Best PCIe Card For ~$100: Tie
Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail
| Radeon HD 4850 512 MB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 800 |
| Texture Units: | 40 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 625 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 993 (1986 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10.1/SM 4.1 |
The Radeon HD 4850 never seems to die. It just keeps on delivering great gaming value. At the $100 price point, Nvidia's GeForce GTS 250 and AMD's Radeon HD 4850 hang on in an eternal battle to deliver fantastic performance to budget-oriented gamers. We don't think you can go wrong with either of these cards. As long as they're around, it'll be hard to recommend DirectX 11-class cards priced $20 or $30 higher.
GeForce GTS 250 1 GB (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail
| GeForce GTS 250 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | G92b |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 128 |
| Texture Units: | 64 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core/Shader Speed MHz: | 738 / 1836 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1100 (2200 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10/SM 4.0 |
Just as tenacious as the Radeon HD 4850, the GeForce GTS 250 hangs on at $100.
With an eye to the future, your choice between these affordable products probably depends more on whether or not your motherboard is CrossFire- or SLI-compatible.
Neither the Radeon HD 4850 nor the GeForce GTS 250 offer DirectX 11 support. But then again, at this price point, how many DirectX 11-class features are you really going to be able to enable before performance starts suffering in a big way?
Best PCIe Card For ~$130: Tie
GeForce GTS 450 (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered details
| GeForce GTS 450 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GF106 |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 192 |
| Texture Units: | 32 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 128-bit |
| Core/Shader Speed MHz: | 783 / 1566 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 902 (3608 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
The GeForce GTS 450 launched last month with a $130 price tag, sporting DirectX 11 compatibility and support for bitstreaming that was recently exposed through the latest build of CyberLink's PowerDVD 10 playback software.
Raw performance is slightly higher than the Radeon HD 5750 competition, although the Radeon does perform a little better when anti-aliasing is employed due the its higher memory bandwidth.
GeForce cards tend to scale better than their Radeon counterparts when paired in SLI, so the GeForce GTS 450 is a good investment if you plan to snag a second card somewhere down the line.
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTS 450 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.
Radeon HD 5750 1 GB (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail
| Radeon HD 5750 1 GB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV840 "Juniper" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 720 |
| Texture Units: | 36 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 128-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 700 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1150 (4600 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
The Radeon HD 5750 can be found for as little as $125, and it provides reasonable competition for the new GeForce GTS 450. While raw performance generally trails Nvidia's board, this card's 256-bit memory interface allows it to pull slightly ahead when anti-aliasing is enabled. The Radeon is also able to provide triple-monitor support on its own.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 5750 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~$140:
Radeon HD 5770 1 GB (Check Prices)
Great 1920x1200 performance in most games
| Radeon HD 5770 1 GB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV840 "Juniper" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 800 |
| Texture Units: | 40 |
| ROPs: | 16 |
| Memory Bus: | 128-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 850 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1200 (4800 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
At $140, it's difficult to find solid competition for the Radeon HD 5770 1 GB, and it offers a worthwhile upgrade beyond the cheaper Radeon HD 5750 and GeForce GTS 450.
Not even the more expensive GeForce GTX 460 can cop an easy win, as Nvidia's mid-range champion bears a significantly higher price to match its superior performance. This card continues to offer impressive capability for its moderate price tag.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 5770 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
