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Best PCIe Card: High-end

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: July 2012
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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.

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  • 3 Hide
    houldendub , 11 July 2012 00:24
    Why does everyone ONLY look at Newegg when looking for stock?

    Scan have a huge number of 670s, a large number of 680s and a few 690's still in stock.

    "Soooo hard to find!"
  • 0 Hide
    MajinCry , 11 July 2012 03:42
    Newegg actually has V.Good prices. Compared to the UK's stores, Newegg "pounds" 'em into the ground.
  • 0 Hide
    Andykins , 11 July 2012 06:00
    Ordered a 6770 off Novatech at weekend for £68. Still some on there selling for £70.

    UK e-tailers will have 20% VAT on, which makes them more expensive but yeah... rip-off Britain and all that.
  • -1 Hide
    ismaelf10 , 11 July 2012 22:16
    the is awesome, I recommend it to all PNY GF GTX 670, its quality and 3D performance are unique and best of all is its low cost
  • -1 Hide
    jay_nar2012 , 29 July 2012 01:18
    Has anyone tried gaming with a Nvidia Geforce 6100?
  • 0 Hide
    MajinCry , 29 July 2012 05:00
    I think me dad has one of those kicking about. I think I played the Feeble Files quite well with that card.
  • 0 Hide
    sam_p_lay , 2 August 2012 22:44
    Is it really necessary to give recommendations for so many price points? Is there really anyone out there unwilling to spend £300 on a GTX670 but happy to spend £290 on a 7950?

    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!
  • 0 Hide
    Jony93 , 12 August 2012 21:42
    But what about 580,the price has lowed very hight and the video cards are very good.