# Complete Video Card Hierarchy.



## RZA (Sep 24, 2002)

Hi everyone, I have noticed alot of questions like "Which card is better" and "which card should I buy" all related to desktops.

I liked how Static put them in order in terms of performance for the desktop cards in this thread.

I would like to create a FAQ or a sticky with the current list of cards in order from Performance (not bias please) from the best to the lowest. I think this can help everyone when asking those types of questions to see it all in a list.

And for notebooks, this is pretty much untouched..since there are so many options now..I still havent seen anyone make a list of whats out there. I would like the input of everyone as well. 

Example:

*Desktops* 
7900GTX 
7900GT 
1900XTX 
... 
..
9600se 

*Notebooks*
Go7800
x700
Intel GMA950
...
..
Intel Extreme 2
m200

Ofcourse..this is just an example and by no way a proper list.
I would like this to be a thorough list..so everyones input is appreciated!
Once we have a complete list, I would take it and put it in a graphic, make it attractive and easier to read than a post.. and then post it here as a sticky.


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## RZA (Sep 24, 2002)

I will make the first post. Thnx to those who helped.

**Note: Cards listed in each category are listed in Lowest performing to Best performing**

*Categories*
1.)Integrated Graphics Cards 
2.)Low End 
3.)Mainstream/Mid-end 
4.)Performance 
5.)High-end/Desktop Replacement

* 1.) Integrated Graphics Cards *

SiS Integrated 
Intel GMA900 [Graphics Media Accelerator] 
Intel GMA950 
ATI Mobility Radeon 9000/9100 IGP
ATI Radeon Xpress 200M

*Pros/Advantages of integrated GPU's:*
Very light on power. 
Reduce the overall cost of the notebook signifigantly.
Fine for web browsing, Office applications, watching videos/DVDs, and other basic tasks.

*Cons:*
Integrated graphics cards are for basic purposes.
Not what you want to have if you plan on doing 3D-related activities. (horrible for 3d gaming)

*Intel GMA900* is the most common and is frequently found in lower-end mainstream notebooks. 
Currently being replaced by the *Intel GMA950,* which is not that much faster (still useless for 3D) in newer notebooks. The GMA900/950 is only found in Intel processor based notebooks. 

*ATI Radeon Xpress 200M, *avaliable in two versions - one with shared memory and one with dedicated
*The ATI X200M is the best integrated graphics card in terms of performance today, *much faster than the Intel GMA900/950. It is mainly found in AMD-based notebooks, although it is starting to make its way into the Intel-based notebooks as well. For comparison purposes, the dedicated X200M is about 2/3 as fast as a standard Mobility Radeon X300. The X200M is actually capable of some light 3D, but remember that it is integrated, and you will be very limited when it comes to games - do not buy it if you want to play games. 

*SiS chip *- that card is by far the worst graphics card in notebooks today.



*2.) Low-end Graphics Cards *

ATI X300 = nVidia 6200 & 6400
ATI X1300 = nVidia 7300 

These cards are fine for multimedia purposes, plus light 3D, but don't expect to play the latest games at anything but lower settings. That is not what they are designed for anyway. If you are a gamer, these cards are not for you. These cards can be found in any number of notebook sizes. 

The X1300/Go7300, are the replacements for the older X300/6200.

*3.) Mainstream/Mid-end Graphics Cards*

nVidia GeForce FX Go 5700:
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 (9550) (Pro) (Turbo)
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700:
ATI X600 = nVidia 6400
ATI X1400 = nVidia 7400

A clear step up in performance from the low-end cards, these cards are good enough to play the latest games at medium settings and resolutions give or take, but do not expect blazing performance. These cards are fine for the occasional gamer, but if the prime intent of your notebook is to game, you won't get spectacular performance out of these. 

Mid-end cards do not produce a large amount of heat, and therefore, can be found in smaller notebooks around 13.3-14" (such as the Sony VAIO SZ and ThinkPad T60). However, they would be more common in a larger 15.4" notebooks. 

The X1400/Go7400 are the replacements for the X600/6400. 

*4.) Performance Graphics Cards*

ATI X700 = nVidia 6600
ATI Mobility Radeon 9800
ATI X1600 = nVidia 7600

Designed for 3D gaming on a mobile level; you don't have to get a huge desktop replacement in order to have one of these cards. 
Do not produce a huge amount of heat, but don't exactly run cool. 
Battery life is balanced. A notebook equipped with one of these cards will see noticeably lower battery life when compared to one that has integrated graphics.

Performance-class cards are great for gamers wanting fast 3D performance in a mobile form factor. These cards are capable of playing the latest games with no problems, at close to or maximum settings and a balanced resolution. Typically, expect to see performance cards in a 15-15.4" screen size notebook. 

The new GeForce Go7600 is replacing the current generation Go6600, and ATI also has the X1600 as a replacement for the current X700.

*5.) High-end/Desktop Replacement Graphics Cards*

ATI X800 = nVidia 6800
ATI X800XT = nVidia 6800 Ultra
ATI X1800 = nVidia 7800
ATI X1800XT = nVidia 7800GTX

Not found in many notebooks, the high-end cards are at the top of their game, easily playing the latest games at maximum settings. 

*Cons:*
A large amount of heat and considerable power consumption all add up to a notebook that requires a large cooling solution, which in turn leads to a bigger and heavier notebook. 



*Graphic Card Terms*
*HYPERMEMORY AND TURBOCACHE*

"With the advent of PCI Express, ATI and nVidia have developed technologies that allow the use of system memory as a buffer for graphics data, basically extending the memory of the dedicated GPU itself into system memory. The nice thing is that this can offer a healthy and very inexpensive performance boost for chips that would otherwise be painfully crippled.

The problem is that system memory is almost always slower than dedicated GPU memory, so it's no substitute for having dedicated memory.

Worse still, low-end parts that use this technology are frequently marketed in a misleading fashion. For example, newer Sony S-series notebooks use GeForce Go 6200s that list as having 128MB of video memory when in fact they only have 32; that 96 is shared. Likewise, there's been a lot of confusion regarding the amount of actual memory on the ATI X300s used in Dell notebooks.

It's my understanding that the major culprits of this are the GeForce Go 6200, 6400, and the X300. But while the X300 may be marketed as having HyperMemory, the GeForce Go parts tend to gloss over their use of TurboCache.

One great thing about HyperMemory over TurboCache is that it's almost entirely software, so most ATI cards, with some tweaking, can use it, though the performance improvement is largely minor."




Thanks to Pulp and ChazMan421 for thier feedback and help.


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## MoonShadow_1AU (Mar 23, 2005)

I asked my techo friend the same question the other day when looking for a card. Here is what he came up with as a comparrison of nVidia to Radeon (from lowest performance to highest performance )

nVidia Radeon
5800 9800
5900 9800XT

6800 X800

7800 X1800
7900 X1900

I then decided to look into the letters that follow the chipset numbers, and again from lowest performance to highest performance ...

nVidia
6600 LE
6600
6600 GT

6800 XT
6800
6800 GS
6800 Ultra


Radeon
X800 Pro
X800 XL
X800 XT
X800 XT Platinum

9800
9800 Pro
9800 XT

I ended up with a 6600GT :winkgrin:


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## mgoldb2 (Dec 16, 2004)

Well this quick guide for buying for a new computer.

This is my choices as of 5-20-6 anything that was release after this will naturally make what I recommend here out of date and not correct.

I am using new egg as the bases of the pricing. If you do not live in America prices might be different and I am in no way saying that these are the best prices. It is just simpler to use new egg for an estimate of prices rather then looking millions of places. All prices is taken on 5-20-06 and could change at anytime.

PCI-E

I just am going to break them into performance levels beginning with one being lowest. Anything in the same performance level is about equal to each other (unless noted otherwise) and in no particular order. At the end of each level I will give an explanation.

Level 1

Geforce 6200TC $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121194
Radeon X300SE HyperMemory $43
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127196
Radeon X300SE $45 (This one is better then the other two but did not warrant a higher level)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121538

The X300SE HM there pretty much no reason to buy with the none HM model only being $2 more. 6200TC is if you looking for the cheapest PCI-E possible. Truthfully no matter how tight the budget you should aim for a level 2 card. The x300SE at $45 not really worth it with the 7300GS at $48.


Level 2

7300GS Supporting 512MB(256MB on board) $79-$20rebate = $48
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814170096
ASUS EAX1300/TD/128M Radeon X1300 $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121551
X1300PRO 256MB $86-$20=$66 (This one is better then the other two but did not warrant a higher level)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102641

These are pretty much you business cards. If you not gaming there no reason to spend any more money then the cards at this level. The X1300PRO might be attractive if you aim to do some moderate gaming or if you have children that you allow to play games like the Sims 2 on. My personal recommendation is even for moderate gaming like this try to get one of the level 3 cards if you can pull off the money.

Level 3

Radeon X1600PRO 256MB $99-$15=$84
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102651
GF6600GT-DV128 Geforce 6600GT $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814135185
Geforce 7600GS 256MB $110-$10=$100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130020

These are what I call your low-end gaming cards. Occasional gamers who don’t care about any of the fancy stuff as long as it plays the game. I would personally go with the 7600GS in this category.

Level 4

Geforce 7600GT 256MB $175-$30=$150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150141
Radeon X850XT 256MB 256-bit $159
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102688

Now these are real gaming cards. The 7600GT will play any game you want on the 1280X1024 resolution of a LCD screen that becoming more and more common for people to own these days. This is about all you need to spend unless you interested in the fancy graphics stuff. If you want AA or HDR then you might consider investing money on a level 5 or higher card. 7600GT properly the better choice here. Also it important to note that an x850XT do NOT support SM3 (HDR). I still included it here because I recommend getting a higher card then these if HDR a big deal to you.

Special note

X1800GTO 256MB $209
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814241009

I did not include this card with the level 4 mainly because it so much more expensive then the other 2. I did not include it with level 5 because if you take in to account rebates there only an $11 difference between this and the x1800XT which is a lot better. In future games this will properly be a better card then the 7600GT especially considering it has a 256-bit memory interface. Truthfully if you can put the money upfront just get the x1800XT and after you get your rebate you spent $10 more only for a much better card.

Level 5

Radeon X1800XT $250 - $30 =$220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102698
GeForce 7900 GT $294-$30=$265
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150139

These are your extreme gaming card for people that don’t have the huge bucks to spend. These are for people that want the best of the best but simply don’t have $400 or more to spend. These are the cards I have personally labeled as the “Best Bang for your buck” cards for gamers. It a really heated debate which one of these two is better or if the extra money worth it for the 7900GT so if you trying to decide between these two just make a thread and we have a dedicated discussion so we can keep this thread clean.

Level 6

Radeon X1900XT 512MB $430-$30=$400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127206

In the $400 price range this card pretty much stands alone. If I was going to buy a card today this is properly the card I would buy. I have traditional been a NVIDIA person but I just could not justify spending an extra $60 to get a 7900GTX over this one. 

Level 7

Geforce 7900GTX 512MB $480-$20=$460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130279
Radeon X1900XTX 512MB $490-$30=$460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127205

These are pretty much your bragging rights cards that allow you to say I got the best video card that money can buy at the moment. From what I seen the performance increase you get over the x1900XT is not enough to justify the extra $60.

I might come back later and make AGP recommendations or expand on what I said here but for now I going to stop here.


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