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Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2013
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Best PCIe Card For ~£100

Radeon HD 7790

Good 1920x1200 performance in most games, some with lowered detail

Radeon HD 7790
Codename: Bonnaire
Process: 28 nm
Unified Shaders: 896
Texture Units: 56
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 128-bit
Core Speed MHz: 1000
Memory Speed MHz:
1500 MHz GDDR5
DirectX/Shader Model: DX 11/SM 5.0
Max TDP:85 W


The Radeon HD 7790 filled a gap in AMD's portfolio, but was quickly overshadowed by a more affordable GeForce GTX 650 Ti. AMD is responding the only way it can, really: by dropping the price on its 7790. As such, the Radeon earns a thumb-up from us at £100.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7790 for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Best PCIe Card For ~£150: Tie

GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB

Good 1920x1200 performance in most games

GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB
Codename: GK106
Process: 28 nm
Unified Shaders: 768
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 24
Memory Bus: 192-bit
Core Speed (Turbo) MHz: 980 (1033)
Memory Speed MHz: 1502 (6008 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model: DX 11/SM 5
Max TDP:
134 W

In essence, this card is a GeForce GTX 650 Ti with its clock rates and 192-bit memory interface borrowed from the GeForce GTX 660. Presently, the 650 Ti Boost ties AMD's Radeon HD 7850 2 GB as one of our favorite gaming values under £180.

Read our full review of Nvidia's GeForce 650 Ti Boost for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

Radeon HD 7850 2GB

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

Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Codename: Pitcairn
Process: 28 nm
Unified Shaders: 1024
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus:
256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 860 MHz
Memory Speed MHz: 1200 MHz GDDR5
DirectX/Shader Model: DX 11/SM 5.0
Max TDP:130 W

AMD's Radeon HD 7850 2 GB recently dropped to the £150 range, which means it competes against Nvidia's GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost. With price and performance so closely matched, AMD's impressive game bundle may become a tie-breaker.

Read our full review of AMD's Radeon HD 7850 2GB for more information on the card and its accompanying architecture.

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  • 0 Hide
    aje21 , 21 August 2013 06:49
    Hmm, I miss the "fastest card which doesn't need an auxiliary power connector" recommendation which usually went to the 7750. With the pricing of the 7770, how cheap would the 7750 need to go to make it worth slotting in between the 6670 and 7770?
  • 0 Hide
    sam_p_lay , 21 August 2013 09:07
    GTX670 for £170 on Novatech!
  • 0 Hide
    MajinCry , 21 August 2013 09:14
    £150 for a 7850? Hell, I nabbed one for £60 of Ebay. One of the 2GB cards with dual fans, too.

    Wonder when prices will come down to Earth.
  • 0 Hide
    bemused_fred , 21 August 2013 09:36
    I don't normally do this sort of thing, but I think I would be doing prospective GTX 760 and HD 7950 buyers a massive disservice if I failed to point out that you can get the GTX 670 (which is better than both) for the same price here:

    http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=1914&subid=2294

    (Really hope this doesn't get me the bannhammer)
  • 0 Hide
    IIFlexxy , 22 August 2013 17:12
    7950 Windforcex3
  • 0 Hide
    ericlokness , 12 September 2013 14:07
    I am in the process of building a new desktop and wanted to build a linux based system which is also capable of gaming with steam. I am very conscious about how much energy my computer draws - I want to make a lower power, yet powerful computer. (I am aware of the contradiction) How does the Asus GTX650-E-2GD5 stack up against other more power "thirsty" graphics cards? Will I be wasting my money investing in this board? Do you have any other efficient graphics cards that you would recommend for my build?

    Proposed system:
    AMD X4 740 (four cores and 65 watts for only $80!)
    Motherboard (is there much difference in power draw between brands?)
    8GB Corsair Ballistix Memory
    Samsung 840 SSD 500GB
    Asus GTX650-E-2GD5 (only about 65 watts!)
    Rosewell 80 plus Gold PSU

    All told this system will max out at 200 watts, or so that is the estimate. Any recommendations?

    Thanks,
    Newbie Eric :)