Today's graphics cards: the value angle - The Tech Report

Conclusions
Over the past few pages, we've seen three things. The first is that scatter plots are really cool. Seriously, just look at 'em. Organizing this type of data could hardly get any better.

Our second observation is that two GeForces, the 9600 GT and 8800 GT, easily offer the best overall value in the single-GPU world. The 9600 GT is more attractive now, since it offers performance almost equal to the 8800 GT for a few bucks less. However, we suspect the GeForce 8800 GT could become more interesting in the months to come, should games start harnessing more of its additional shader processors and texture filtering capacity.

Finally, perhaps our most unexpected observation is that multi-GPU setups have the potential to deliver solid value. Mid-range cards like the GeForce 9600 GT and Radeon HD 3850 offer strong value propositions, and that effect is multiplied by pairing two of them together. Two 9600 GTs can be faster than a single GeForce 8800 Ultra, despite the fact that they cost substantially less. Similarly, two Radeon HD 3850s are a better deal than a single Radeon HD 3870 X2, if your motherboard can accommodate them. Of course, SLI and CrossFire bring with them a whole stable of caveats involving chipset compatibility, multi-monitor support, and the need for driver profiles. High-end multi-GPU configs can add additional expense in the form of higher PSU and cooling requirements, as well. But with both AMD and Nvidia now offering high-end cards with dual GPUs onboard, multi-GPU looks like it's here to stay.

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