Conclusion

AMD/ATI have adopted an interesting strategy with their 2xxx series of cards, not the best performance, but the best bang for buck. Their top end 2900s rarely come close to trashing the GTX, but they are also a lot cheaper. It's a similar situation with the 2600 range of cards. They are only a bit behind the 8600 in some tests - and ahead in others - but they are a good twenty quid cheaper, which does make a difference. So no, for mid range performance the 2600 is not a great choice as it's a little lack luster when compared to tried and tested mid range cards like the x1950 Pro. However, as a true budget solution it fills the niche just below the 8600GT nicely giving the user another great choice for a budget gaming card. And true, you don't get overclocking, but you do get the ability for HDMI and DX10...so not too shabby after all.

I'd like to thank our sponsors Sapphire for providing us with this GPU.

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