Top 10 Graphics Boards

This month we've changed the structure of our Graphics Boards chart. Instead of two separate charts for gamers and general users, we now have one chart with two sections. The first section of five boards (called Power) takes the same approach as the old "Graphics Boards for Gamers" chart, giving performance the most importance. The second half (called Value) is aimed at more general-purpose users, and products that balance performance with good value score highly. So now whether you're interested in the fastest card around or a sensible buy, you can find both in one place.

We decide whether a card should be evaluated in the power or value group using criteria such as its graphics processing unit, cost, and features. And to calculate the final positions on the chart, we give the various factors different weightings. On the power chart, the rating for performance accounts for 65 percent of the total score, whereas it accounts for only 42.5 percent of overall scores for value cards. And for value cards, a low price and rich features count more towards a high score than they do for power cards. For the exact breakdowns, see How We Test.

Gainward takes both of the top spots in our charts, with the Gainward GeForce3 PowerPack Ti/450 in first place for power, and the succinctly named Gainward GeForce2 Ti/500 XP VIVO Golden Sample taking top honors in the value section. However, it's a closely fought competition, with the ATI Radeon 8500 in second on the power chart by a very small margin and the new MSI G2Ti Pro-VT in second place on the value chart by less than a single point.

GeForce: The Next Generation

This month has also seen the launch of NVidia's latest generation of GPU: the GeForce4. There are two types: The GeForce4 Titanium is for power gaming cards, while the GeForce4 MX is for the more value-conscious consumer. These new GPUs promise to provide another great increase in graphics processing power, but the games lag behind: There are still only a handful of games available that take advantage of the new features they offer. Unfortunately, no cards were available for testing this month, but see our news story for more details.