14 DAY TRIAL // ATI and NVIDIA have been bragging for a few months now about launching more powerful video solutions which will benefit from 512MB of memory. However, the producers are putting into application different strategies to achieve that.
ATI is attacking the market with a series of extremely powerful video cards, improving a series of high-end models and NVIDIA has chosen a series of modest and adequately priced cards for the 512MB leap.
Although the performances obtained by the X800 cards were already excellent, ATI is administering a steroid shot by fitting them with 512 MB RAM. nVidia chose a cheaper generation of cards for the 512MB upgrade, the 6200 model, and Alienware will soon launch 6800 Ultra cards with the same amount of memory.
However, Gainward's offer materialized by the 6200 AGP model with 512MB should shake the market pretty seriously. Commercialized under the name Gainward PowerPack! Pro/1490 TV-DVI, the card will be available soon, and will have a price tag close to the classic model.
Still, since we are talking about the AGP interface and its limitations, you can imagine Turbo Cache is out of the question. The producers are relying on small costs for the memory modules compatible with the 6200 model, and users will be able to brag about their new cards with 512MB of memory without compromising their budgets. The amount of memory is still an important factor which guides most of the potential shoppers, although the results obtained by a 6200 AGP card with 512MB won't exceed the ones obtained by a 6600 GT solution fitted with 128MB of RAM.
The price for Gainward's 6200 AGP card with 512 MB will be around 129-149 euros including VAT. The model should be available in the next weeks, and the engine driving this new card will be the already classic Nvidia NV44A.