The current worldwide economic crisis has hit the computer industry especially hard. Companies like Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, Microsoft and many others have reported lower than expected revenues for the winter quarter that has caused many of the tech stocks to plummet in recent months. Companies in the United States have begun laying off people like there's no tomorrow. What does this mean for a video card review?
There has always been a balance between the best performing video card and the price that one is willing to pay for that video card. While there has been a market for the ultra high-end video card for the ultimate enthusiast, that market has shrunk due to the worsening economic crisis and the fact that the high-end card of today doesn't have a "Killer App" that requires the GTX295 or HD 4870 X2 for that matter. Video cards based upon the ATI HD 4850 video chip have been enormously popular due to its high performance for a reasonable price. Today ASUS is releasing a new version of the standard HD 4850 with a modified cooling system.
