Mainstream shootout - 8600 vs 2600
Author: Vedran Dakic
Date: 18 Sep 2007

We're continuing our search for the best mainstream card with a little help from our friends from XpertVision, ASUS and Sapphire. This time, it's time to compare XpertVision's 8600GTS Super and 8600GT Super, Sapphire's good ol' 2600XT and ASUS's 8600GT "Interesting Edition", how we call it around here.

XpertVision cards are a bit different then the usual 8600GTS and GT, not because of the "SUPER" word, but other things, as well. For starters, 8600GTS has a different cooler which we really like - it's not too noisy even at highest settings. 8600GT super is a different kind of beast - cooler is a bit smaller but still capable of doing the job, although with just a little bit more noise.

ASUS 8600GT comes with a unique piece of hardware that makes it a very interesting purchase. In the same package you get a 5.25'' front panel unit that houses a display and a turning knob, used to adjust the fan speed and the core clock of the card. The card's GPU operates at 540 MHz on stock settings, but with a turn of a knob, you can lower it to 380, and, more interestingly, raise it to 700 MHz, which is quite a lot for a 8600GT card. You can also adjust the fan speed in very small increments, but the cooler is extremely quiet and you won't notice the difference unless you turn it all the way up, at which point it starts to become the primary noise generator inside the case. Like if that wasn't enough, when you enter into a 3D application, you will also get a show of FPS on the same same screen with some pretty big digits. The device itself uses its own software and can operate with various other cards, not only the 8600GT. It hooks up to the USB connector on the motherboard itself (not on the back panel), so you should check if you have some free ones.