Our definition of mainstream video cards encompasses the $100-$199 price range, and is really where you'll get the most bang for your buck. This is where you will find the latest mainstream video cards, like the Radeon X1600 Pro/XT, Radeon X800 GTO, Radeon X180 GTO, and GeForce 6600 GT, 6800 GS & 7600 GT, along with a few higher-end products that have been replaced at the top of the food chain (like the Radeon X800/X850), and have then dropped in price.
The mainstream video card list is usually where we see a few noticeable price drops mixed in with some high-end cards falling below the $200 mark and entering the mainstream market. The last few months held a bumper crop of new video card entrants, and in November we welcomed four new members, two from price drops (AiW Radeon X800 XT 256MB and PNY GeForce 7900 GS 256MB cards) and two brand new models debuting for the first time (GeForce 7300 GT 512MB and Radeon X1650 Pro 512MB cards). ATI performance fans will flock towards the powerful X1800 GTO 256MB and X1900 GT 256MB boards, while NVIDIA buyers can choose between the GeForce 7600 GT 256MB and GeForce 7900 GS 256MB cards.