Best PCIe Card For ~£240: 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.
Honourable Mention:
2 x GeForce GTX 460 1 GB in SLI
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance
| 2 x GeForce GTX 460 1 GB in SLI | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GF104 |
| Process: | 40 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 672 (2 x 336) |
| Texture Units: | 112 (2 x 56) |
| ROPs: | 64 (2 x 32) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core/Shader Speed MHz: | 675 / 1350 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 900 (3600 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5 |
| 300 W (2 x 150 W) | |
Two GeForce GTX 460 1 GB cards in SLI or Radeon HD 6850s in CrossFire beat down a single GeForce GTX 570 or Radeon HD 6970 most of the time. While the performance potential of these solutions is very high, keep in mind is that resolutions beyond 1080p may require more than 1 GB of on-board memory for unconstrained frame rates, especially when using high levels of anti-aliasing.
Again, both this pairing and the one above get dropped to honourable mentions as a result of our findings in Micro-Stuttering And GPU Scaling In CrossFire And SLI coverage.
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£250:
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 around £250. 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).
The GeForce GTX 570 might not own this spot for much longer, though. AMD tells us the Radeon HD 7870 is supposed to be available on March 19th. If that comes to pass, and it costs as much as AMD estimates, then it'll have more compelling performance at a slightly higher price.
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 570 for more information on this card and its underlying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£260: 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.
Our previous note about the Radeon HD 7870 applies here, too. Hold off on two Radeon HD 6870s in CrossFire if you'd prefer to see how much newer Pitcairn-based board costs when it arrives on store shelves.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 6870 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
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