Conclusion

Now it’s time to sum up the results of our tests of video playback under Microsoft Windows Vista. One thing we have seen is that the performance of different graphics solutions depends directly on the support of the hardware capabilities in the driver. Loudly touted video playback features may prove useless while clever optimizations may give a chance to products whose capabilities seem obsolete.

Graphics cards fall into several categories, so let’s discuss each category individually.

High-End

The ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT and Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX/GTS cannot unload the CPU much when playing high-resolution movies, partially due to the lack of advanced video processors and partially due to imperfect drivers. As we’ve had a chance to see, the powerful graphics cards often rely on the CPU when it comes to decoding video streams.

The ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT features an integrated audio controller. Coupled with a DVI → HDMI adapter, this allows enjoying high-quality audio when the publisher prohibits to play 5.1/7.1 audio tracks without HDCP support. The strong point of the Nvidia GeForce 8800 series in comparison with its opponent is low power consumption.

Interestingly, the ATI Radeon X1950 XTX performs well enough against the newer cards, while the dual-chip Nvidia GeForce 7950 GX2 hasn’t been that successful.

Mainstream

Competing to be the best solution for playing Blu-ray and HD DVD content, the GeForce 8600 GTS and Radeon HD 2600 XT generally match each other in the CPU load tests.

The ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT has a lower CPU load when playing VC-1 streams, offers an integrated audio controller and native HDMI support for consumer electronics. The Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS, on its part, has a very low CPU load when playing H.264 and delivers higher performance in 3D games. Both graphics cards can score equal amount of points in the HQV HD test, but the high-definition post-processing quality heavily depends on drivers.

The bestseller of the previous generation, ATI Radeon X1950 Pro, performs well enough, too. Its opponents from the GeForce 7 series are not so successful.

Entry-Level

Entry-level PCs come with inexpensive graphics cards and CPUs, so when the GPU can’t cope with the video load, it is quite possible that the CPU won’t handle a full-HD movie as well.

The new ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT seems preferable to the more expensive Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT due to the lower CPU load as well as such features as an integrated audio-controller and HDMI support. However, you should note the high CPU load when playing VC-1, which may make it impossible to watch a HD DVD movie normally. We can’t say the last-generation products perform well because the peak CPU load is very high.

Thus, ATI Radeon HD 2000 graphics cards can boast somewhat more advanced video playback capabilities than their opponents from Nvidia mostly due to better drivers for Microsoft Windows Vista. Of course, the integrated audio controller and the native HDMI interface are indisputable advantages of AMD’s products as well. However, Nvidia’s GeForce 8 cards are often faster than their direct market rivals in 3D games, so you should weigh all the pros and cons carefully before you choose your own graphics card.