Introduction
It took a while, but NVIDIA finally released the rest of their 8000 series of GeForce graphics processors. As has been the case over the last several product cycles, each distinct graphics chip comes in at least two, and typically more, varieties. Add to this the fact that many card manufacturers also have multiple versions of cards using the same graphics processor and you begin to see why the average computer user (and a lot of gamers) are completely confused when asked about their graphics hardware preferences.
The GeForce 8600
The NVIDIA GeForce 8600 is the upper end of the mainstream graphics processors and the 8600 GTS is the upper end of the 8600 series. NVIDIA has been pretty good about numbering their graphics processors in a way that is consistent with the relative level of performance you can expect from them, with the highest numbers usually being the best performers. Most of the confusion sets in once they start adding the alphabet soup to the end of the number.
The Albatron 8600 GTS
Albatron was kind enough to provide one of their 8600 GTS video cards for use in this review. My thanks go out to Candice at Albatron for arranging for the card sample and her incredible patience while waiting for me to get this review written!
Box shots
Inside the box
As you can see, the Albatron 8600 GTS doesn't come with a lot of extras. It does come with everything you need to get it up and running right out of the box. Not only do you get the DVI-to-VGA adapter, you get an S-video-to-Component adapter and a Molex-to-PCIe adapter, as well! While there is a driver CD, I would recommend downloading the lated ForceWare video drivers for your OS from NVIDIA's website.
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