Best PCIe Card For ~£230: None
Honourable Mention:
2 x Radeon HD 6850 in CrossFire
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance
| 2 x Radeon HD 6850 in CrossFire | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV970 "Barts" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1920 (2 x 960) |
| Texture Units: | 96 (2 x 48) |
| ROPs: | 64 (2 x 32) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 775 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1000 (4000 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 254 W (2 x 127 W) |
We already know that two Radeon HD 6850s in CrossFire are fast. However, based on our recent exploration of micro-stuttering, there's a fair chance that enthusiasts sensitive to this phenomenon might not be satisfied with the way a pair of these cards behave. If you already know this doesn't affect you, then you're in the clear.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 6850 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£260: Tie
GeForce GTX 570
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games
| GeForce GTX 570 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GF110 |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 480 |
| Texture Units: | 60 |
| ROPs: | 40 |
| Memory Bus: | 320-bit |
| Core/Shader Speed MHz: | 732 / 1464 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 950 (3800 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 219 W |
The GeForce GTX 570 and Radeon HD 6970 offer exceptional performance for as little as £260. Both single-GPU cards perform slightly slower than two GeForce GTX 460 cards in SLI or Radeon HD 6850 cards in CrossFire, but they do so without the hassles associated with a multi-card rig (including power, cooling, motherboard slot spacing, and in some cases, micro-stuttering).
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 570 for more information on this card and its underlying architecture.
Radeon HD 6970
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games
| Radeon HD 6970 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | "Cayman" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1536 |
| Texture Units: | 96 |
| ROPs: | 32 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 880 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1375 (5500 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 250 W |
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 6970 for more information on this card and its underlying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£280: None
Honourable Mention:
2 x Radeon HD 6870 in CrossFire
Great 2560x1600 performance
| 2 x Radeon HD 6870 in CrossFire | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | RV970 "Barts" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 2240 (2 x 1120) |
| Texture Units: | 112 (2 x 56) |
| ROPs: | 64 (2 x 32) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 900 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1100 (4200 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 302 W (2 x 151 W) |
Two Radeon HD 6870 cards in CrossFire and two GeForce GTX 560 cards in SLI are very powerful, capable combinations. Just keep in mind that, if you plan to employ resolutions above 1080p with anti-aliasing enabled, you may want to consider boards with more than 1 GB of RAM.
Because Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560s are now more expensive than the Radeon HD 6870s, this is no longer a shared spotlight. Instead, AMD's mid-range card takes the sole entry. Bear in mind, though, that this isn't a full recommendation, either. The Radeon HD 6870s remain honorable mentions in light of the findings in Micro-Stuttering And GPU Scaling In CrossFire And SLI.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 6870 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
70 pounds
Gigabyte DDr3 version