Best PCIe Card: $100 To $190
Best PCIe Card For ~$100:
Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (Check Prices)
Good 1920x1200 performance in most games
| 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 (1,986 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10.1/SM 4.1 |
With Radeon HD 4850 512 MB prices dropping to a surprisingly low $100, this card easily takes the price/performance crown from the Radeon HD 4770 (which is still about $115 due to availability issues). With generally-better performance compared to the Radeon HD 4770 and comparable performance with the more expensive GeForce GTS 250, the pressure is on Nvidia to drop prices in order to compete.
Of course, we're wondering how e-tailers feel about hacking down the prices for the Radeon HD 4850 in response to the Radeon HD 4770, only to see 4770 inventory levels evaporate. Ouch.
Best PCIe Card For ~$130:
Radeon HD 4870 512 MB (Check Prices)
Good 1920x1200 performance in most games
| Radeon HD 4870 512 MB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 800 |
| Texture Units: | 40 |
| ROPs: | 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 |
This is the sweet spot, folks. If someone told us the Radeon HD 4870 would be marked down to $130 four months ago, we'd have laughed in their face. Well, who is laughing now? Gamers are, with this very powerful card and its fast GDDR5 memory available at bargain-basement prices.
Best PCIe Card For ~$150-$165: Tie
Radeon HD 4870 1GB (Check Prices)
Good 1920x1200 performance in most games
| Radeon HD 4870 1GB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 800 |
| Texture Units: | 40 |
| ROPs: | 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 |
For $20 more than the 512 MB version, you can have the 1 GB Radeon HD 4870. For a few dollars less than the GeForce GTX 260, the Radeon card offers a little more RAM and comparable performance.
GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) (Check Prices)
| GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GT200 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 216 |
| Texture Units: | 72 |
| ROPs: | 28 |
| Memory Bus: | 448-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 576 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 999 (1,998 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10/SM 4.0 |
While these cards might not sport a full 1 GB of RAM, they do offer advantages in titles that run better on Nvidia's GT200 architecture. Once again, a little diligence is required on the part of the buyer to find out which card is the best adapted for his or her favorite titles and whether or not the motherboard supports SLI or CrossFire. (Ed.: Check out our recent Radeon HD 4890 review, which has numbers for the 512 MB and 1 GB Radeon HD 4870s, along with the GeForce GTX 260 Core 216).
Note that we are recommending the newer Core 216 version of the GeForce GTX 260 instead of the older version with 192 shader processors, which is now becoming hard to find. Regardless, check the specifications of any card before you purchase.
how can you even compare nvidia and ATi dual card setup's at that price point? with the 9.8 drivers the ATi cards are way ahead.
hei
I find this guide extremely unnecessary at the time. After sept. 22 the new ati cards will come out. You cannot recommend anyone to buy anything better than a 4870, with the prospect of these new cards. Their flagship will be around the 300 dollar range and there will probably be between 200 and 300. I want to bet my leg on the fact that those will easily outperform anything within its budget range.
This is not the time to buy a high end graphic solution. The 4870 will be fine for about any game and it in a sweetspot when it comes to its price. If this does not satisfy your needs, have patience and wait for the new cards to present themselves.