The INQ guide to desktop graphic chips

YOU COULD BE forgiven for thinking that there is a bit too much choice in the graphics market at the moment. Nvidia certainly thinks so, it having cancelled most of its 6800 line. But help is at hand. To sooth ruffled brows, the INQ presents its guide to the graphics chips of the moment.

As far as it is possible to tell, Nvidia has 11 different chip models out there and ATI has a staggering 24. That's without counting the fact that you can get many cards with differing amounts of memory.

It's quite possible that the two firms have more chips in production than are shown here. For instance, Nvidia still has the FX5700 listed as a current model. However, it proved almost impossible to find with there appearing to be only a few left in the channel. For that reason, it has been excluded.

A New Approach
One of the major problems with benchmarks is that every site seems to come up with a different set of results for the same card. For years there have been accusations of bias against certain sites, normally along the lines of a graphic chip company paying to make sure there is a non-public 'beta' driver used or a few extra background tasks running on the machine when the competition is being tested. Or even that a particular site favoured one firm over another for reasons of their own. So who can you trust?

After some thought, there seemed to be only one answer. If you can't trust any one site for certain, an average of the results from lots of sites would be far more reliable. So that's what you're about to see, an average of the results from lots of different sites, including results published here on The INQ, for a top-end and a more modest processor.

Remember, you might well get a higher or lower score on your own rig, these are averages.

Making Cents Of It All
Having produced what should be a fairly accurate, if statistical, idea of how all of the major chips perform, it made sense to move a step further and work out what kind of value for money you'd be getting if you bought one.

In this case, it's a simple case of dividing the results by the price of the graphics card. The prices are an average again but this time with a slight difference. The prices are an average of the lowest prices from three major online retailers for a known brand of graphics card. In other words, the sort of price you should be paying.

Be prepared for some big surprises:

THE NVIDIA RANGE
7800GTX 512MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $749
This is the most expensive graphic card in the mainstream market and, what a surprise, it's also the least value for money of the lot. It's easy to draw comparisons with a Ferrari F430 and or an Aston Martin DB9 except that in a few years time the cars will still be worth something. If you have the money to splash, it may be the most expensive and the least value for money but it's still the best you can buy at the moment.

7800GTX 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $449
If you're at all tempted by a 7800GTX 512 (see above) then let this card be a lesson for your wallet. It was the leader of the pack for a few short months and it's now very firmly in third place. It's also third worst value for money. That's not to say that it's bad, far from it. It will give you an enviable frame rate in every game out there. It has all of the latest technology like SLI, Shader Model 3 and High Dynamic Range, but it is another card that is more about bragging rights than anything else.

7800GT 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $329
The 7800GT is the best high-end nVidia card out there at the moment in terms of value-for-money. It's not cheap but it's a lot cheaper than a GTX 256 whereas its performance is pretty close. If you're after bragging rights without the price tag to match, this is the one to go for. It's the best in its price range, just beating the X1800XL on performance but it also has the possibility of SLI (unless nVidia does a 6800GT on you).

6800GS 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $219
Probably the best value nVidia card out there at the moment. At least in 3DMark 05. It almost certainly has the best balance of performance, price and features on the market. It has SLI, Shader Model 3 and High Dynamic Range capabilities. ATI has absolutely nothing to touch it at the moment. In all, it's a nice maturation of the 6800 line with the only cloud being that it sits right where the 7600 was expected to appear. That leads to worries that nVidia could kill it before users have a chance at SLI, much as happened to many 6800GT owners.

6800XT 128MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $149
The XT is no surprise. It had all the initial signs of being a turkey going into this roundup. That's mostly because it's a turkey. It has Shader Model 3 and High Dynamic Range but won't be up to playing the very latest games unless you turn down the eye candy as it just doesn't have the speed. It can only keep up with the $30 cheaper 6600GT. We'd probably go for the 6600GT or the older technology but much faster ATI X800GTO instead.

6600GT 128MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $119
The 6600GT is still the lower-mid-range card to buy. It is SLI capable, has Shader Model 3 and High Dynamic Range, though expect horribly slow frame rates if you try HDR. If you can find one, buy a 256MB version instead of the 128MB version that is normally reviewed. They've only just reappeared but should give a bit more future-proofing. If you're strapped for cash, you might want to look at the ATI X1300 Pro instead.

6600 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $109
nVidia has given the standard 6600 a bit of a polish recently but it's not remotely enough to fend off ATI's X1300 Pro. Only buy if you're a fatally committed nVidia fan-boy.

6200 128MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $60
Don't expect to play anything unless you're buying it from the Budget rack. The only thing it really has going for it is that it is much better than ATI's nearest equivalent, the X300SE. If at all possible, scrimp, save and buy an ATI X1300 Pro for $95. Otherwise, this is the 'next best thing' and certainly the cheapest card to consider if you like the occasional game.

6200TC (Turbo Cache) - PCIe Only - Approx. $49
Surprisingly good value for money and it's definitely better than an ATI X300SE. But that's not saying much.

FX 5500 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $49
You might as well think of this as a 2D only card. And, that being the case, you'd be paying $20 too much to get something that the MX4000 can do just as well.

FX 5200 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $37
Another 2D only card. At least you'd have only wasted an extra $10 over the price of an MX4000 if you bought this.

MX4000 64MB - AGP Only - Approx. $29
2D only card. You're better off with almost all current integrated graphics.

THE ATI RANGE
X1800XT 512MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $539
It has all of the bells and whistles including Shader Model 3 and High Dynamic Range. It also has a price tag to match. It's the fastest ATI card of the moment but not for long. Fastest cards seldom are fastest for long. It sits between the two nVidia 7800GTX models in both performance (fantastic) and value for money (atrocious). We'd go for the 7800GT instead: 81% of the performance for 61% of the money. Or the X1800XL if you're an ATI fan: 81% of the performance for 68% of the money. But that's logic and it's a fair guess that the kind of people who will buy this card have only a passing awareness of concepts like logic.

X1800XL 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $369
The X1800XL is the direct competitor for the 7800GT with almost all of the same features and performance. If you're an ATI fan, the extra $40 will be well spent. Otherwise, the 7800GT with the possibility of SLI is much more attractive (assuming nVidia doesn't cancel the 7800GT before you can buy a second card).

X1300 Pro 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $95
The biggest surprise of the roundup. When we first saw the value-for-money results, we went back and rechecked all of the figures. Up until that point the X1300 had looked like a bit of a turkey. Sure, it's slower than a 6600GT but it's also cheaper. A deeply pleasant surprise from ATI in the lower-mid-range.

X850XT PE 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $349
Last year's technology still at last year's prices. At this price range, the nVidia 7800GT is a much better choice. Or the X1800XL if you must have an ATI.

X850XT 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $289
Another case of last year's technology. Either save yourself a fortune by getting an nVidia 6800GS or save your pennies for a 7800GT/X1800XL.

X850 Pro 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $239
Yet more of last year's technology. The nVidia 6800GS is much better value for money and the ATI X800GTO is the same technology and performance for $70 less. Either way, don't bother with the X850 Pro.

X850 Crossfire 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $309
This is ATI's too little, too late response to nVidia's SLI marchitecture. It was almost a complete waste of time and money on its part. And it would certainly be a waste of your money. Don't touch it with a barge pole. At this price, you'd be far better off with an nVidia 7800GT. Even if you're a diehard ATI fan.

X800 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $169
Another don't-buy product from ATI. Only this time it's because you can get the faster X800GTO for the same price.

X800GTO2 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $199
This is a difficult one. In some senses, it's an overclocker's dream. It may be last year's technology but it has some tricks up its sleeve. In theory, it has a 12 pipeline chip. But a quick BIOS hack later and it has 16 pipelines. And, although its out-of-the-box 3DMarks are nothing special, our Fudo managed to get 6382 out of a hacked and overclocked one using the fitted cooling solution, giving a VFM of 26.70 3DMarks per dollar. That's X850XT PE performance for $150 less. But, after all that, it is still last year's technology, you can't guarantee that it will overclock well and the nVidia 6800GS is only $20 more…

X800GTO 256MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $159
OK, it's last year's technology. But it's also terrific value for money. The X800GTO is renowned as a good overclocker too. If you must have Shader Model 3 (for a challenge that will keep you occupied for hours, try spotting the visual differences between Shader Model 2 and 3) and High Dynamic Range, this card won't do it; you'd be stuck between spending less on the much slower 6600GT or spending $60 more on the 6800GS. Note that the X800GTO is shown in the charts as being faster than the X800GTO2. In reality they are the same speed at default clocks but there are an awful lot of reviews of X800GTOs that are out-of-the-box overclocked so the average is skewed.

X700 Pro 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $129
The X700 Pro is slightly faster than the X1300 Pro but we'd probably go for the newer technology in the latter and save $30 along the way.

X700 256MB - PCIe and AGP - Approx. $109
And here we'd definitely recommend the X1300 Pro. It has better performance, a lower price and the X700 is last year's technology.

X300SE 128MB - PCIe Only - Approx. $50
Listen closely, can you hear it gobble? It's a turkey. Buy an nVidia 6200TC instead if your budget really is this tight.

X300SE with Hypermemory - PCIe Only - Approx. $50
A complete waste of money. If the standard X300SE is a turkey, this is a turkey that you left in the car and forgot about over a long weekend. Do not touch. Buy an nVidia 6200TC instead if you must be this cheap.

9800 Pro 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $109
Another last gasp that's still holding on in some stores. At this price range, the X700 Pro is a better buy though you should really be starting to consider a move to PCIe instead.

9600 XT 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $85
The X700 offers far better value and performance even if it is a bit more expensive. Save your pennies.

9600 Pro 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $76
Best to think of this as for older, Budget rack games only.

9550 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $59
These days, this is a 2D card only. Most integrated graphics are at least equivalent to the 9550. And, that being the case, if you must have separate graphics, you might as well spend $32 less and buy a Radeon 9000.

9550SE 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $50
2D Only. Most integrated graphics are better than the 9550SE. Spend less and get a Radeon 9000 if you must have a separate card.

9250 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $34
2D Only. Most integrated graphics are better than the 9250. Spend less and get a Radeon 9000 if you must have a separate card.

9200SE 128MB - AGP Only - Approx. $39
2D Only. Most integrated graphics are better than the 9200SE. Spend less and get a Radeon 9000 if you must have a separate card.

9000 64MB - AGP Only - Approx. $27
2D Only. Almost all current integrated graphics are better than the 9000. Only buy if you must have a separate graphics card.

7000 64MB - AGP Only - Approx. $25
2D Only. Almost all current integrated graphics are better than the 7000. Only buy if you must have a separate graphics card. It might, just might be worth the extra $2 for a 9000.

The End
That wraps it up this time around. There's plenty of work going on behind the scenes to bring you more averaged results and additional benchmarks. Then there's the matter of what to do about the more blatantly made-up benchmark results that keep turning up. At the moment those figures get dropped from the calculations. µ