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Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: December 2012
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What about this other card that’s not on the list? How do I know if it’s a good deal or not?

This will happen. In fact, it’s guaranteed to happen, because inventory levels and prices change quickly. So how do you know if that card you’ve got your eye on is a good buy in its price range?

Here is a resource to help you judge if a card is a good buy or not. The graphics card hierarchy chart groups graphics cards with similar overall performance levels into tiers. The top tier contains the highest-performing cards available and performance decreases as you go down the tiers from there.

You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two cards, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel and you may not notice a worthwhile difference in performance.

At the request of readers, I have added mobile graphics and integrated chipsets to the hierarchy chart. I want to make it clear that there is very little performance data available for these graphics solutions. While the discrete video cards in the chart are placed in tiers based on a lot of information, many of the mobile and integrated devices in the chart are guesstimates based on their specifications. At worst, I don’t think they’re more than one tier away from their actual performance, but this is something to keep in mind when considering mobile graphics chipsets.

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
GeForceRadeonIntel
Discrete: GTX 690


Discrete: GTX 590
Discrete: HD 6990, 7970 GHz Ed.

Discrete: GTX 680
Discrete: HD 7970
Discrete: GTX 670
Discrete: HD 5970, 7950

Discrete: GTX 580, 660 Ti
Discrete: HD 7870
Discrete: GTX 295, 480, 570, 660
Go (mobile): 680M
Discrete: HD 4870 X2, 6970, 7850
Mobility: 7970M

Discrete: GTX 470, 560 Ti, 560 Ti 448 Core Discrete: HD 4850 X2, HD 5870, HD 6950
Mobility: 7950M

Discrete: GTX 560, 650 Ti
Go (mobile): 580M
Discrete: HD 5850, HD 6870
Mobility: 6990M

Discrete: 9800 GX2, 285, 460 256-bit, 465
Go (mobile): 675M
Discrete: HD 6850, HD 7770
Mobility: 6900M

Discrete: GTX 260, 275, 280, 460 192-bit, 460 SE, 550 Ti, 560 SE, 650
Go (mobile): 570M, 670M
Discrete: HD 4870, 5770, 4890, 5830, 6770,  6790, 7750
Mobility: HD 5870, 6800M

Discrete: 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, GTS 450
Go (mobile): 560M, 660M
Discrete: HD 3870 X2, 4850, 5750, 6750
Mobility: HD 4850, 5850, 7870M

Discrete: 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512 MB, GT 545 (GDDR5)
Go (mobile): GTX 280M, 285M, 555M (GDDR5)
Discrete: HD 4770
Mobility: HD 4860, 7770M, 7850M

Discrete: 8800 GT 512 MB, 9800 GT, GT 545 (DDR3), GT 640 (DDR3)
Go (mobile): 9800M GTX, GTX 260M (112), GTS 360M (GDDR5), 555M (DDR3)
Discrete: HD 4830, HD 5670, HD 6670 (GDDR5)
Mobility: HD 5770, HD 5750, 6600M/6700M (GDDR5), 7750M

Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5)
Go (mobile): 9800M GTS, GTX 160M
Discrete: HD 2900 XT, HD 3870, HD 5570 (GDDR5), HD 6570 (GDDR5)
Mobility: 6500M (GDDR5), 6600M/6700M (DDR3), 7730M

Discrete: 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, GT 240 (DDR3)
Go (mobile): GTX 260M (96), GTS 150M, GTS 360M (DDR3)
Discrete: HD 3850 512 MB, HD 4670, HD 5570 (DDR3), HD 6570 (DDR3), HD 6670 (DDR3)
Mobility: HD 3870, HD 5730, HD 5650, 6500M (DDR3)

Discrete: 8800 GT 256 MB, 8800 GTS 320 MB, GT 440 GDDR5, GT 630 GDDR5
Go (mobile): 8800M
Discrete: HD 2900 PRO, HD 3850 256 MB, 5550 (GDDR5)
Mobility: HD 3850

Discrete: 7950 GX2, GT 440 DDR3, GT 630 DDR3
Discrete: X1950 XTX, HD 4650 (DDR3), 5550 (DDR3)
Integrated: HD 7660D

Discrete: 7800 GTX 512, 7900 GTO, 7900 GTX, GT 430, GT 530
Go (mobile): 550M
Discrete: X1900 XT, X1950 XT, X1900 XTX

Discrete: 7800 GTX, 7900 GT, 7950 G, GT 220 (DDR3)
Go (mobile): 525M, 540M
Discrete: X1800 XT, X1900 AIW, X1900 GT, X1950 Pro, HD 2900 GT, HD 5550 (DDR2)
Integrated: HD 7560D

Discrete: 7800 GT, 7900 GS, 8600 GTS, 9500 GT (GDDR3), GT 220 (DDR2)
Go (mobile): 7950 GTX
Discrete: X1800 XL, X1950 GT, HD 4650 (DDR2), HD 6450
Mobility: X1800 XT, HD 4650, HD 5165, 6400M
Integrated: HD 6620G, 6550D, 7540D

Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2)
Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX
Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670
Mobility: X1900, 3670
Integrated: 6520G, 6530D, 7480D
Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Discrete: 6800 GT, 6800 GS (PCIe), 8600 GT (DDR2), GT 520
Go (mobile): 7800, Go 7900 GS, 520M, 520MX
Discrete: X800 XL, X800 GTO2/GTO16, HD 2600 Pro, HD 3650 (DDR2),
Mobility: X800 XT, HD 2600 XT, 3650
Integrated: 6410D, 6480G

Discrete: 6800 GS (AGP)
Go (mobile): 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 8600M GT, 8700M GT, 410M
Discrete: X800 GTO 256 MB, X800 PRO, X850 Pro, X1650 GT
Mobility: HD 2600
Integrated: 6370D, 6380G

Discrete: 6800, 7300 GT GDDR3, 7600 GS, 8600M GS
Go (mobile): 6800, 7700
Discrete: X800, X800 GTO 128 MB, X1600 XT, X1650 Pro
Mobility: X1800, HD 5145, HD 5470 (GDDR5)

Discrete: 6600 GT, 6800LE, 6800 XT, 7300 GT (DDR2), 8500 GT, 9400 GT
Go (mobile): 7600 (128-bit)
Discrete: 9800 XT, X700 PRO, X800 GT, X800 SE, X1300 XT, X1600 PRO, HD 2400 XT, HD 4350, HD 4550, HD 5450
Mobility: X800, 3470, HD 5470 (DDR3), HD 5450, HD 5430, 6300M
Integrated: HD 6310, HD 6320
Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Discrete: FX 5900, FX 5900 Ultra, FX 5950 Ultra, 6600 (128-bit)
Go (mobile): 6800 (128-bit)
Integrated: 9300, 9400
Discrete: 9700, 9700 Pro, 9800, 9800 Pro, X700, X1300 Pro, X1550, HD 2400 Pro
Mobility: X1450, X1600, X1700, 2400 XT, X2500, 3450
Integrated: HD 3200, HD 3300, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4290, HD 6250, HD 6290 

Discrete: FX 5800 Ultra, FX 5900 XT
Go (mobile): 6600, Go 7600 (64-bit)
Discrete: 9500 Pro, 9600 XT, 9800 Pro (128-bit), X600 XT, X1050 (128-bit)
Mobility: 9800, X700, X1350, X1400, X2300, HD 2400
Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i5-6x1), 2000
Discrete: 4 Ti 4600, 4 Ti 4800, FX 5700 Ultra, 6200, 8300, 8400 G, G 210, G 310
Go (mobile): 315M
Discrete: 9600 PRO, 9800 LE, X600 PRO, HD 2300
Mobility: 9700 (128-bit), X600, X1300
Integrated: Xpress 1250
Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i3 5x0, Core i5-6x0)
Discrete: 4 Ti4200, 4 Ti4400, 4 Ti4800 SE, FX 5600 Ultra, FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit), 7300 GS, 8400M GS, 9300M G, 9300M GS Discrete: 9500, 9550, 9600, X300, X1050 (64-bit)
Mobility: 9600
Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Pentium G)
Discrete: 3 Ti500, FX 5200 Ultra, FX 5600, FX 5700 LE, 6200 TC, 6600 LE, 7200 GS, 7300 LE
Go (mobile): 5700, 8200M, 9200M GS, 9100
Integrated: 8200, 8300
Discrete: 8500, 9100, 9000 PRO, 9600 LE, X300 SE, X1150
Mobility 9700 (64-bit)
Integrated: GMA X4500
Discrete: 3, 3 Ti200, FX 5200 (128-bit), FX 5500,
Go (mobile): 5600, 6200, 6400, 7200, 7300, 7400 (64-bit)
Discrete: 9000, 9200, 9250
Mobility: 9600 (64-bit), X300

Discrete: FX 5200 (64 bit)
Go (mobile): 7200, 7400 (32-bit)
Integrated: 6100, 6150, 7025, 7050
Discrete: 9200 SE
Integrated: Xpress 200M, Xpress 1000, Xpress 1150
Integrated: GMA X3000, X3100, X3500
Discrete: 2 GTS, 4 MX 440, 2 Ultra, 2 Ti, 2 Ti 200 Discrete: 7500 Integrated: GMA 3000, 3100
Discrete: 256, 2 MX 200, 4 MX 420, 2 MX 400 Discrete: SDR, LE, DDR, 7000, 7200 Integrated: GMA 500, 900, 950
Discrete: Nvidia TNT Discrete: Rage 128 Discrete: Intel 740

Summary

There you have it folks; the best cards for the money this month. Now all that’s left to do is to find and purchase them.

Don’t worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there are close to Nvidia’s and ATI’s reference designs. Just pay attention to price, warranty, and the manufacturer’s reputation for honouring the warranty if something goes wrong.

Also remember that the stores don’t follow this list. Things will change over the course of the month and you’ll probably have to adapt your buying strategy to deal with fluctuating prices. Good luck!

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  • 0 Hide
    sam_p_lay , 18 December 2012 04:25
    GTX680s have been available at £370 (and less) for months... are you getting these prices from Amazon or something?
  • 0 Hide
    sam_p_lay , 18 December 2012 04:28
    Also GTX670s have been at £270 for months, not £310... and you say it's £140 for a 2GB 7850, or £260 for two. Is that like a bulk-buy discount?
  • 0 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 18 December 2012 07:09
    Hi :) 

    Umm WHO is this reviewer ??

    7990`s are available from MANY retailers....

    I just bought one for my own gaming machine and my shops have just started stocking them to order....

    And...it BEATS the 690.....

    Please at least TRY and stay up to date....:( 

    Toms Hardware for me and many others is read because of its reviews of up to date hardware, this is now becoming a bit of a joke....

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 1 Hide
    bemused_fred , 18 December 2012 14:40
    Brett928S2Hi Umm WHO is this reviewer ??7990`s are available from MANY retailers....I just bought one for my own gaming machine and my shops have just started stocking them to order....And...it BEATS the 690.....Please at least TRY and stay up to date....Toms Hardware for me and many others is read because of its reviews of up to date hardware, this is now becoming a bit of a joke.... All the best Brett


    Did you see Tom's hardware's review of the 7990? While it does brute-force wins against the 690 in terms of performance, its power consumption and noise are both so high that the 690 is really the better option. Not to mention that there are only 2 vendors for the 7990 as opposed to about 10 for the 690.

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,review-32563.html
  • 0 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 18 December 2012 16:44
    Quote:
    Did you see Tom's hardware's review of the 7990? While it does brute-force wins against the 690 in terms of performance, its power consumption and noise are both so high that the 690 is really the better option. Not to mention that there are only 2 vendors for the 7990 as opposed to about 10 for the 690.

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,review-32563.html


    Hi :) 

    Yes I have seen and read it, but the monthly reviewer obviously missed it :( 

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 1 Hide
    Ceee9 , 18 December 2012 20:49
    Typo on high end gpu, gtx 670 on title, gtx 660 on the columm
  • 0 Hide
    gandyhehe , 18 December 2012 22:36
    id like to know y toms hardware doesnt seem to know u can get a 6670 with gdd5, they have been on ebuyer for ages, they alwasy moan about the ddr3 on the 6670 when its fairly common place to get gdd5
  • 0 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 19 December 2012 00:21
    Quote:
    id like to know y toms hardware doesnt seem to know u can get a 6670 with gdd5, they have been on ebuyer for ages, they alwasy moan about the ddr3 on the 6670 when its fairly common place to get gdd5


    Hi :) 

    Yes the reviewer seems to be a little out of date...lol :) 

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 0 Hide
    brianthesnail , 20 December 2012 22:27
    when will the HD6670 be toppled from the entry level card of choice ... personally i thinks its hampered by the gddr3 downgrade compared to the gddr5 version of the card ( the HD5670 was and still is hard to beat when you can find one )
    the GT640 is nvidia,s only offering at this price range and can keep up with the HD6670 across most titles ... but will there be a HD7670.... and will it come with gddr3 memory or gddr5 .. if its the latter then it shall replace the HD6670 without a doubt.. infact even a gddr3 version would probally replace the HD6670 since thats whats currently at the top of the entry level charts
    note for anyone after gddr5 versions of the HD5670 and HD6670.. check out ... HD5670 ( http://www.videocardshop.co.uk/viewproduct.aspx?part=HD-567X-ZNH4&from=http%3a%2f%2fwww.videocardshop.co.uk%2fsearch.aspx%3fsub%3dRadeon%2bHD5000%2bSeries ) and HD6670 ( http://www.videocardshop.co.uk/viewproduct.aspx?part=HD-667X-ZQFC&from=http%3a%2f%2fwww.videocardshop.co.uk%2fsearch.aspx%3fsub%3dRadeon%2bHD6000%2bSeries ) ..
  • -1 Hide
    mrbeanladen , 21 December 2012 07:23
    bemused_fredDid you see Tom's hardware's review of the 7990? While it does brute-force wins against the 690 in terms of performance, its power consumption and noise are both so high that the 690 is really the better option. Not to mention that there are only 2 vendors for the 7990 as opposed to about 10 for the 690.http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/rade [...] 32563.html

    if you give a crap about a few couple of watts more THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T CONSIDER BUYING A GODDAMN 1000 DOLLAR GPU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • -1 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 21 December 2012 07:34
    Quote:
    if you give a crap about a few couple of watts more THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T CONSIDER BUYING A GODDAMN 1000 DOLLAR GPU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Hi :) 

    Very true lol...

    Same reason I don't worry about 10-12 mpg in my Porsche...

    The 7990 is not loud normally , but does get louder while gaming, but not unpleasantly so...

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 0 Hide
    bemused_fred , 21 December 2012 14:57
    mrbeanladenif you give a crap about a few couple of watts more THEN YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T CONSIDER BUYING A GODDAMN 1000 DOLLAR GPU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    I personally don't consider paying $1000 for a card only to get coil whine and 50+ Db load noise acceptable.
  • 0 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 22 December 2012 01:26
    Quote:
    I personally don't consider paying $1000 for a card only to get coil whine and 50+ Db load noise acceptable.



    Hi :) 

    There is no coil whine and its nowhere near 50 db...

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 0 Hide
    bemused_fred , 22 December 2012 04:23
    Quote:
    Hi :) 

    There is no coil whine and its nowhere near 50 db...

    All the best Brett :) 


    Check the revieiw.
  • 0 Hide
    Brett928S2 , 22 December 2012 05:09
    Quote:
    Check the revieiw.



    Hi :) 

    I HAVE A 7990 !!!

    I repeat there is no coil whine and its nowhere near 50db.... their test was probably done on a test bench...

    Mine is in a Lian-Li case on a carpet.... its NOT any noisier than my previous 5870`s ...

    All the best Brett :) 
  • 0 Hide
    bemused_fred , 22 December 2012 15:37
    Quote:
    Hi :) 

    I HAVE A 7990 !!!

    I repeat there is no coil whine and its nowhere near 50db.... their test was probably done on a test bench...

    Mine is in a Lian-Li case on a carpet.... its NOT any noisier than my previous 5870`s ...

    All the best Brett :) 


    Fair dos.

    I'm still not thrilled about its efficiency though.
  • 0 Hide
    Anonymous , 21 January 2013 20:37
    Is it worth picking up a 7870 or would it be much better to wait until the amd 8800 series comes out?