Best PCIe Card For ~£250:
Radeon HD 7870
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Great 2560x1600 performance
| Radeon HD 7870 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Pitcairn |
| Process: | 28 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1280 |
| Texture Units: | 80 |
| ROPs: | 32 |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 1000 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1200 (4800 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11.1/SM 5 |
| Max TDP: | 175 W |
The Radeon HD 7870 sets a new standard for what we expect from a sub-£300 GPU. With performance comparable to the GeForce GTX 580 and kissing the heels of AMD's own Radeon HD 7950, this card represents one of the best high-end values we've seen in recent memory.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7800 series for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
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 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 ~£290:
Radeon HD 7950
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance
| Radeon HD 7950 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | Tahiti |
| Process: | 28 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1792 |
| Texture Units: | 112 |
| ROPs: | 32 |
| Memory Bus: | 384-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 800 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1250 (5000 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11.1/SM 5 |
| Max TDP: | 200 W |
Upon its release, AMD's Radeon HD 7950 was overpriced compared to the Radeon HD 7970, and it performed too much like the less-expensive Radeon HD 7870. After a sequence of recent drops, though, this card is now an excellent option at £290.
Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7950 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
Best PCIe Card For ~£260: None
Honourable Mention:
2 x Radeon HD 6870 in CrossFire
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, 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.
Bear in mind, though, that this isn't a full recommendation, either. The Radeon HD 6870s remain honourable 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.
Honourable Mention:
2x GeForce GTX 560 in SLI
Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Great 2560x1600 performance
| 2x GeForce GTX 560 in SLI | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | GF114 |
| 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: | 810 / 1620 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 1002 (4008 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 11/SM 5 |
| Max TDP: | 160 W |
The GeForce GTX 560 is essentially a highly overclocked GeForce GTX 460, and two in SLI provide good competition for a dual Radeon HD 6870 CrossFire setup.
Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.
Scan have a huge number of 670s, a large number of 680s and a few 690's still in stock.
"Soooo hard to find!"
UK e-tailers will have 20% VAT on, which makes them more expensive but yeah... rip-off Britain and all that.
Also, I've always been dubious as to the accuracy of 'great at 1920x1080' etc, due to huge variance in how demanding specific games are (say Modern Warfare vs Metro 2033) but if you're going to insist on doing it, maybe it's time to step up to resolutions beyond 2560x1600 (i.e. multi-display setups). We're now reaching 'great at 2560x1600' at at the start of the 3rd of 4 of pages. So the entire second half of the roundup!