Conclusions

In our review we were able to compare the overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS from MSI with a vast range of new and old mid-range PCI Express video cards, as you could see on our previous pages. We also added to our comparison Radeon X1950 Pro, which is an entry-level high-end video card that costs around the same thing as the reviewed card.

GeForce 8600 GTS is clearly targeted to users that want the fastest mid-range card in town but doesn’t want to (or doesn’t have the money to) go for a high-end model. The reviewed GeForce 8600 GTS was the fastest mid-range video card we reviewed to date. This is really impressive.

This GeForce 8600 GTS from MSI was between 8% and 35% faster than the standard GeForce 8600 GT, depending on the game and video configuration we used. It was also between 12% and 92% faster than Radeon X1650 XT (except on F.E.A.R. with no image quality settings enabled, where at 1024x768 Radeon X1650 XT was 5% faster and at 1600x1200 both cards achieved the same performance level), also depending on the game and video configuration we used.

Compared to Radeon X1950 Pro this overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS from MSI was faster in some games and simulations but on games that memory bandwidth plays a major role, Radeon X1950 Pro was a lot faster – after all we are comparing a video card with a 128-bit memory bus to a video card with a 256-bit memory bus. Just to remember, the reviewed card from MSI had a maximum theoretical memory transfer rate of 33.6 GB/s, while Radeon X1950 Pro could exchange data with its memory up to 44.16 GB/s.

Here is a breakdown. On 3DMark03 at 1024x768 overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS was 11% faster than Radeon X1950 Pro, at 1600x1200 they achieved a similar performance, at 1024x768 enabling video quality enhancements the reviewed card was 4% faster than Radeon X1950 Pro but at 1600x1200 enabling image quality enhancements Radeon X1950 Pro was 7% faster.

At 3DMark06 the reviewed GeForce 8600 GTS was between 7% and 17% faster than Radeon X1950 Pro, and at Quake 4 the reviewed card was between 15% and 25% faster.

But at F.E.A.R. Radeon X1950 Pro was between 18% and 63% faster, at Far Cry Radeon X1950 Pro was between 6% and 37% faster (except at 1024x768 with no image quality settings enabled, where our overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS was 4% faster than Radeon X1950 Pro), and at Battlefield 2142 Radeon X1950 Pro was between 4% and 31% faster (except at 1024x768 with no image quality settings enabled, where our overclocked GeForce 8600 GTS was 6% faster than Radeon X1950 Pro).

Compared to the standard GeForce 8600 GTS this overclocked model from MSI was up to 10% faster than the standard model, making it a great option if you are willing to buy a GeForce 8600 GTS.

Then comes pricing. This video card can be found around USD 200 on the market, but at Newegg.com it can found by USD 175. Radeon X1950 Pro can be also be found around USD 200, but Newegg.com is carrying a model from Sapphire for only USD 146 (with a USD 20 mail-in rebate its price goes down to USD 126), making it an unbeatable deal for the average user. Of course this Newegg.com deal is an exception, but… Wow.

Considering the standard pricing, we honestly think that for the average user GeForce 8600 GT is the best deal around, as it provides a better cost/benefit ratio than GeForce 8600 GTS. GeForce 8600 GTS is clearly targeted for users that want a performance higher than GeForce 8600 GT and can pay more, and we don’t think “pay more” is part of the average user’s dictionary.

But this deal on Radeon X1950 Pro from Sapphire for USD 126 at Newegg.com is a no-brainer, making it an unbeatable card for both performance and price.

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