Inno3D has recently begun to develop some of the coolest graphics cards on the market and while today’s review item is not their greatest achievement it is based on the new Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS. This particular version is not focused on features but rather price, something all 8600 GTS cards really need to do given the GPU’s lack of performance. Sadly the Inno3D GeForce 7900 GS graphics card that we reviewed last year seems to be a much better buy than the newer and more expensive 8600 GTS.
Despite the fact that with maximum in game quality settings the 8600 GTS delivered playable performance in X3: Reunion, Far Cry, Supreme Commander and Prey at 1920x1200, it was still slow compared to the competition. It is important to keep in mind that the 8600 GTS currently costs 20% more than the 7900 GS, because in many of our tests we found the 7900 GS to be faster. However, the real problem surfaces when you consider that the 8800 GTS (320MB) graphics cards cost just $75 US more, making them about 35% more expensive. This sounds fine until you put the 8600 GTS head to head with the 8800 GTS (320MB); needless to say the latter is significantly faster!
