/?pid=4871

Updated:05:55 AM EDT Mar 28


this is ggmania.com subsite Budget Graphics Card Roundup - August 2008 - TechAmok

Budget Graphics Card Roundup - August 2008 - [hardware]
07:46 PM EDT - Aug,08 2008 - post a comment

The chaps over at DrivenHeaven take a look at the gaming performance of seven different budget graphics card products from various manufacturers (HIS Radeon HD3450 256MB Silence edition, Sapphire Radeon HD3450 512MB, Point of View Nvidia 8500GT 256MB, XFX Nvidia 8600GT 512MB, HIS Radeon HD3650 IceQ Turbo 512MB, Sapphire Radeon HD3650 OC edition 512MB, XFX Nvidia 9600GSO 384MB). The products are all priced between £20 and £70, yet the performance differences between them are vast, making some usable only for HTPC use and 2D gaming while others can be used to power a relatively decent gaming machine.
HIS Radeon HD3450 256MB SE & Sapphire Radeon HD3450 512MB - Both of the ATi HD3450 based products are unable to provide decent 3D performance. The Sapphire offering is a little faster than the HIS because of the higher memory clock speed. DDR2 memory is cheap however and Sapphire understands that higher numbers sell more, so they put double the RAM on the card for a tiny increase in price. Nonetheless, neither of the cards can play most modern titles even at modest resolutions and settings. That said their HDMI with audio pass-through and HDCP support make them ideal choices for HTPC systems, as long as 3D gaming isn't important. To be fair the price for these cards is extremely low and they make a good shortlist if you are shopping on a very tight budget.

Point of View Nvidia 8500GT 256MB - The POV 8500GT 256MB card offers slightly better 3D performance over the competing ATi HD3450 products but would only be suitable for gamers who play older titles. In terms of media use the card is HDCP enaled which is a good selling point however the use of a fan rather than passive heasink may be an issue for some people. Some shopping around will be required to find the best deal but provided the price is not to high the POV 8500 GT is well worth considering for a low end system.

XFX Nvidia 8600GT 512MB - The XFX Nvidia 8600GT 512MB is the card replacing the 8500GT until a new product becomes available. It offers so-so 3D performance and most games should be playable at low resolution and details settings. For HTPC users it is not an ideal choice, mainly because the cooling solution is very noisy but also because it lacks certain features HTPC users may need, such as a proper HDMI port. For people who would like to play a few 3D games or for those who usually play retro 3D games, the XFX 8600GT 512MB card could be a good shortlist choice.

HIS Radeon HD3650 IceQ Turbo 512MB - The HIS Radeon HD3650 IceQ Turbo card can deliver 3D performance at low resolutions and mediocre detail settings, but it is a product which any HTPC user will love. The included HDMI adapter supporting audio pass-through and Full HD 1080p support is a HTPC users wet dream. We loved the cooling solution of this particular offering and most HTPC users will appreciate it too, as the card is entirely silent at all times. If you want to build a HTPC with some potential for basic 3D gaming, this product is highly recommended.


Sapphire Radeon HD3650 OC edition 512MB - The Sapphire Radeon HD3650 Overclock edition is not much different than the HIS offering, but it is a little bit faster and somewhat cheaper. It has no other disadvantage over the HIS offering except for the cooling solution, which is not bad but it can become noisy when the card is running 3D games. For those who seek to build an absolutely silent HTPC this card is not the best choice. That said, if you don't mind a little bit of noise while gaming, this product has no real disadvantages over the competition, and it is the fastest factory overclocked HD3650 card today.

XFX Nvidia 9600GSO 384MB - The XFX Nvidia 9600GSO 384MB card may not appeal to HTPC users as it is a card designed entirely for 3D performance. This card mops the floor with the rest of the sub-£70 offerings in every game we've tested and is set to become the favourite card for gamers on a strict budget. It is able to play most games very smoothly at decent resolutions and detail settings. From the cards we reviewed in this roundup, this is by far the most rational choice if you are shopping for a card with the best possible performance for less than £70.


Add your comment (free registrationrequired)

Short overview of recent news articles

Mar,28 2024 Intel's Battle Has Just Begun
Mar,27 2024 Unreal Physics is a new free game on Steam
Mar,27 2024 Is The World's Cheapest Hardware Wallet SafePal S1 Worth It?
Mar,27 2024 Yes, this was a Bad Idea (Emergency Wall-Mounted PC Build)
Mar,27 2024 11 Cool Command Line Programs You Need to See
Mar,26 2024 When you Accidentally Compromise every CPU on Earth
Mar,24 2024 Everyone Who Tried This Has FAILED - Khadas Mind Modular PC
Mar,24 2024 Air Cooling is Dead
Mar,24 2024 US Justice Dept. Sues Apple for Monopolistic Behavior in Smartphones
Mar,24 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Official Teaser Trailer (2024) Michael
Mar,22 2024 Alien: Romulus | Teaser Trailer
Mar,22 2024 NVIDIA Is On a Different Planet
Mar,21 2024 Everyone Needs This and it's Under $10 - Handy Tech Under $100
Mar,21 2024 20 COOL GADGETS FOR 2024
Mar,21 2024 Nvidia's 5090 Is Built From WHAT?!
Mar,20 2024 Parasyte: The Grey | Official Trailer | Netflix
Mar,20 2024 Fastest m.2 on Planet EARTH | Crucial T705 Nvme Review
Mar,20 2024 LG's new 480Hz OLED dual-mode monitor
Mar,19 2024 First 9.1 GHz CPU (overclocked 14900KS)
Mar,18 2024 Haley Messick - Saatisfaction @bennybenassi - In10sive Mastercamp
Mar,18 2024 1000W CPU: The Most Powerful Desktop Processor
Mar,18 2024 Expands Snapdragon 8 Series to Cover More Price Points
Mar,17 2024 Train Vs Lamborghini
Mar,16 2024 Don't use a Microsoft Account!
Mar,16 2024 This Ghillie Made from MIRRORS is SHOCKINGLY GOOD
Mar,16 2024 How Hackers Deliver Malware to Hack you using Social Media
Mar,15 2024 Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile - Launch Trailer
Mar,14 2024 Intel's 4th Attempt At Beating Ryzen - "New" 6.2GHz Core
Mar,14 2024 Asus Goes Big with Zenfone 11 Ultra
Mar,14 2024 House Passes Bill to Force Sale of TikTok
Mar,14 2024 Motorola Brings More Affordable 5G Phones to its 2024 Lineup
Mar,14 2024 Capristan Swim - Miami Swim Week | Art Basel Miami
Mar,11 2024 The Most Stunning All SSD NAS Ever? Inside QNAP's All-SSD
Mar,11 2024 M2 vs M3 MacBook Air - ULTIMATE Comparison!
Mar,11 2024 Risky PC Experiment: Direct CPU Water-Cooling! Can It Survive?
Mar,11 2024 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 23 Starlink satellites from
Mar,10 2024 I tried the Cheapest Arduino Alternative (that Nobody heard of)
Mar,10 2024 This is the WEIRDEST PC I've ever seen.
Mar,10 2024 Nvidia Retires GTX 16 Series, GDDR7 Arrives, FSR Upscaling Going AI?
Mar,09 2024 The New BIOS Hack That Bypasses Every Antivirus
>> News Archive <<

TechAmok - Privacy Policy        loading time:0.01secs