The Graphics Chips Compared
by
Tino Kreiss
| Company and Chip | Code Name | Memory | HDR-R | Vertexshader/Pixelshader | GPU Frequency | Memory Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Geforce 8800 GTS | G80 | 320 MB GDDR3 | yes | 4.0 | 500 MHz | 1600 MHz |
| MSI Geforce 8600 GTS | G84 | 256 MB GDDR3 | yes | 4.0 | 675 MHz | 2016 MHz |
| Colorful Geforce 8600 GT | G84 | 256 MB GDDR3 | yes | 4.0 | 580 MHz | 1600 MHz |
| MSI Geforce 8500 GT | G86 | 512 MB DRR2 | yes | 4.0 | 459 MHz | 800 MHz |
| MSI Geforce 8400 GS TC | G86 | 256/512 MB DDR2 | yes | 4.0 | 459 MHz | 800 MHz |
| Company and Chip | Code Name | Memory | HDR-R | Vertexshader/Pixelshader | GPU Frequency | Memory Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radeon HD2600 XT | RV630 | 512 MB GDDR3 | yes | 4.0 | 800 MHz | 1400 MHz |
| Radeon HD2600 XT | RV630 | 256 MB GDDR4 | yes | 4.0 | 800 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| MSI Radeon HD2600 Pro | RV630 | 256 MB DDR3 | yes | 4.0 | 600 MHz | 1400 MHz |
| HIS Radeon HD2600 Pro IceQ | RV630 | 512 MB DDR2 | yes | 4.0 | 650 MHz | 1050 MHz |
| Radeon HD2400 XT HM | RV610 | 128/512 MB DDR2 | yes | 4.0 | 700 MHz | 800 MHz |
| MSI Radeon HD2400 Pro HM | RV610 | 256/512 MB DDR2 | yes | 4.0 | 525 MHz | 800 MHz |
| HIS Radeon HD2400 Pro HM | RV610 | 256/512 MB DDR2 | yes | 4.0 | 525 MHz | 800 MHz |
HDR-R=High Dynamic Range Rendering
SM=Shader Model
Memory Frequency=physical frequency is half of DDR
TC=Turbo Cache
HM=Hyper Memory
Test Setup
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, 2.93 GHz |
| FSB | 1066 MHz |
| Motherboard | Intel D975XBX2 |
| Chipset | Intel 975X |
| Memory | 2x1 GByte, Vitesta DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 533 MHz |
| Hard Drive | Hitachi 2 x 120 GByte S-ATA, 8 MByte cache |
| DVD | Gigabyte GO-D1600C |
| LAN | Intel 1000 Pro |
| Audio | Intel High Definition Audio |
| Power Supply | Seasonic M12 600 Watt |
| Graphics | HD2600 XT Catalyst 7.6, HD2400 XT 8.389, HD2400 Pro, HD2600 Pro Catalyst 7.9
8600 GT, 8500 GT Forceware 158.22, 8400 GS Forceware 162.18 |
| Operating System | Windows XP Pro SP2 |
| DirectX | 9.0c |
| Chipset Driver Intel | Intel 8.1.1.1010 |
4
Comments
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Im a bit lost for words really i had come to expect more from you guys.
How come i started reading a review about entry level cards yet when we get to the benchmarks we have the full Nvidea range on display including a 8800gts.Its just rediculous.The title clearly says DX10 on a budget so how is a 8800gts relevant?
I can understand having the 8600gts in the benchmarks but why no review ?is it by chance that the MSI card isnt really a 8600GTS as it dosent even have a referance chip and the pcb is different?
Even if im wrong on that and you havent used the T2D256E-HD-OC as i suspect you have from the results then why on earth is the 2600XT running 7.6 drivers and the PRO 7.9.
You cant possably hope to conduct a fair and unbiased set of tests if you are not using the same drivers.
There are so many holes in this im wondering if you havent taken the Nvidea dollar as it sems so biased towards them and there products.
Really Really dissapointed
Mactronix
Mactronix, I dont think that they are suggesting that a 8800GTS is a budget segment card. Instead i believe that they are using this card as a 'benchmark' to show how the budget segment shape up to mainstream. This way you can see the performance gap between 8600, 8400, and 2400, 2600 and how they relate to the 8800GTS. This will hepl people decide wether it is worth them investing a little more money. This is reinforced by the fact that they didnt include it in the 'look at performing cards' and at all in the conclusion either.
While i understand what you are saying it dosent bear out simply because they havent included the 2900 in the benchmarks and if they were trying to compare to the mainstreem then surley it should have been there?
Mactronix
While I do not assume to know everything PC related, this card has been a dissapointment in that no matter what config I try it does not boot to bios when using the DVI cables with LCD monitors.. No matter what I try I can not access BIOS and it will give a blank screen and then open Windows 30 seconds later. However when I use the VGA cables it boots to boot screen and I am able to get into bios.. Any ideas? I have tried different monitors and cables and the results are the same. I really dont want to have to use two converters when I have 2 dvi monitors and the outlets for them std. Feel like this should not even be an issue on such a modern board