It is interesting that the mid-range counterpart of the G92 (8800GT) performs so well as compared to the 8600GTS performance versus the 8800GTX. The 9600GT from EVGA is an excellent example of the new chip as it is the fastest available clocked 9600GT so far announced. EVGA offers a Lifetime Warranty and their Step-Up Program with this card, meaning that even if the card is replaced by something better in 3 months you can upgrade to the next card for the price difference. EVGA Support is the best in the business.

NVIDIA's new 9600GT card is targeted at the $199 and below price point and EVGA says this card should come in at $200-220. At this level of performance and pricing, the 9600GT competes against ATI's HD3850 card and almost competes against the 8800GT as that card is available online for $240 from Newegg. The 9600GT outperforms the HD3850 card from Diamond and the HD3870 card from ATI, making it an interesting choice but does not outperform the 8800GT in most cases. It has been over a year and a half since NVIDIA has launched a high-end video card in the form of the 8800GTX, with rumors of a 9800GX2 card coming hopefully it will bring high performance back into the mainstream for a good price. For now, the 9600GT is a great replacement for the 8600GT offering higher performance and a similar price point but not a great replacement for the 8800GT which is within striking range at this price point.

With ATI announcing that they will be lowering the MSRP of the 3870 to $189 and the 3850 to $169, the battle between NVIDIA and ATI for price/performance is pretty murky. As a reviewer I prefer new cards to offer unheard of performance and or image quality to recommend it. As a consumer, however, the battle between the two video card giants is great as it means great performance, great image quality at affordable prices. A year ago, this level of performance and features would cost $500 in the form of the HD2900XT and NVIDIA 8800GTX, today we're seeing performance that is similar for less than $200. One thing I have to give NVIDIA negative props for is their naming schemes of their new video card. NVIDIA (and ATI) have generally been using the first number in the name of their cards as signifying a new generation of video card (5800, 6800, 7800, and 8800). But today they are releasing their first 9xxx series card, the 9600GT. Feature-wise; the 9600GT has very few new features including Dynamic Contrast Adjustment and Dynamic Color Adjustment. NVIDIA decided to take the plunge and name this card the 9600GT meaning an already crowded market will be more confusing and crowded.