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http://www.jcbeck.com/features/computers/benchmarks.asp
The other day I realized something. The Geforce 6600 and Radeon X700 are not the first mainstream video cards that cost $200 or less, and perform better than the previous generation high end cards. In fact, I get the feeling it's been happening a lot. The Radeon 9600 Pro was able to best the Radeon 8500. (Admittedly, the Radeon 9700 was quite an improvement over the flagship it replaced.) But wasn't the Geforce4 Ti 4400 and even 4200 generally better than the Geforce3 Ti cards? And certainly better than the previous Radeon flagship, right? So while I think it is great that the Geforce 6600 and Radeon X700 beat out the Radeon 9800 Pro and XT in most tests (where memory bandwidth isn't the limiting factor), I don't think it's shocking or new. It's almost to be expected. And it's why Radeon 9800 Pro cards have slipped below $200, and why waiting a few months after new generation cards are released is pretty much always a good idea. Now I just hope a well funded review site can put up an updated video card review including all the major cards, so I can make an informed decision about my next video card purchase without having to comb through too much of the internet for information.
The other day I realized something. The Geforce 6600 and Radeon X700 are not the first mainstream video cards that cost $200 or less, and perform better than the previous generation high end cards. In fact, I get the feeling it's been happening a lot. The Radeon 9600 Pro was able to best the Radeon 8500. (Admittedly, the Radeon 9700 was quite an improvement over the flagship it replaced.) But wasn't the Geforce4 Ti 4400 and even 4200 generally better than the Geforce3 Ti cards? And certainly better than the previous Radeon flagship, right? So while I think it is great that the Geforce 6600 and Radeon X700 beat out the Radeon 9800 Pro and XT in most tests (where memory bandwidth isn't the limiting factor), I don't think it's shocking or new. It's almost to be expected. And it's why Radeon 9800 Pro cards have slipped below $200, and why waiting a few months after new generation cards are released is pretty much always a good idea. Now I just hope a well funded review site can put up an updated video card review including all the major cards, so I can make an informed decision about my next video card purchase without having to comb through too much of the internet for information.