It looks like R9600, GF FX5700 and GF FX5700LE are exelent choice in the mid(low?)-end class. It would great if someone tried the fx5900le for overclockability, so we can have some statistics. Nice review :)

How in the does a 9600se be on par with a "128-bit" 5200?

it does not make sense

9600 xt's and 5900 xt's do not cost the same. They are off by 20 to 30 US$. The 5900 xt's are 10 - 15% faster and it also costs 10 - 15% more.

Great overview! This helps me a lot to choose a new graphic-card!
thx.

The 5900LE/SE's appear to be overclocking monsters... I have a Leadtek A340LX (it has a full housing and dual fans - input and exhaust) and I stopped overclocking when I hit 480 on the core and 855 on the memory and the GPU core is about 80 degress celsius under heavy load (well within tolerance). With results like that, I didn't feel the need to push any further and fry it.

I should have added as an FYI for those that don't follow computer hardware that the nvidia 5900 series (including the aformentioned LE/SE) use a 256-bit memory bus which really helps it over the 128 bit memory bus chips in this comparison. At 480/855, my 5900LE has the core speed of a 5950 Ultra and the memory speed of the 5900 Ultra (nVidia's high-end cards until the 6800 series hits retail). Overall, it performs more like a 5950 Ultra because it seems less sensitive to memory speed than it is to core speed in this range.

I've read many similar reports on overclocking success with the 5900LE/SE in various product reviews and discussion threads. The number of vendors of 5900LE/SE graphics cards has really taken off too, so you should try to find a review of the specific one you intend to buy as quality of other components can play a crucial role in overclockability.

Tomb raider didnt display right at 1280x1024? Did you run that on a 17"/19" TFT? Otherwise, on a CRT, it WILL. 5:4 - Satans spell.

How about 9550?

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Thanks. usefull review!

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