The main issues seem to be RAM amounts and video memory performance. In less demanding games such as BioShock and ProStreet, the cards all performed relatively close to each other. Lower resolutions also helped the 8800GS keep up in most situations. When the resolution increases, the 256-bit memory interface gives an advantage to the 9600GT. It can handle HD gaming better than the other cards, and for obvious reasons. However, each of the video games are coded to the advantage of one architecture or another, and it can be seen in the numbers.

The consistency of synthetic benchmarks spreads some light on the performance envelopes of all of the cards. For replacing the 8600GTS, the G94-300 has definitely performed well by overshadowing its predecessor's synthetic performance levels by 73%. When looking at the current "titans," The 9600GT outperforms by a small margin in all but Shader Model 3.0 andHDR areas. Only the ATi HD3850 overtakes the new competition, but only in that respect.  

Below is the list of games linking to the corresponding page on the pconline.com.cn site. At each link, there are pictures of the settings of each game, and an in-game screen shot. For convenience, there is also a link to the enlarged graphs. It should be easy to extrapolate the important data. Luckily, math is a universal language.

3DMark PAGE - Graph (1280x1024 no AA AF)

Games List

The article also talks about the card's value in the market pegged at around 1000-1500 Yuan or 138-207USD. This price is not bad considering the 8800GS goes for around the same price. However, the 8800GS 768MB version goes for around 204USD, but how it performs compared to a 9600GT has yet to be answered. 02-14-08** is the release date for the new card, and it will sell for 169USD.

**Update**: NVIDIA had to push back the release date due to a Voltage offset problem. The date has been moved from the 14th to the 21st of February, 2008.