- Oct 21, 2006
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One thing that has always sort of bugged me is Nvidia's mid range. It's not that the cards have done anything wrong to me, it's the fact that some generations get a lot of praise while others are laughed at. I don't really care personally, but I'm wondering why.
For example, when I bought my 6800 GT, there was a number of people telling me that a 6600 GT was quite a bit cheaper and still very capable... plus SLI! I still got the 6800 GT, but the 6600 GT was a pretty well-regarded card for its time.
For the next two generations, the 7600 GT and 8600 GT / GTS didn't seem to get much praise. Part of this was probably due to the cheaper options higher up in the line (7900 GS, for example). However, did this cards really perform that much worse than their top-end counterparts when compared to the 6 series? I remember a lot of people complaining that their 7600 GT and even 8600 GT wouldn't play half the games they wanted at the resolution / settings they had hoped for.
Finally, when the 9600 GT / GSO came out, a number of people jumped back on the mid-range bandwagon. These days a 9800 GT isn't much more expensive, but given the power requirements and discounted price, the mid-range cards seem (or seemed) like a great deal. Why the sudden change of heart again?
I haven't kept up with the 200 series mid-range, but I haven't heard much hype about it either (unless the GTX 260 is supposed to be mid-range...).
Just curious.
For example, when I bought my 6800 GT, there was a number of people telling me that a 6600 GT was quite a bit cheaper and still very capable... plus SLI! I still got the 6800 GT, but the 6600 GT was a pretty well-regarded card for its time.
For the next two generations, the 7600 GT and 8600 GT / GTS didn't seem to get much praise. Part of this was probably due to the cheaper options higher up in the line (7900 GS, for example). However, did this cards really perform that much worse than their top-end counterparts when compared to the 6 series? I remember a lot of people complaining that their 7600 GT and even 8600 GT wouldn't play half the games they wanted at the resolution / settings they had hoped for.
Finally, when the 9600 GT / GSO came out, a number of people jumped back on the mid-range bandwagon. These days a 9800 GT isn't much more expensive, but given the power requirements and discounted price, the mid-range cards seem (or seemed) like a great deal. Why the sudden change of heart again?
I haven't kept up with the 200 series mid-range, but I haven't heard much hype about it either (unless the GTX 260 is supposed to be mid-range...).
Just curious.