An excellent take on ATI’s new technology, complete with custom cooling and great performance

A reworking of an old card from Palit, but it’s not quite enough to beat the 9600 GT

A wonderful return to form, leaving the disappointment of the 8600 GT as just a distant memory.

Great performance at an appealing price, although the 9600 GT encroaches on its turf

Affordable and fast, the 8800 GS was our top budget choice until the 9600 GT arrived to spoil the party.

It had little competition at this price, and it knocks Nvidia 8600 cards out of the race, but Nvidia’s 9600 GT trumps it.

Superseded by both Nvidia’s new 9600 card and ATi’s excellent HD 3800 series

Disappointing gaming ability and a higher price than media-centre cards rule this one out of contention

It may be affordable, but we’d rather spend a little more to guarantee some genuine gaming ability

The 9600 GT redefines the mainstream graphics market, offering high-end power at a mid-range price. At this price we want one.

Good performance and value, plus plenty of media-centre practicality in this silent graphics card

A useful card for more relaxed gaming, and a quiet cooler to boot.

A final price will decide the fate of this chipset. It needs to be well under $200 to compete.

Price drops for the X1800 GTO make this new card obsolete from the start.

Fair price, but better-equipped cards cost a similar amount.

A cheap mid-range card but with budget performance.

A well featured card, but it can’t match the 7600 GS for value.

Silent, powerful and cheap: the ideal card for media centres.

Good value — until you compare it to the superior 7600 GS.

More bang-per-buck than the 7300s, but the 6600 shows its age.