nVidia GeForce 8600 GT / GTS test

Introduction

Ever since the introduction of the GeForce 8800 range in November 2006 these cards have been very popular amongst hardware enthousiasts. The cards were the fastest you could buy and as a matter of fact at this point in time still are the fastest you can get off the shelves. However the most important reason for purchasing a card like this is usualy the compatibility with DirectX 10, teh new API used in Microsofts WIndows Vista. Users that want to be prepared for the next generation 3D games have got no other choice than to go for the GeForce 8800 cards, but the only set back untill now was the price of these cards. With them being the absolute top end of the market it automatically means that they are very, very expensive, Even the recently introduced 320MB GTS can not be called cheap with an average proce of around £ 200. Die hard gamers will not have a problem forking out money like that, but if 3D gaming is not your main priority you would have to wait for a cheaper alternative or buy a mid range DirectX 9 card. rom today onwards however it is possible to enjoy cheaper DirectX 10 graphics, as nVidia is introducing the mid range and budget models of the GeForce 8 series. This article describes the GeForce 8600 GT and GTS, DirectX 10 compatible cards that can be had for around £ 100 to £ 160.