Best PCIe Card: $280 To $380
Best PCIe Card For ~$290:
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, good 2560x1600 performance in most titles
Two Radeon HD 4870 1GB cards in CrossFire configuration (Check Prices)
| Two Radeon HD 4870 1GB in CrossFire Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x RV770 |
| Process: | 55nm |
| 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 Radeon HD 4870 cards are even more compelling when equipped with gobs of memory, and $30 is all it takes to up the ante from a pair of 512MB cards to a pair of 1GB cards.
As usual, make sure you have a CrossFire-compatible motherboard and a good power supply so that you can enjoy the 3D horsepower these monsters offer without stability issues.
Best PCIe Card For ~$330: None
Honorable Mention: Two GeForce GTX 260 cards in SLI configuration (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, good 2560x1600 performance in most titles
| Two GeForce GTX 260 (Core 216) cards in SLI Configuration | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x GT200 |
| Process: | 55/65nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 432 (2 x 216) |
| Texture Units: | 144 (2 x 72) |
| 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 |
If you have an SLI-only motherboard, then you can't use two Radeon HD 4870s in CrossFire. But you can certainly spend a bit more for a pair of fast GeForce GTX 260 graphics cards in SLI.
As we noted with the single-card recommendations, two GeForce GTX 260 cards in SLI offer advantages in titles that run better with Nvidia's GT200 architecture. As with the single GeForce GTX 260s, we recommend the newer Core 216 versions, thanks to the similar price and enhanced performance.
Best PCIe Card For ~$370: None
Honorable Mention: Radeon HD 4870 X2 (Check Prices)
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, good 2560x1600 performance in most titles
| Radeon HD 4870 X2 2 GB | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x RV770 |
| Process: | 55nm |
| 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.
My God! AMD are trouncing NVidia this month! roll on 58x0!
Also looking forward to where the mobility 4000 series sit against NVidia.
My my, how things have changed. AMD/ATI are beating NVidia where it matters most, i.e. the mainstream market.
This is big for AMD, i hope they do well
its about time
nexted year or 2 maybe they will get some decent cpu's