Since the release of the GeForce 8800 series in November of last year, the DirectX 10 graphics market has been a very interesting one. The area was high-end only for half a year; first, we had the interminable ATI delays, the NVIDIA wait-and-see approach, until finally the GeForce 8 series hit the entry-level and mainstream markets. These cards came in the form of the GeForce 8400, 8500 and 8600 lines, with the higher number denoting faster gaming performance. The GeForce 8400 GS is a baseline OEM video card, while the GeForce 8500 GT, the GeForce 8600 GT and GTS provide the entry-level, mid-range and high-end options in the mainstream market. - Sharky Extreme

Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB Graphics Review

The GeForce 8600 GTS is by far the most interesting product in the group, as it offers the fastest game performance, as well as full DirectX 10 compatibility. This blend of performance and feature set is combined with a sub-$175 price tag, producing a very attractive DirectX 10 graphics card for the mainstream masses. Today, we're looking the Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB, and putting it up against a set of mainstream and high-end cards from the GeForce 7 series and Radeon X1000 product lines to see exactly where the GeForce 8600 GTS fits in the performance hierarchy.

It's all not wine and roses when it comes to the GeForce 8600 GTS, and many have complained that NVIDIA created too much of a gap between the top mainstream and lowest high-end GeForce 8 series cards. The 32 stream processors may seem a big jump back from the GeForce 8800 series, but this type of architecture is to be expected for a mainstream card. The major negative with the GeForce 8600 GTS design is its 128-bit memory interface. This is a step back from last-generation high-end cards, which commonly use a 256-bit interface, and well behind the 384-bit memory link on the GeForce 8800 GTX.

The Albatron version of the GeForce 8600 GTS PCI Express card keeps on the straight and narrow, running at the standard NVIDIA clock speeds of 675MHz core, 1.45GHz shaders, and 2.0GHz memory. The card is a single slot design that offers a diminutive, Albatron branded heatsink with fan that runs nearly silent during operation. The Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS does require an external PCI Express power connector, and in many ways, is equivalent to the design of the last generation GeForce 7600 GT. The Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS is HDCP capable and offers SLI support right out of the box.

The overall benchmark performance is kind of a mixed bag, as in some cases the Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB performs on par with many high-end video cards, while in others, it falls back to mainstream levels. Although there are some individual game discrepancies, the primary differences occur when resolutions and detail levels are increased to extreme levels. This may be a case of the 128-bit memory interface coming back to haunt the GeForce 8600 GTS, as the other high-end cards offer at least a 256-bit interface. Even so, the Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS is the fastest mainstream card so far.

NVIDIA may have waited a while before unleashing their mainstream DirectX 10 line, but in many ways, the GeForce 8600 GTS is certainly worth the wait. The Albatron GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB is a very nice implementation of this technology, sporting an attractive retail price and offering a low-profile, quiet running card for gamers on a budget. The 128-bit memory interface and 32 stream processors do create a huge gap between it and the GeForce 8800 line, but the high clock speeds help alleviate these concerns, especially at a mainstream price.