can someone help me compare these 2 cards?

[loureed13]

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=520&card2=512#

im not sure which one to go with, any suggestions?

ive also decided to buy the 512 MB versions instead of the 256. am i being a sucker?

amd am2 x2 5000+
2 gig RAM
22' monitor
windows xp now, planning vista in six months

thanks for any help

[Mike]

512MB is unnecessary...and looking at the prices, either one is a good buy...the 2600 is slightly slower, but also a little cheaper...

[Radiator]

In a handful of games the HD 2600 XT is a bit faster , but on most games the 8600 GTS is faster by quite a bit of a margin .
I'd say just forget about the midend . Go for the highend ( considering you have a 22" monitor , you should go for the highend ) or don't get anything at all , there is no great midend card .
If the 8800 GT turns out what it's cracked up to be , then get that , if not , get a HD 2900 Pro or something . 8800 GTS 320MB is a great bang-for-the-buck , but hell... the 320MB vRAM is quite a limitation on newer games .

[wyz135]

I think the Radeon HD2600XT is better, but the shader clock is slower

[Radiator]

In terms of performance in games , the 8600 GTS is faster .
The HD 2600 XT is very limited by the low number of ROPs and TMUs . Also , by the "Superscalar x5" architecture .
I wouldn't get either one . They both simply suck .