14 DAY TRIAL // Nvidia's first next-generation graphics processor is slated to be unveiled less than a day away. The February 21st launch will bring some hardcore competition for AMD, that used to dominate the graphics market during the past three months.
However, AMD released a note claiming that it has at least similarly specced graphics cards offerings, if not even better than Nvidia. The GeForce 9600 GT graphics card is expected to hit the retailers' shelves at a suggested price ranging between $169-189 (depending on each manufacturer's implementation). The price / performance criteria will put them against the x86 chip manufacturer's mid-range cards, namely the Radeon HD 3850 that sell for around $189-250.
AMD did not miss the opportunity to draw the customers' attention that retailers usually take advantage of the high demand in a new product associated with the short supply, in order to overcharge for the products. Shortly put, the chipmaker advises customers not to rush in posting orders for the upcoming 9600 GTs, because they will sell for higher prices. This premium price will also eliminate Nvidia's pricing advantage over AMD's products during short terms.
Advanced Micro Devices was also concerned with outlining some key aspects in its Radeon 3000 series that Nvidia's products lack, such as support for DirectX 10.1, 55nm manufacturing leading to cooler, quieter cards, and built-in HDCP connectors. The above-mentioned objections are valid, but, truth be told, they don't make much of a difference in the current marketing context, and they would rather aim at kicking Nvidia in the gut rather than raising customers' awareness.
The 8600 GT model comes with 32 unified shader processing engines, while the upcoming 9600 GT will feature 64 units, which is a significant improvement over the 8600, but at the same time, it's less than the 96 to 128 units that come with other cards in the 8800 lineup.