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Best PCIe Card For ~$370: None
Honorable Mention: Radeon HD 4870 X2 (Check Prices)
Good 1920x1200 performance, 2560x1600 in most titles with some lowered detail
| Radeon HD 4870 X2 2 GB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1,600 (2 x 800) |
| Texture Units: | 80 (2 x 40) |
| ROPs: | 32 (2 x 16) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 750 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 900 (3,600 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10.1/SM 4.1 |
Two separate Radeon HD 4870 cards in CrossFire are notably cheaper than a single Radeon HD 4870 X2, which is why that setup scored the recommendation. Having said that, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 is a single card and is therefore viable for those of you with a single PCIe slot on your motherboard. For this reason, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 gets an honorable mention.
Best PCIe Card For ~$400: Tie
Two Radeon HD 4890 cards in CrossFire Configuration (Check Prices)
Good 1920x1200 performance, 2560x1600 in most titles with some lowered detail
| 2 x Radeon HD 4890 in CrossFire Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1,600 (2 x 800) |
| Texture Units: | 80 (2 x 40) |
| ROPs: | 32 (2 x 16) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 850 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 975 (3,900 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10.1/SM 4.1 |
Two Radeon HD 4890 cards should, on average, perform on par or better than a single GeForce GTX 295, and the Radeons cost less. If you have a CrossFire motherboard and want some serious high-resolution performance, this is the way to go.
Two GeForce GTX 275 card in SLI Configuration (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles (some with lowered detail)
| 2 x GeForce GTX 275 in SLI Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GT200b |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 480 (2 x 240) |
| Texture Units: | 160 (2 x 80) |
| ROPs: | 56 (2 x 28) |
| Memory Bus: | 448-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 633 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1,134 (2,268 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10/SM 4.0 |
It's funny that we're recommending two GeForce GTX 275 cards in SLI over a single GeForce GTX 295, when you consider that each GeForce GTX 275 is essentially half of a GeForce GTX 295. Saving the $210 compared to the GeForce GTX 295 doesn't result in a performance penalty. If anything a pair of GeForce GTX 275s will display a slight performance edge due to their faster clock speeds.
Best PCIe Card For ~$510: None
Honorable Mention: GeForce GTX 295 (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles (some with lowered detail)
| GeForce GTX 295 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x GT200b |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 480 (2 x 240) |
| Texture Units: | 160 (2 x 80) |
| ROPs: | 56 (2 x 28) |
| Memory Bus: | 448-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 576 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 999 (1,998 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10/SM 4.0 |
Nvidia's GeForce GTX 295 with SLI-on-a-card is the most powerful single graphics card on the planet. Essentially two conjoined GeForce GTX 275 cards, the GeForce GTX 295 offers very notable gains over the Radeon HD 4870 X2 in the great majority of game titles. Even more impressive is that it does so while consuming less power than ATI's flagship card, which is no small feat.
To get more performance than what the GeForce GTX 295 offers, you'd have to look to extreme solutions such as multiple GeForce GTX 285s in SLI or Radeon HD 4870 X2s in CrossFire. But unless you have a 30" monitor, that would be a gratuitous waste of cash considering the small performance gains you'd get for spending a whole lot more money.
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I'm a little surprised that you consider the HD4850 as giving "Good 1920x1200 performance in most games"
This card is good but definitely meant for 1680x1050. I don't see this card playing Far Cry 2 or any moderately new game on anything past medium on 1920x1200.
Radeon HD 4730? I found out about that card by accident. It seems to be a harvested 4870 (at least some sites report that).
Will there be a review of this card (the Powercolor version seems better). Or is this too much low end for Tom's ???
Nice article you have there. Kudos!
Intel IGPs are total wreck. They aren't even worth mentioning.
Radeon HD 4730? I found out about that card by accident. It seems to be a harvested 4870 (at least some sites report that).Will there be a review of this card (the Powercolor version seems better). Or is this too much low end for Tom's ???
I think this card is a mess. I've read a review somewhere that it performs like a 4670 but consumes power like 4870.
It's tempting to get another GPU, but most games run so well on just one GTX 260 C216 I may just get a new Intel SSD instead.
Wow, it's a good time to buy a new graphic processor...I don't even see my GTS 250 recommended anymore, and that was only a month or two ago! Pace of innovation is fast, I say....
I'm a little surprised that you consider the HD4850 as giving "Good 1920x1200 performance in most games"This card is good but definitely meant for 1680x1050. I don't see this card playing Far Cry 2 or any moderately new game on anything past medium on 1920x1200.
Eh, if you're on that tight of a budget you can stand 20 fps or medium settings.
@anyone tempted to buy now:
Don't spend too much, you'll just be upgrading in six months anyway for a shiny new tessellation unit.
I cant help but feel like this article is showing me information that I have already seen several times before.
Funny, I was thinking to myself yesterday "It's almost August and no best graphics cards articles" and look what we have today. Maybe I should play the lottery today...
Anyway, good article. Even included intel IGPs this time.
I cant help but feel like this article is showing me information that I have already seen several times before.
It's a glitch in the matrix...
I think this card is a mess. I've read a review somewhere that it performs like a 4670 but consumes power like 4870.
Nope. It performs AND consumes in betwenn a 4870 and a 4670. Pretty good card, if you ask me.
Not that I would ever buy one, but since you do address the enthusiast market, does the GTX 295 Hydro justify the cost over the vanilla 295?
And since you also carve out some of the same GPUs with varying ram size, does the same type of performance increase with IGP? MSI has 1gb DDR3 sideport on their 790gx board available.
And agreeing with doomtomb, can we get definitions of what good/exceptional performance is for the varying resolutions? I wouldn't but a 4850 up to 1920x1080. Maybe the 1 gb card, but the 512 is going to choke along the way, and I wouldn't consider that good performance.
wow. FAIL at Intel Graphics department
Now we just needs to see something new come out in the next month before my 90 day step-ups run out.....been a slow summer on the graphics front
Nice to see my GTX 275 SLI are still being recommended
Can't believe how good performance you can get for the money right now. It's unbelievable.
I was pretty happy when I got my 4870 512mb for $250, and now it's almost half the price. Hopefully these prices will help grow the PC gaming market. Another $150 to most computers sold now give you a good gaming computer pretty much.
Nice article you have there. Kudos!Intel IGPs are total wreck. They aren't even worth mentioning.
There so bad a lot of Intel's IGP can't even run Vista Areo Interface (Microsoft have already had a pop at Intel for the lack of Areo support)! It's almost as if Intel went all out the produce the crappiest video chipset they could possibly make.
The Radeon HD 4870 1Gb is such as good deal at the moment it's hard to believe this was the 2nd best performing card on the market just sitting behind the GTX280 last summer. I'm tempted to get one to replace my 8800GT but the Radeon DX11 cards are just around the corner it seems almost pointless getting one now.
How can Intel even SAY "Graphics Media Accelerator" and keep a straight face? Epic FAIL is right.
newegg has 4850s in the $80-$90 range, I dont think you can beat that bang for your buck.. I am hoping this is a sign of the soon to come 5xxx series >=D
Side note: Where is the 2009 CPU Chart BTW?????
Yes ...Just where is that chart?
Funny looking at the chart. I went from Rage 128, GE Force 256, X850 Pro, to my current card the x1950 pro AGP. Next card will probably be HD 4870 X2.
I really don't upgrade often!
Yes ...Just where is that chart?
This. From this point on, this comment thread will now be about petitioning that toms updates the CPU chart.
Yes ...Just where is that chart?
.. -1 for my observational skills