may as well go with the 8500GT DDR3 version. The 8400GS , is not worth even looking at. The performance and price point makes this card not a big seller. The 2400XT , again highly overpriced, performs even lower than the 7300GT . The only point in this card worth mentioning is that it is a DX10 card , which I think is no more of a selling point.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 7300GT 512 MB DDR2
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR3
[BREAK=Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment]
Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment
This is the segment where the most of the sales take place . Now here again, I will split it up into two sub-categories, the 5000-7000 group, and the 7000-10000 group. The cards :
-GeForce 8600GT 256Mb DDR3 – Rs 5400-6000
-GeForce 7600GT 256MB DDR3 – Rs 5000-5400
-GeForce 8600GT 512MB DDR2 – Rs 5000-5500
-GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 Factory OC models – Rs 5700-6500
-HD 2600XT 256MB DDR3 – Rs 6400-6800
These were the upto Rs 7000 cards. Let’s see the next tier .
-GeForce 8600GTS 256MB DDR3 – Rs 8000-8500
-ATi Radeon X1950PRO 512MB DDR3 card – Rs 9000-9500
-ATi HD3850 256MB DDR3 TME (GeCube) - Rs 10000
-GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 ( POV , MSI OC ) - Rs 10000-10500
O.K, the first one is easy. The 8600GT Stock card is a good mainstream card, with pretty decent performance, and VFM. This I am talking about the 256MB DDR3 card. The 512MB DDr2 version , as opposed to some popular misconception , is lower in performance , and is advised to only those who are really really tight on the budget. The 7600GT , though much similar in performance , is lacking in the DX10 capabilities, which though not of much importance in this sect of cards , is a good addition. The factory OCed models are for those who are willing to shell out a bit extra for that increase in performance. Of these , the most recommended card is the Galaxy 8600GT OC , but only if you can get your hands on the CoolerMaster Fan version which is rare. The POV EXO and the XFX XXX editions are good, but priced a tad high. Still they are up for the challenge. Now the ATi HD 2600XT . Again , priced higher , but here it still manages to hold its own against the 8600GT, where it compensates for being slower in gaming , by adding better HD and video Decode performance.
Now the second tier. The near 10000 bucks sector. This is a really confusing segment, where you had extra bucks over the 8600GT, while falling short for the 8800GT . Now , there has been a major addition to the tier , the first card of the nVidia GeForce 9 series line-up , the GeForce 9600GT. The card is brilliant in performance , around 1.8-2 times nearly better than the 8600GT , plus comes with a 512MB DDR3 memory , eliminating this deficit from teh 8600 series. But this card, just lags behind the 8800GT , which is now around 12.5k to 13k . This again is a difficult decision to make, whether to go with the 9600GT , or else the 8800GT by spending a few thousand bucks extra. I would say the 9600GT would be a better choice for most guys , as the performance difference isnt too huge, and there are no additional features also. The OC editions from MSI again win hands down , as they are priced superbly , and are great in performace. But the eVGA cards, priced nearly similarly offer a much better VFM as they come with 10 Years warranty, and the unique step-up program. The card destroys the stand earlier held by the HD3850 , and unless ATi do some damage control, this sector will again be held by nVidia.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 OC(Galaxy with CM HS/F) and MSI/eVGA 9600GT OC editions
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 and the HD3850 256MB DDR3
[BREAK=The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment]
The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment
Now on to the more expensive but better performance segment. Here , the recent nVidia releases have made our choices easy. So let’s get it done with. The cards :
-GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 – Rs 12500-13000
-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB DDR3 – Rs 14500-16000
-HD 2900PRO/XT 512MB DDR3 – Rs 15000-19000
-HD 3850 512MB DDR3 –Rs 11000-12000
-HD 3870 512MB DDR4 – Rs 13000-13500
-GeForce 7800 and 7900 series – Rs 10000-16000
Now ,everyone knows the winner here. But lemme go stepwise. Now here , the highest performer is the 8800GT , which clearly has destroyed the ATi market with its unbelievable price point, and superb performance. But along with that , it has pushed the soon going to be obsolete 8800GTS 320MB and 640MB(next tier) cards into their graves. The ATi cards, the 3850 and 3870 , have good performances , but lack as usual in the tags they come with. Both of them have been priced nearly equal or above the 8800GT , while giving lower performance. The HD 2900 series, was a highly hyped series, but could not meet the expectations, so is now very rarely found .The 7 series cards, though were good sellers in their time, have now been pushed away by the new generation. Now as far as the 8800GT is concerned, the best cards are the factory OC versions , like the 8800GT XXX from XFX , and the OC edition from MSI. Since MSI is priced comparatively lower than the XXX , it’s a must buy. For people on a budget , the XFX stock ,along with the other brands , like gigabyte , galaxy and POV are enough and worth it. Now with teh addition of the eVGA cards into the market , the ball is in their court , as along with umatched performance, they have their superb step-up and 10 years warranty programme.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
RUNNERS-UP : None
[BREAK=The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment]
The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment
Well , this is for the rich boys ( & girls too
) . Here the cards are
-GeForce 8800GTS 640MB DDR3 – Rs 21000-22000
-GeForce 8800GTS(G92) 512MB DDR3 – Rs 18500-19000
-GeForce 8800GTX 768MB DDR3 – Rs 28000-30000
Now , here the newer GTS 512 destroys both the GTS 640 , as well as the GTX . The price point is also significantly lower. But still, the winner still is the all supreme 8800GT 512MB , though from the previous tier. The GTS is just a refurbished GT , with a dual-slot cooler. It’s for those who are ready to pay the premium for the extra performance . But the VFM is lower than the 8800GT . The GTX , at the highest point here, is behind in the race, because it is expensive, and at that price, one can get two 8800GT’s , and maybe squeeze in a GB or two of RAM.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (MSI or XFX)
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB DDR3
[BREAK=The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment]
The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment
Alritiyo……..this is for those TATAs and Ambani’s . Here we have only one major card
-GeForce 8800ULTRA 768MB DDR3 – Rs 33000-38000
There are a few OCed versions of the 8800GTX 768, but dunno if they are worth mentioning. Now the 8800ULTRA is surely on top , but still since it is so expensive, it becomes one of the lowest VFM cards . Here you can get 2 8800GT 512s, add a few GBs of RAMs, and then have a party at night too. Even the 8800GTS G92 matches up to the ULTRA in most benchmarks, crossing it in some. So that’s also worth a thought.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (MSI or XFX)
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB DDR3
[BREAK=Summary and The End]
Summary and The End
Well , we are at the end of the guide. I have been writing this for the past 3 days , getting interrupted in between a lot, but now it’s done. Mind you , this guide is not perfect , and I might have made mistakes which I would be thankful if you guys pointed out. I have mentioned only the mostly available cards, and only the PCI-E sector.
So to summarize, let’s see the winners of the individual tiers
Upto 5000 – GeForce 7300GT 512MB DDR3
5000-10000 – GeForce [FONT="]8600GT 256MB DDR3 OC (Galaxy with CM HS/F) and GeForce 9600GT OC (eVGA/MSI)[/FONT]
10000-20000 – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
20000-30000 – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
30000 and above – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
As you can see, the 8800GT rules in 3 of the 5 tiers, and that makes the card a must buy. nVidia has released an ACE , which has made ATi , as well as parts of its own pack Fold .
Also , overall , ATi is nowhere to be seen. Except the small stint by the X1950PRO , you wont find any other ATi card in the winners circle. So DAAMIT , or ATi or AMD , whatever , its time to get down to the drawing board, and start making things work. Or else, soon , you'll be calling your bankruptcy lawyers.
Awaiting replies from you guys.
Cheers
O.K, now as a dealer, and as a TE member for the past one year, I had received lots of queries for graphic card purchases in a specified budget. Now these can be sometimes downright easy, or stupidly hard to decide. So I decided to write a guide and split the best graphic cards according to their price segments. So let’s get down right to it. By the way, this guide is for current cards available in the market only. Any future or obsolete products are not taken into consideration here.
Index
1. Introduction
2. Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 5000 Segment
3. Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment
4. The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment
5. The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment
6. The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment
7. Summary and The End
[BREAK=Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 4000 Segment]
Low-End Cards - The up to Rs 5000 Segment
Now this segment is for those people who either game very less , or do not want to spend much on gaming systems, and even the bare minimum cards would do. Here, the contenders are
-GeForce 7300GT 512 MB DDR2 – Rs 3000-3500
-GeForce 8400GS 256 MB DDR2 – Rs 2600-2800
-GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR2 – Rs 3500-3800
-GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR3 – Rs 3800-4100
-Radeon X1550PRO 512MB DDR2 – Rs 3800-4000
-HD 2400XT 256MB DDR2 - Rs 3800-4200
Now, of these, the fastest of the lot is the 8500GT DDR3 .Also, it features DX10 support, which I doubt anyone would be using on this card. But still, it is priced nearly at around Rs 4000. So if you can go with the 4000 expenditure, the 8500GT would be a nice choice. But of these cards, the winner in my books is a 7300GT, because of its decent performance, and really low pricing. Over that, you are just paying the premium for that tad extra features and performance .The ATi X1550PRO , though better in performance than the 7300GT, is highly overpriced, as usual . A person willing to spend that much may as well go with the 8500GT DDR3 version. The 8400GS , is not worth even looking at. The performance and price point makes this card not a big seller. The 2400XT , again highly overpriced, performs even lower than the 7300GT . The only point in this card worth mentioning is that it is a DX10 card , which I think is no more of a selling point.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 7300GT 512 MB DDR2
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8500GT 256 MB DDR3
[BREAK=Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment]
Mid-Range Budget Cards - The Rs 5,000-10,000 Segment
This is the segment where the most of the sales take place . Now here again, I will split it up into two sub-categories, the 5000-7000 group, and the 7000-10000 group. The cards :
-GeForce 8600GT 256Mb DDR3 – Rs 5400-6000
-GeForce 7600GT 256MB DDR3 – Rs 5000-5400
-GeForce 8600GT 512MB DDR2 – Rs 5000-5500
-GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 Factory OC models – Rs 5700-6500
-HD 2600XT 256MB DDR3 – Rs 6400-6800
These were the upto Rs 7000 cards. Let’s see the next tier .
-GeForce 8600GTS 256MB DDR3 – Rs 8000-8500
-ATi Radeon X1950PRO 512MB DDR3 card – Rs 9000-9500
-ATi HD3850 256MB DDR3 TME (GeCube) - Rs 10000
-GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 ( POV , MSI OC ) - Rs 10000-10500
O.K, the first one is easy. The 8600GT Stock card is a good mainstream card, with pretty decent performance, and VFM. This I am talking about the 256MB DDR3 card. The 512MB DDr2 version , as opposed to some popular misconception , is lower in performance , and is advised to only those who are really really tight on the budget. The 7600GT , though much similar in performance , is lacking in the DX10 capabilities, which though not of much importance in this sect of cards , is a good addition. The factory OCed models are for those who are willing to shell out a bit extra for that increase in performance. Of these , the most recommended card is the Galaxy 8600GT OC , but only if you can get your hands on the CoolerMaster Fan version which is rare. The POV EXO and the XFX XXX editions are good, but priced a tad high. Still they are up for the challenge. Now the ATi HD 2600XT . Again , priced higher , but here it still manages to hold its own against the 8600GT, where it compensates for being slower in gaming , by adding better HD and video Decode performance.
Now the second tier. The near 10000 bucks sector. This is a really confusing segment, where you had extra bucks over the 8600GT, while falling short for the 8800GT . Now , there has been a major addition to the tier , the first card of the nVidia GeForce 9 series line-up , the GeForce 9600GT. The card is brilliant in performance , around 1.8-2 times nearly better than the 8600GT , plus comes with a 512MB DDR3 memory , eliminating this deficit from teh 8600 series. But this card, just lags behind the 8800GT , which is now around 12.5k to 13k . This again is a difficult decision to make, whether to go with the 9600GT , or else the 8800GT by spending a few thousand bucks extra. I would say the 9600GT would be a better choice for most guys , as the performance difference isnt too huge, and there are no additional features also. The OC editions from MSI again win hands down , as they are priced superbly , and are great in performace. But the eVGA cards, priced nearly similarly offer a much better VFM as they come with 10 Years warranty, and the unique step-up program. The card destroys the stand earlier held by the HD3850 , and unless ATi do some damage control, this sector will again be held by nVidia.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 OC(Galaxy with CM HS/F) and MSI/eVGA 9600GT OC editions
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8600GT 256MB DDR3 and the HD3850 256MB DDR3
[BREAK=The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment]
The Mid-Range Performance Cards - The Rs 11,000-20,000 Segment
Now on to the more expensive but better performance segment. Here , the recent nVidia releases have made our choices easy. So let’s get it done with. The cards :
-GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 – Rs 12500-13000
-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB DDR3 – Rs 14500-16000
-HD 2900PRO/XT 512MB DDR3 – Rs 15000-19000
-HD 3850 512MB DDR3 –Rs 11000-12000
-HD 3870 512MB DDR4 – Rs 13000-13500
-GeForce 7800 and 7900 series – Rs 10000-16000
Now ,everyone knows the winner here. But lemme go stepwise. Now here , the highest performer is the 8800GT , which clearly has destroyed the ATi market with its unbelievable price point, and superb performance. But along with that , it has pushed the soon going to be obsolete 8800GTS 320MB and 640MB(next tier) cards into their graves. The ATi cards, the 3850 and 3870 , have good performances , but lack as usual in the tags they come with. Both of them have been priced nearly equal or above the 8800GT , while giving lower performance. The HD 2900 series, was a highly hyped series, but could not meet the expectations, so is now very rarely found .The 7 series cards, though were good sellers in their time, have now been pushed away by the new generation. Now as far as the 8800GT is concerned, the best cards are the factory OC versions , like the 8800GT XXX from XFX , and the OC edition from MSI. Since MSI is priced comparatively lower than the XXX , it’s a must buy. For people on a budget , the XFX stock ,along with the other brands , like gigabyte , galaxy and POV are enough and worth it. Now with teh addition of the eVGA cards into the market , the ball is in their court , as along with umatched performance, they have their superb step-up and 10 years warranty programme.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
RUNNERS-UP : None
[BREAK=The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment]
The High-End Segment - The Rs 20,000-30,000 Segment
Well , this is for the rich boys ( & girls too
) . Here the cards are-GeForce 8800GTS 640MB DDR3 – Rs 21000-22000
-GeForce 8800GTS(G92) 512MB DDR3 – Rs 18500-19000
-GeForce 8800GTX 768MB DDR3 – Rs 28000-30000
Now , here the newer GTS 512 destroys both the GTS 640 , as well as the GTX . The price point is also significantly lower. But still, the winner still is the all supreme 8800GT 512MB , though from the previous tier. The GTS is just a refurbished GT , with a dual-slot cooler. It’s for those who are ready to pay the premium for the extra performance . But the VFM is lower than the 8800GT . The GTX , at the highest point here, is behind in the race, because it is expensive, and at that price, one can get two 8800GT’s , and maybe squeeze in a GB or two of RAM.
CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (MSI or XFX)
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB DDR3
[BREAK=The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment]
The Extremely High- End Segment - The Rs 30,000 and above segment
Alritiyo……..this is for those TATAs and Ambani’s . Here we have only one major card
-GeForce 8800ULTRA 768MB DDR3 – Rs 33000-38000
There are a few OCed versions of the 8800GTX 768, but dunno if they are worth mentioning. Now the 8800ULTRA is surely on top , but still since it is so expensive, it becomes one of the lowest VFM cards . Here you can get 2 8800GT 512s, add a few GBs of RAMs, and then have a party at night too
. Even the 8800GTS G92 matches up to the ULTRA in most benchmarks, crossing it in some. So that’s also worth a thought.CONCLUSION :
WINNER : GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (MSI or XFX)
RUNNERS-UP : GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB DDR3
[BREAK=Summary and The End]
Summary and The End
Well , we are at the end of the guide. I have been writing this for the past 3 days , getting interrupted in between a lot, but now it’s done. Mind you , this guide is not perfect , and I might have made mistakes which I would be thankful if you guys pointed out. I have mentioned only the mostly available cards, and only the PCI-E sector.
So to summarize, let’s see the winners of the individual tiers
Upto 5000 – GeForce 7300GT 512MB DDR3
5000-10000 – GeForce [FONT="]8600GT 256MB DDR3 OC (Galaxy with CM HS/F) and GeForce 9600GT OC (eVGA/MSI)[/FONT]
10000-20000 – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
20000-30000 – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
30000 and above – GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 OC (eVGA)
As you can see, the 8800GT rules in 3 of the 5 tiers, and that makes the card a must buy. nVidia has released an ACE , which has made ATi , as well as parts of its own pack Fold .
Also , overall , ATi is nowhere to be seen. Except the small stint by the X1950PRO , you wont find any other ATi card in the winners circle. So DAAMIT , or ATi or AMD , whatever , its time to get down to the drawing board, and start making things work. Or else, soon , you'll be calling your bankruptcy lawyers.
Awaiting replies from you guys.
Cheers
