Best PCIe Card For ~£360: Tie
2 x Radeon HD 6950 1 GB in CrossFire
Excellent 2560x1600 performance
| 2 x Radeon HD 6950 1 GB in CrossFire | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | "Cayman" |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 2816 (2 x 1408) |
| Texture Units: | 176 (2 x 88) |
| ROPs: | 64 (2 x 32) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 800 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1250 (5000 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 400 W (2 x 200 W) |
Recent tests performed by our very own Thomas Soderstrom confirm that the Radeon HD 6900-series features vastly improved scaling performance in CrossFire compared to previous-generation boards. As such, a pair of these cards represents a realistic pinnacle for our recommendations. At £360, two Radeon HD 6950s handily beat the GeForce GTX 580 and Radeon HD 7950, and perform very close to the pricier Radeon HD 7970. Two GeForce GTX 560 Ti cards can be expected to provide comparable performance for about the same price.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 6950 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
2 x GeForce GTX 560 Ti in SLI
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games with lowered detail
| 2 x GeForce GTX 560 Ti in SLI | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GF114 |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 768 (2 x 384) |
| Texture Units: | 128 (2 x 64) |
| ROPs: | 64 (2 x 32) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core/Shader Speed MHz: | 822 / 1644 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1002 (4008 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5 |
| 340 W (2 x 170 W) | |
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
Honourable Mention:
Radeon HD 7950
Great 2560x1600 performance
| Radeon HD 7950 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | "Tahiti Pro" |
| Process: | 28 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1792 |
| Texture Units: | 112 |
| ROPs: | 32 |
| Memory Bus: | 384-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 800 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1250 (4000 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11.1/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 200 W |
The new Radeon HD 7950 might not be as fast as two Radeon HD 6950s in CrossFire, but it uses a lot less power and performance is more consistent compared to a dual-card setup. This card perform on par with the GeForce GTX 580 from Nvidia. However, it's a little less expensive, it uses a lot less power, and it includes some unique functionality that Nvidia hasn't yet matched (more than two independent display pipelines, for starters). As a result, we're calling it the best sub-£400 option for buyers who aren't interested in a dual-card solution.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7950 for more information on the card and its underlying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£450:
Honourable Mention:
Radeon HD 7970
Excellent 2560x1600 performance
| Radeon HD 7970 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | "Tahiti" |
| Process: | 28 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 2048 |
| Texture Units: | 128 |
| ROPs: | 32 |
| Memory Bus: | 384-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 925 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1375 (5500 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11.1/SM 5.0 |
| Max TDP: | 250 W |
The Radeon HD 7970 is the fastest single-GPU graphics card on the planet, in some situations coming close to dual-GPU monsters like the Radeon HD 6990 and GeForce GTX 590.
Both the 6990 and GTX 590 find themselves displaced by AMD's new Radeon HD 7970 this month as a result of choppy availability and ridiculous pricing. Instead, if you have more money than you know what to do with, spending big on this Tahiti XT-based flagship is sure to get you impressive results at 2560x1600 or multi-display resolutions.
Read our full preview of AMD's Radeon HD 7970 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
70 pounds
Gigabyte DDr3 version