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Best PCIe Card: High-end

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2012
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Best PCIe Card For ~£210:

Radeon HD 7870

Excellent 1920x1200 performance, Good 2560x1600 performance in most games with lowered detail

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-£250 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 enthusiast-oriented 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 ~£270:

Radeon HD 7950

Exceptional 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 much-needed price cuts, though, this card is a much more interesting option.

Keep an eye out for the Boost Edition cards, which include a different BIOS with a higher base clock, a boosted operating state, and higher power consumption. Or, if you grab a reference-class 7950, you should have the opportunity to flash a Boost Edition firmware to it yourself.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7950 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Honourable Mention:
2 x Radeon HD 6870 in CrossFire

Exceptional 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 1920x1080 with anti-aliasing enabled, you should 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 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.

Honourable Mention:
2x GeForce GTX 560 in SLI

Exceptional 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:320 W (2 x 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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  • 1 Hide
    simon12 , 11 September 2012 20:58
    These prices are way off you can get a 7770 £84 7850 £132 7870 £195 7950 £228 7970 £300 all from aria
  • 0 Hide
    ryanwyvill1 , 12 September 2012 02:34
    simon12These prices are way off you can get a 7770 £84 7850 £132 7870 £195 7950 £228 7970 £300 all from aria

    Thats why there's a ~before the price.
  • 0 Hide
    aje21 , 12 September 2012 05:08
    The price gaps seem to be a bit strange: £50, ~£90, £100, £135, ~£150, ~£180. I would have expected smaller gaps at the low end, e.g. cheapest discrete card worth having, then a couple of £20 gaps, then start to look at £30 to £35 gaps. So how about a ~£70 recommendation, then £90-100, then £125-150 - that kind of thing. I never buy to an exact price.
  • 0 Hide
    theodoros theodorou , 20 November 2012 01:10
    Discrete:HD 6870 normally goes to Discrete:GTX 470