Dark Messiah favors 512MB graphics cards, although we saw little or no performance improvement on the 7900 GT until we cranked the screen resolution up to 1600x1200. (Also note that we ran the game with all quality settings set to 'high'.) At that resolution the 512MB board ran up to 31% faster than the 256MB card. The Radeon X1900 XT 512MB card ran 4-6% faster than the 256MB card overall. Considering that Radeon X1900 XT 256MB cards can be found for as little as $240, you may want to opt for the 256MB X1900 XT card if you're on a budget. It will deliver more performance in Dark Messiah and do so at a lower price than the GeForce 7950 GT.

So that's our take on the best picks for Dark Messiah among high-end graphics cards as it stands now. The GX2 is our top choice if you've got an infinite budget, while the X1900 XT 256MB would be the best solution for those of you who want to spend less than $300. In between ATI's cards dominate as well, with the X1950 XTX at the top and the X1900 XT 512MB and X1900 XTX in the middle. Performance can change once the final game ships sometime next month though, so we'll be keeping an eye out to see if it does.