The representative of the initial gaming segment, the video adapter based on the GeForce 8600 GTS chip is a rather interesting solution for many users who like to play non-resource-intensive toys and want to purchase a budget-class device. In the race for high performance, many buyers prefer powerful gaming solutions, deleting the budget segment from life. And only after some time, users realize that the most simple and inexpensive solution is enough for their favorite games.
In this article, the reader will get acquainted with a graphics accelerator, the potential of which is quite enough for most gaming applications with minimal requirements for computer resources.
Technical specifications GeForce 8600 GTS
The G84 graphic core, created using an outdated technical process of 80 nanometers, hints to the future owner that one should not expect high potential from the video adapter. To reduce the cost of the product, the manufacturer used old technologies, providing the device with GDDR3 memory, which runs on a 128-bit bus. There are limitations on the amount of RAM of the video adapter - 512 Mb look a bit strange when compared with more expensive accelerators.
For a video card based on the GeForce 8600 GTS chip, the characteristics of the graphics core are only acceptable - 675 MHz is enough to perform complex tasks. The owners will also enjoy the work of shader units - 1450 MHz is a worthy indicator in the gaming device market.
Chip technology
The low-cost market representative supports the DirectX 10 API feature set. It is this indicator that limits the use of the GeForce 8600 GTS chip in resource-intensive dynamic games. Let the video card work on the PCIex16 bus with full support for anisotropic filtering, and it has a model of shaders version 4.0, and 16 textures per clock cycle, the user will not be able to launch a modern game working with DirectX 11 and higher libraries.
An interesting feature of this product is the presence of the S-Video video output for connecting all kinds of displays and TVs. Support for HDTV and HDCP signals at resolutions up to 2560x1600 dpi creates excellent competition for the expensive HDMI interface. Do not forget that most users on TVs do not have a modern interface. Accordingly, the video card is an excellent and inexpensive solution for fans to watch movies on a large diagonal in high quality.
Nvidia Factory Representative
As befits most of the manufacturer's products , the GeForce 8600 GTS graphics accelerator in the global retail market is presented only under the brands of companies that work under a contract with nVidia. The original samples created in the laboratory of the manufacturer, never arrived at retail. But, as many test labs in the world claim, nVidia provided its products for review and experimentation not only to professionals, but also to enthusiasts.
Testing the reference device is quite interesting. All conclusions are almost identical - the installed 128-bit GDDR3 memory and the number of stream processors limit the potential of a good graphics accelerator. The same representative of the gaming segment GeForce 8800 GTS surpasses the chip in question several times, although in price it differs only by 20-30%. Therefore, the user will have to pin all hopes on the final manufacturer of the video card based on the GeForce 8600 GTS chip.
Video adapter system requirements
The prevailing opinion that each video adapter launched on the market corresponds to a specific computer configuration is quite justified. To maximize the potential of a video card based on an nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS chip, the characteristics of a workstation should be as follows:
- the processor should be with two physical cores, but not higher than the Inlet Core 2 Extreme x6800 line (or AMD Phenom II X4 905e);
- the amount of free RAM in the computer should be 2 GB (respectively, the system should have 3.2-4 gigabytes);
- the hard drive must work on the SATA300 interface;
- a power supply unit of at least 450 watts (the video adapter itself requires 60 watts per hour).
As practice shows, most of the computers of domestic users possess such characteristics, which do not want to switch to a new, expensive platform. It is quite possible to install the GeForce 8600 GTS on more productive systems, but the video adapter’s performance will not get higher from this.
Favorite Overlocker Graphics Card
The graphics accelerator based on the GeForce 8600 GTS 512Mb chip from ASUS immediately attracted the attention of overclockers. Visually, without any testing, you can see that the manufacturer was worried about future owners. After all, the installation of branded batteries and decent cooling was not done for the sake of fun at the factory of the Taiwanese representative.
The installation of high-quality electrolytic capacitors is the key to successful acceleration for all users. The frequency of the graphics accelerator can easily be raised to 100 MHz. Not without replacement of memory modules: fast modules of the well-known Samsung brand lend themselves well to overclocking - 2350 MHz on the bus. All this is blown by a proprietary cooling system. However, due to the height of the aluminum radiator, the video card occupies two slots in the system unit.
Silence is the key to health
Passive-cooled nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS graphics card from the same manufacturer ASUS will appeal to users who are used to working in silence. The company's technologists used a similar motherboard with proprietary capacitors in the power system. But the cooling system has undergone significant changes. The entire video adapter is covered with an aluminum grille.
As the owners note in their reviews, there are enough shortcomings in this accelerator. Firstly, the cooling system is too cumbersome, as it claims to 3 slots in the system unit, and its weight is a little embarrassing. After all, the whole system is held in the case with just one screw. There are also disadvantages to memory modules: the manufacturer has reduced their volume by half, and 256 MB look somehow poor even for a budget representative.
Parody of video game adapters
The well-known motherboard manufacturer, Biostar, also decided to surprise its fans and introduced the market an nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS accelerator with a capacity of 256 megabytes. The cooling system bribes users - a fan with a turbine and a protective radiator casing at the first acquaintance hint to the buyer about the gaming capabilities of the video adapter. But only in testing, such an innovation could not convince anyone with its performance.
A small amount of memory and constant overheating (80-90 degrees Celsius) during acceleration are not considered advantages. It will not be possible to achieve high performance even after replacing the proprietary cooling system. The whole fault is the nVidia standard power system. By the way, many owners claim that low-quality capacitors inflate due to strong heating and damage the device.
A strange device from a serious brand
Within the walls of EVGA, they decided that the nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS reference device did not need to be finalized, and even the cooling system was perfect. Technologists simply pasted the company logo on the heatsink of the video card. The owners of the video adapter have accumulated many questions for the manufacturer: overheating in the standard settings, a terrible hum of the fan and the impossibility of overclocking.
Having studied the feedback of owners and professionals on the EVGA product, many overlockers came to the conclusion that the problem of overheating is in cheap electrolytic capacitors, which simply need to be replaced with branded analogues. If you solder only 7 electrical capacities, the video adapter stops heating up very much. But even after making changes, you should not expect great potential from the video card (700 MHz in the core and 2220 MHz in memory is the limit for this device).
Hot sale
Apparently, for the Gigabyte nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS product, the performance characteristics of the video card became the main criterion. The famous Taiwanese brand decided to make an entry-level video adapter from a budget representative. The manufacturer did not stop by installing branded batteries and replacing memory chips and realized the dream of all potential buyers by installing a huge passive cooler.
An aluminum radiator is pierced through with copper tubes to remove heat around the perimeter. The video card from afar resembles the legendary Gainward Phantom device. However, due to its large dimensions, the video adapter claims to occupy as many as three slots in the system unit. The design is held by two screws, for this the manufacturer provided his brainchild with an additional mounting bracket, as is implemented in expensive video cards.
Fire Dragon
The market was pleased with the representative of MSI with its product nVidia GeForce 8600 GTS, the price of which does not exceed 2000 rubles. Packaging alone inspires respect from all potential buyers. The dragon logo on the packaging display, a detailed description of the characteristics and the rich equipment of the device will appeal to all users. The box contains all the necessary interface cables, screws for mounting the video card in the computer case and a cable for connecting several video adapters in SLI mode.
Customers will also enjoy the look of the GeForce 8600 GTS. On a fiery-red printed circuit board, branded batteries are placed in a separate unit, and are not scattered throughout the video adapter, as is done with competitors. The owners will also like the passive cooling system - it is made in the form of clothespins, covering the graphic core on both sides with an aluminum radiator.
Interesting symbiosis
The Palit brand, which disappeared briefly from the video card market, returned to operation, taking with it the best manufacturer of cooling systems in the world. The GeForce 8600 GTS product, whose characteristics are better than all competitors, has a proprietary Zalman cooler. IT professionals in their reviews assure that overheating of the video adapter is out of the question, which means that you should expect excellent overclocking potential from the accelerator.
On a test bench, the video card demonstrates high performance even in standard settings. An increase in the frequency of the graphics core to 777 MHz, and memory to 2333 MHz practically does not affect noise or temperature. This video adapter is the most productive in the computer market among analogues. Confuses only the amount of video memory - 256 megabytes will obviously not be enough for gamers.
Stereotype destroyer
The company's product XFX GeForce 8600 GTS, the price of which goes beyond budget devices (from 3,000 rubles), is hardly a success. The manufacturer has his own idea of the game video adapter, which is different from the opinion of many users. High performance and huge overclocking potential do not go well with the terrible noise of the cooling system. According to the owners of the video adapter, a branded cooler with a turbofan requires replacement immediately after purchase, since the roar of the device in the system unit is unbearable.
In normal mode, the graphics core operates at a frequency of 730 MHz, and memory - at 2260 MHz. Overclocking without any obstacles is carried out up to 795 MHz on the core and up to 2488 MHz on the memory bus. At the same time, the temperature of the video card does not exceed 70 degrees Celsius. Many owners do not understand why the cooling system (possibly a factory defect) is so loudly buzzing. This is what stops many buyers.
Finally
As practice shows, the video card GeForce 8600 GTS from the company nVidia appealed to many well-known manufacturers of gaming devices. True, in the pursuit of profit, many well-known brands did not bother to finalize the chip and install decent cooling. The approach in the form of reducing the amount of memory to 256 megabytes is also confusing. Even for a budget class, this video card does not look very attractive. But, as always, the choice is the buyer.