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NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT 512MB - The Nemesis of ATI

By Vincent Chang - 21 Feb 2008

Conclusion

Conclusion

With the debut of the GeForce 9600 GT, the bar has been raised once again. Enthusiasts may crow over their expensive dual GPU high-end setups but most consumers are looking at budget and mainstream offerings. And the new GeForce 9600 GT is probably the fastest for its segment now, taking over from the previous GeForce 8600 series and without a doubt, eclipses the performance of the Radeon HD 3850. At the current price and performance points, the GeForce 9600 GT actually looks more of a Radeon HD 3870 contender instead. Going by how we felt during testing of the GeForce 8600 GTS/GT compared to the GeForce 9600 GT, we have to admit that unlike the slight disappointment we experienced the last time, this time round, we were nodding our heads at the numbers we got.

As a mid-range contender, the GeForce 9600 GT follows in the excellent price performance trail of the GeForce 8800 GT. Consumers should rejoice for ATI will certainly have to revise their prices to counter this new threat.

Performance wise, NVIDIA has produced a card that will trouble ATI greatly. So much so that we have already read that ATI is planning to reduce prices for its Radeon HD 3800 series in order to meet the new mid-range challenger. At the same time, there is a notable performance gap between the GeForce 9600 GT and the GeForce 8800 GT, so the newcomer will fill the mid-range void in NVIDIA's lineup, without eating into and disrupting the existing order. We can't be sure that there won't be a GeForce 9600 GTS but looking at the performance gap, it does seem unlikely. Meanwhile, given what we have seen today, we are eagerly looking forward to the lesser mainstream GeForce 9 cards.

Estimated to launch at a price range of between US$169 and US$189, we hope that the retail situation won't be a repeat of the supply woes that beset the introduction of the GeForce 8800 GT. Since NVIDIA has had ample time to settle any production issues with TSMC and with UMC now involved too in production, it shouldn't be the case (hopefully). In fact, we are hoping that any ATI price cuts may lead to a lowering of prices for the new GeForce 9600 GT in the near future. Sounds like a healthy competition and a choice for every pocket and need.

From a technical point of view, the GeForce 9600 GT does not break new ground that we haven't seen last year as NVIDIA is basically reusing its successful architecture. What it does however is to extend the success of the G92 to the mainstream audience and given the relative success of the Radeon HD 3850 since its launch, there's a large crowd of consumers just waiting to buy NVIDIA.

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