GeForce FX 5200 & 5600

[Big B]

[H]ard|OCP takes a look at nVidia's mainstream variations of the upcoming GeForce FX lineup...and they're not that happy with the results they got.

Placing all of the new features aside, how on earth can anyone look at a card whose image quality must be lowered to remain competitive and declare it "cinematic"? Furthermore, it is a bit alarming to see NVIDIA claim that gamers will be "experiencing cinematic graphics the way it’s meant to be played" with their $79 card.

Although NVIDIA has taken two steps forward in terms of features and functionality, they have seemingly taken a step backwards for both image quality and performance. As we score things, that would make NVIDIA's current position stagnant at best. Should the "cinematic computing era" be taking place, it is happening with ATI's product line, as we have seen first hand that the current GeForceFX product line simply cannot compete with ATI products released last year.

I hope nVidia can fix these performance issues before the cards hit the shelves en masse or there will not be some happy campers...I know a few people here won't be.

Despite the dismal outlook, the article is quite in-depth and would be an excellent read if you're looking forward to nVidia's upcoming GPU line. The big fat linkage.