Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great—that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.
So, if you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money.
February Updates:
As of this very moment, Nvidia's GeForce GTX Titan still isn't something you can buy, even if the card's details and performance characteristics are well-enough known. According to the company, though, availability should pick up sometime next week. Most of the rumors about the thing proved true, though. It centers on a GK110 graphics processor with 2,688 CUDA cores, it employs a 384-bit memory bus, and includes a massive 6 GB of GDDR5 memory. The card is naturally a speed demon, though it has the price tag to match. Although it ascends the throne as the fastest single-GPU board we've ever tested, clearly, this board is only right for a select few.If you count yourself among those lucky enough to have the money for one Titan card, consider a GeForce GTX 690 instead. Its dual GK104 graphics processors are faster, at the end of the day. The only time we'd recommend otherwise would be if you're working within the confines of a small machine unable to accommodate the 690's length: a Tiki, a Bolt, a Revolt, or something else along those lines. However, if you're willing to spend big on three Titans, well, there's nothing else out there capable of matching such a configuration's performance.
The other card we started seeing in the last month centers on AMD's Tahiti GPU, and our opinion of it showed up in Tahiti LE, Tested: PowerColor's HD7870 PCS+ Myst Edition. That's right, PowerColor is using its highest-end GPU (albeit cut back quite a bit) in a product bearing the Radeon HD 7870 designation. Equipped with 1,536 shaders operating at a 925 MHz base clock and accelerating to 975 MHz under the right conditions, this thing proved enough of a value to earn a Smart Buy award in our review. The PowerColor board sells for $240, so, we have no reason to continue recommending the Pitcairn-based Radeon HD 7870 at $230.
In other AMD-related news, the vanilla Radeon HD 7970 dropped to $385, while GHz Edition boards still go for $430 or so. This gives us even more reason to recommend the older version of the card over its boost-enabled successor. That lower price also makes it look a little better next to the $370 GeForce GTX 670. It's also worth mentioning that the Radeon HD 6870 and 6850 are pretty much gone now, so there's a sizable void between the $120 Radeon HD 7770 and $175 Radeon HD 7850 1 GB.
Prices on Nvidia's cards remain fairly stable. However, we did notice that the GeForce GTX 570 is no longer available on Newegg, and the GeForce GTX 550 Ti is represented only by a single model.
Some Notes About Our Recommendations
A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list:- This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, then the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need. We've added a reference page at the end of the column covering integrated graphics processors, which is likely more apropos.
- The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that recommendations for multiple video cards, such as two Radeon cards in CrossFire mode or two GeForce cards in SLI, typically require a motherboard that supports CrossFire or SLI and a chassis with more space to install multiple graphics cards. They also require a beefier power supply compared to what a single card needs, and will almost certainly produce more heat than a single card. Keep these factors in mind when making your purchasing decision. In most cases, if we have recommended a multiple-card solution, we try to recommend a single-card honorable mention at a comparable price point for those who find multi-card setups undesirable.
- Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t base our decisions on always-changing pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest, along with real-time prices from our PriceGrabber engine, for your reference.
- The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary.
- These are new card prices. No used or open-box cards are in the list; they might represent a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.
Post a Comment