Order of NVidia Cards??

[TheGreatSatan]

I think I heard that the 8800 series is better than the 9600 series, but is the 9800 better than the 8800? If the 8800 is better than the 9600, is that all 8800's? Even the 320MB one??

I'm confused....

[crenn]

I'm not sure about the 320MB 8800GTS is better than the 9600GT, however the 8800GT is better than the 9600GT. The 9800 series is slightly better than the 8800GT/GTS due to higher clocks. The actual cores are still G92 for both 8800GT/GTS and the 9800 series.

[silverdemon]

I read somewhere that the 8800GT 256MB version is (most of the time) slower than the 9600GT, about the 320M version I don't know...

[halcyonforever]

With Nvidia cards the numbering system is pretty straight forward, but can be confusing if thought of as simply "higher is better"

The first number identifies the series, the second 3 are the "model"

Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT (Series 6, model 800)

The higher the model number the more the bells and whistles the card has (faster memory, optimized performance)

The higher the series, the newer the generation of graphics processor, the newer effects it may be able to process (Hardware T&L, DX10, etc)

Increasing series number (going from 6 to 7) does not necssate an increase in performance. Going from a 6800 to say a 7200 would actually be a drop because the 200 model is the economy car, where the 800 is a mustang, and the 900 is your performance racer. The processor may have more capability but the overall card is not tuned for performance at the same level.

The only reason to make an upgrade like that is if it is a major feature option and you just can't swing the better card. (EG you must absloutely have DirectX 10...) It will give you the new feature but may not have the same horsepower

[Fuganater]

8800 GT 512MB > 9600 GT 512 MB (both 256-bit)
8800 GTX 768MB < 9800 GTX 512 MB (384-bit < 256-bit)
8800 Ultra 768MB < 9800 GX2 1 GB (384-bit < 512-bit)

This is just a basic comparison... but you get the gist.