With Christmas coming in just ten days, we could no longer put this off, and we have to talk about some bargains. Let's start with what we do best, graphics.

Today we'll talk about Nvidia's offer, but we' won't be looking at top speced, state-of-the-art stuff; oh no, we'll be talking about the best bang for buck, something you buy your kid just to annoy the hell out of your ex-spouse. When you think graphics bargains, you think ATI, but we're sure Nvidia still has a few aces up its sleeve. If you're not a divorced parent, but one of the offspring, and you can't force your folks to get you a half decent graphics card, keep reading, as these deals should leave much of your allowance intact for some holiday partying.

Here's an example of what we're talking about, an Asus 8800GT for just €62. Of course, there's a catch, it has only 256MB of memory. However, if you're a regular reader, you probably know what you're doing anyway, and at this price it's a great deal. Getting a 512MB version will cost you at least €30, or 50 percent more, and the performance gain, although substantial, is nowhere near 50 percent. The cheapest 9600GT costs €80, and you're better off coughing up an additional €10 for a full blooded G92.

Here's when we run into trouble. As we said, when you think cheap graphics, you think ATI, and apparently you do so for a good reason. In the top selling €100+ price region, Nvidia really hasn't got anything to face 4850/4830 series Radeon. Most 9800GT cards are overpriced, as are the GTX+ models. We did manage to find one cheap 9800GTX+, priced at €109, and you can get it here. Still, 4800 series Radeons reign supreme in this market segment.

Going up the ladder we run into the GTX260, and as you probably know by now, thanks to 216 cores and some new drivers, it's become quite a match for the HD4870. However, the HD4870 is still cheaper, as it sells for as low as €189, while the cheapest GTX260 with 192 stream processors sells for €214, while the 216 core version will set you back €228.

Although you're probably already thinking of holiday feasts, turkey, lard, the works, Nvidia has a sandwich for you. Yes, the 9800GX2 is still on sale, and this behemoth of a card costs €244 nowadays. At this point you're probably starting to think that a raving loon is typing this article, but think about it. True, it's a bit old, and it's €50 more than two 8800/9800GT's, but some people can't upgrade to SLI. Furthermore, it's still a good value for money, as it costs €100 less than a GTX280 and price-wise fills the gap between the 280 and 260, so if you've got a limited budget, look into it.

That about wraps it up as far as Nvidia goes. Although it will soon launch the GTX295 and retake the performance lead, at the moment the green giant is struggling to offer truly competitive products in the mainstream and low-end. We've spent quite a bit of time bargain hunting and came back almost empty handed and it seems Santa will be handing out some red cards, to go along with his Coca-Cola red outfit.