Introduction

Welcome back and thanks for joining us for another edition of our video card price guides. If this is your first time here reading any of our price guides, you'll see that we not only pick out hardware we feel you should consider for your next purchase, but we also like to follow the market trends, to give you an outlook as to what we see happening. We like to rotate the four topics we discuss in every edition, covering CPUs, motherboards, video cards and storage media.

Although we only discuss these four topics in our price guides, our RTPE includes all aspects of computer hardware, all the way from LCD monitors to desktop and notebook RAM to sound cards. First, if you missed our last price guide, we took a look at the latest happenings in the motherboard marketplace. Secondly, you'll also notice that the RTPE's speed has picked up significantly and is much more enjoyable to use due to the overhaul we had a few months back. We're still working on getting even better performance in the future and we also do our best to keep it up to date with the latest hardware out in the market.

As always, we like to begin our video card price guides with the ultra high-end solutions and go all the way through the high-end, mid-range and end with the low-end products. Note that when we talk about market segments, we are primarily concerned with price and positioning rather than performance. This is why we generally don't recommend the high-end market right now for video cards, as in many instances you get better price/performance from either a slightly more expensive card or cheaper card. As always, if you can find a better deal than any of the ones mentioned we have listed here, so much the better for you. These articles are only a snapshot in time and we don't track every vendor on the internet.

There are many cards to cover, and we'll do our best to get to them all, but please do feel free to leave us any comments or suggestions in the comment section below or send us an e-mail at the e-mail address above. The feedback we receive is always invaluable and helps improve our guides for the best. Let's get started with the ultra high-end video cards...



Ultra High-End Graphics

NVIDIA's ultra high-end graphics offerings kick off our price guide. The new addition to our video price guides is the GeForce 7950 GX2. These cards are essentially SLI packaged into a single X16 slot solution, although you will need a motherboard with a BIOS that properly supports PCI-E devices other than graphics cards in the X16 slot. While there is some debate about whether or not this is truly a "single graphics card solution," the 7950 cards certainly are fast. We previewed the reference card performance last month and found that the 7950 GX2 is in general faster than 7900 GT SLI. There are a couple reasons for this. First, the GPU core is clocked slightly higher (500 MHz versus 450 MHz). You also get 512 MB of RAM per GPU instead of 256MB, though this is balanced out somewhat by the fact that 7900 GT cards ship with faster memory (1320 MHz versus 1200 MHz). Many of the 7900 GT cards come factory overclocked, though there are also a few 7950 GX2 cards that ship overclocked. Here's the list of GX2 cards.


The cheapest GX2 is currently from MSI [RTPE: NX7950GX2-T2D1GE] at $530 after rebate. Leadtek [RTPE: PX7950 GX2 TDH] and Gigabyte [RTPE: GV-3D1-7950-RH] are both priced similarly to the MSI offering ($563), but without the rebate. The XFX XXX model [RTPE: PV-T71U-ZDD9] is priced about $100 more and is still on pre-order, but it ships factory overclocked at 570/1550 MHz core/memory, making it the fastest GX2 card we're currently tracking. If you really want to drain your bank account, you could even purchase two GX2 cards and go for quad SLI. You'll need an SLI compatible motherboard, of course, and be sure to get a really beefy power supply (700 Watt recommended -- the Fotron Source FX700-GLN would be a great choice). Also, you should know that the support is unofficial, meaning you can't complain to NVIDIA if things don't work right. As we understand it, the 91.33 drivers and later should support quad SLI with the 7950 GX2 cards, though we haven't been able to internally verify this yet.


Dropping down a level, we have the 7900 GT and GTX cards. The 7900 GTX performs right up there with ATI's X1900 XT and X1900 XTX. It's difficult to say which is better as the 7900 GTX brings some excellent competition to ATI. The 7900 cards also generate less heat, use less power, and generally run quieter than their ATI counterparts. The main deciding factor between these cards will be the price and features, as well as the intended use. We would say that ATI tends to have the performance advantage in many games right now, but there are still titles that favor NVIDIA's cards. If you're inclined to run multi-GPU setups, we would have to give the edge to NVIDIA. ATI still performs better with X1900 CrossFire in many titles, but the simple fact of the matter is that NVIDIA's multi-GPU drivers feel far more mature than ATI's CrossFire drivers. Taking a further step down in performance, we've discovered that the 7900 GT performs slightly better than a 7800 GTX, which puts the 7900 GT at or slightly above ATI's X1800 XL and X1800 XT.

At the moment, the MSI GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB [RTPE: NX7900 GTX-T2D512E] is the cheapest priced GTX we are seeing this week, going for $420 after a $30 mail-in rebate. Leading the 7900 GT pack this week are two cards, the MSI GeForce 7900 GT 256MB [RTPE: NX7900GT-VT2D256E] and the XFX GeForce 7900 GT Extreme 256MB [RTPE: PV-T71G-UDE7] which are on sale for $260 after a $20 and a $30 mail-in rebate, respectively. You'll note that many of the 7900 GT/GTX cards come factory overclocked, so if you want the performance bump but don't want to overclock on your own you should pay attention to clock speeds.


The GeForce 7800 GT/GTX used to be very popular. However, we are only picking up two GT cards this week as all the others are now out of stock and we've gotten better performance out of the 7900 GT cards. All the other 7800 GT cards listed in the RPTE are coming up as pre-order only, so you won't see them displayed in the above chart. The best price we are able to find on a 7800 GT is the BFG GeForce 7800GT OC 256MB [RTPE: BFGR78256GTOC] going for $300. With only 20 pipelines compared to 24 on the 7900 GT, there's absolutely no reason to recommend a 7800 GT anymore. If you already have one and are looking to upgrade to SLI, you can get a moderate performance increase, but that's about the only reason to even think about the 7800 GT cards.

In the 7800 GTX line-up, the best price we're pulling up on is again from BFG, the GeForce 7800GTX OC 256MB [RTPE: BFGR78256GTXOC] which is currently going for about $380 shipped. As with other models, these 7800 GTX cards come with many different package alternatives, so read the details carefully to get what you really want or avoid what you don't. Given that the 7900 GT is over $100 cheaper and will generally overclock and outperform a 7800 GTX, we feel your money would be better spent elsewhere - or just save it for the next graphics card generation.


Shifting over to ATI's ultra high-end offerings, the X1900 XT cards are really the best choice. The best price we're seeing is the MSI Radeon X1900XT 512MB [RTPE: RX1900XT-VT2D512E] for $360 after a $30 mail-in rebate. We would also like to suggest the HIS Radeon X1900XT 512MB [RTPE: HX190XT512DVN] on sale for $367 shipped after a $25 mail-in rebate. Since the X1900 XT and 7900 GTX perform similarly, the deciding factor will usually be the price. As you can see here, the X1900 XT wins this week by a considerable margin.

The X1900 XTX cards continue to drop in price every week, though they're not much faster than the XT cards. The MSI Radeon X1900XTX 512MB [RTPE: RX1900XTX-VT2D512E] is selling for $415 shipped after a $30 mail-in rebate. If mail-in rebates aren't your thing, we've found the Gigabyte Radeon X1900XTX 512MB [RTPE: GV-RX19X512VB-RH] going for approximately $473 shipped. The XTX cards are only about 5% faster than the XT cards, and of course if you ever upgrade to CrossFire you will be stuck with XT speeds anyway. We definitely recommend the XT cards, as the extra $55+ really isn't worth spending. If you need a CrossFire card, we recommend going with the cheapest offering, as all the cards carry the same clock speeds. Unfortunately, the CrossFire cards cost more than even the XTX models, so you'll be paying at least $467 for the Sapphire model [RTPE: 100159]


These X1800 cards aren't very appealing these days because of the faster options you have available above. However, prices on the X1800XT have continued to drop, and we are currently showing the Sapphire X1800 XT for only $287 [RTPE: X1800XT]. You can also see the sole X1800 CrossFire card we're tracking, again from Sapphire [RTPE: 100-435716]. For $358, we would recommend bypassing this upgrade even for those who already own an X1800 XT card.

Let's head on over to the high-end graphics cards and take a look at what we have there.



High-End Graphics

Besides the fact that most of these cards are really overpriced, there really isn't much else to say about this bracket. For the best price/performance, we recommend you take a look at the mid-range or ultra high-end cards. For the amount you would be paying here, you will usually be better off going with an ultra high-end card. Still, let's take a look at what we have available, as there's at least one high-end GPU worth recommending.


Here we have the GeForce 7800GS cards that come only in AGP form. There is a large selection of these cards available, but the best price we can bring you as of today is the EVGA GeForce 7800GS EGS 256MB [RTPE: 256-A8-N505-AX] for $277 shipped. As you skim through the rest of the chart, you will notice that there are many cards available for under the $300 price tag. Competing with the X850 XTPE, the 7800GS does a decent job at filling out the top of the NVIDIA AGP performance spectrum, but we'd really like to see something like the 7900 GTX in AGP form. The 7800 GS is slightly underpowered compared to the X850 XTPE AGP, but the 7800GS is priced about $170 less. Honestly, we have to say that you're better off upgrading to a PCI-E motherboard and graphics card for an extra $100, but then again, it's far easier to change graphics cards than to swap out an entire motherboard.


We mentioned that there was at least one high-end GPU model worth considering, and these are the cards. The X1900 GT comes with 12 pipelines and core/memory clock speeds of 575/1200, so the card certainly packs a punch. Meanwhile the AIW version comes with 16 pipelines and 500/960 core/memory clocks, making is roughly equal to the X1900 GT (slower memory, slightly faster core). Also interesting to note is that two X1900 GT cards can be run in CrossFire mode using the PCI Express bus to transmit data between the cards. This does result in a performance penalty relative to the dongle cable of the higher end CrossFire configurations, but the lower prices are certainly a plus. Barring mail-in rebates, the lowest priced X1900 GT card comes from Sapphire [RTPE: 100189] at $278. Connect3D [RTPE: 3058] on the other hand can be had for $260 after rebate.

There's only one X1900 AIW currently showing up, from ATI [RTPE: 100-714800] ($285). As mentioned, overall performance is going to be roughly similar to the X1900 GT, but you get the added benefit of TV recording support. That's at least $50 worth of added value, though the one problem with all in one GPU/TV tuner solutions is that you lose the TV tuner if you ever upgrade your graphics card. On the other hand, you also get support for all of those features in a single PCI-E slot, which can be extremely useful if you're using a SFF system.

Of course, we listed the 7900 GT on the previous page, simply because it was easier to group the GTX and GT cards together. Since 7900 GT cards are priced about the same as these ATI offerings, we could easily classify it as a high-end card as well. With additional pixel pipelines (24) and faster memory, you'll usually get better performance overall from the 7900 GT cards.


ATI's X850 line is somewhat interesting, as it performs better than the X800 line and is currently priced lower. The AGP cards are still pretty expensive, but the Sapphire Radeon X850XT 256MB [RTPE: 100106] is priced at $140 after a $20 mail-in rebate. This card actually has more of a mid-range price, but with high-end gaming performance. This is the only other "high-end" card that we would seriously recommend right now, as everything else is priced too high for the performance offered. Also note that CrossFire X850 cards are relatively expensive, and R400 CrossFire really wasn't a very elegant solution. We recommend you stick with single X850 cards if you plan on purchasing one.



Like the majority of cards on this page, these X800XT cards are also overpriced. For the price of these X800XT cards, you can easily purchase a 7900 GT or even something faster. These cards are on their way out, and we're just seeing the last few leftovers being sold.


There really isn't something we can add to what we've already said before. Head on to the ultra high-end cards if you're looking to spend anywhere near the amount these 6800 GTs and Ultras are going for. Alternatively, check out the next page for our mid-range batch of cards. Several of them will at least match performance of the 6800 GT and do it at a much lower price.



Mid-Range Graphics

Getting back to cards that are worth discussing, we come to the mid-range market. Several of these cards will match or even exceed the performance of more expensive "high-end" cards, offering great performance for their current pricing.


Performance-wise, the 7600 GT falls right in between the GeForce 6800 GS and the 7800 GT. This card was launched to replace the already very successful 6600 GT. Of all the mid-range cards listed here, this is one of the best options. For about $169, the EVGA GeForce 7600GT KO 256MB [RTPE: 256-P2-N554] can be sitting in your rig. You will find that the 6800 GS already performs better than the ATI X1600 XT, and since the 7600 GT is priced about the same and performs even faster, we would highly suggest you go with this offering from NVIDIA. If you're thinking of building a budget gaming system, you can get an idea of the performance offered by the 7600 GT in our recent Budget Buyers Guide article.


If you're looking to save some money, you might be tempted to go with the 7600 GS instead. Clock speeds are significantly lower (400/800 vs. 560/1400), however, so the extra $50 is probably a reasonable investment for gaming. Still, the lower clock speeds do come with one advantage: noise levels. You can pick up the fanless EVGA GeForce 7600GS 256MB [RTPE: 256-P2-N549] for $100 after a $15 mail-in rebate.


Since the 7600 GT cards are able to perform slightly better than the 6800 GS at a lower cost, the smart answer is to go with the 7600 GT. However, since the 7600 GT doesn't come in AGP format, the 6800 GS is a possibility for those without PCI-E motherboards. Unfortunately, the single 6800 GS card that is showing today is the PNY GeForce 6800GS Overclocked 256MB [RTPE: VCG6800SXPB]. This is a PCI-E card and it's on sale for an even $200; all of the AGP offerings are out of stock, and it's doubtful we'll see more. You could go with a stock 6800 card for $236 or the 7800 GS for an additional $45, but really you should start to look at upgrading to a PCI-E system if you're going to spend over $200 on a graphics card.


For AGP users, the 6600 GT is still an excellent choice considering its price and performance. You can't really get a card that performs better without also upping your budget quite a bit. However, for PCI-E users, we would suggest a 7600 GT. Sure, you can pick up the Leadtek GeForce 6600GT 128MB [RTPE: PX6600GT TDH] for $110, but for an additional $60 for the 7600 GT we mentioned above, you get about 50 to 75% more performance.


While it costs a bit more than the 7600 GT, the X1800 GTO is a great competitor. Depending on the game you're running, the two cards trade place for being the fastest mid-range card. We are only picking up two X1800 GT cards at present, but both are relatively easy to obtain. The Sapphire Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB [RTPE: 100155] is the one to go with, coming in at about $210 shipped.


The X800GT/GTO cards are also decently priced. The PowerColor Radeon X800GTO 256MB VIVO [RTPE: X800GTO256MBDDR3] is near its lowest price to date, priced at about $106 shipped. Not a bad offering at all for a reasonable performing mid-range card. With a bit of overclocking, you can even reach X800 XT performance levels. This is certainly a practical substitute to the 6600 GT/7600 GT, generally beating the former while slightly trailing the latter.






Rather than going with an X1600 or the X700, we feel you'll get more for your money if you spend the few extra dollars and select the 7600 GT as your choice. Gigabyte has an interesting fanless X1600 option that some of you might want to consider. However, with performance generally lower than the 6600 GT, the X1600 offerings really aren't very attractive. We won't even bother to mention any X700 cards - they would make better budget offerings, but they continue to carry their mid-range prices.

Let's move on to the last and final low-end solutions segment.



Low-End Graphics

We'll close this price guide with the budget graphic cards that are currently available. We feel that the vast majority of users are better off purchasing a mid-range card, which in many instances are two or three times as fast as the budget offerings (sometimes more). Reason being is if you don't intend to play games (which is generally why you need a better graphics card), you should probably just use whatever graphics card you already have - even integrated graphics is sufficient rather than investing money into a low-end card. If you're looking to add a graphics card in order to get better video decoding, NVIDIA's PureVideo and ATI's AVIVO solutions are worth considering, but again you might as well upgrade to a mid-range offering. As we look at the various products, the reason we make this recommendation should become clear.


Beginning here, we have the X1300 cards. The AGP X1300s are somewhat overpriced, as you can easily pick up a 6600 GT and get much better performance than an X1300 can ever deliver. The same rule applies to the X1300 for PCI-E applications. An X1600 Pro, 6600 GT, or 7600 GS can be had for about $100, which you would find us suggesting without any hesitation over an X1300 (PCI-E).


Any one of these X300 cards should be sufficient for its intended use of basic video support and the only thing we would suggest is that you try to stick to the $50 (or lower) price point. We see no real need to spend much more than that for a card of this caliber. About the only motive to purchase a $50 graphics card is if you want a DVI output for an LCD display, since most integrated graphics solutions omit that feature.




These 7300 GS cards are meant to replace the 6200 TurboCache cards. Just as with the X300 cards, we again recommend you stick to the lower end of this spectrum because the $100 mid-range cards offer a much better solution. We mentioned DVI outputs as being one reason for a budget graphics card, but of course the HTPC market often fancies a cheap, preferably fanless, graphics card over integrated graphics due to the enhanced video decoding quality (AVIVO/PureVideo) and additional connectivity options (component out). At $100 or so, X1600 Pro and 7600 GS meet all of those requirements, so if you start nearing that price point we recommend you upgrade to the next level.

That brings this video card price guide to a close. If we missed anything you feel is worth mentioning, feel free to let us know in the comments section. We'll be back again next week, taking a look at the storage market. Thanks for reading!