Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Components > Graphics Cards > Best Video Cards For The Money: Dec '08

PCI Express (PCIe) Interface: $0 to $80

06:10 - Thursday 4 December 2008 by Don Woligroski

Best PCIe Card For $60:

Good 1440x900 performance in most games

**Radeon HD 4650**
Codename:	RV730
Process:	55 nm
Universal Shaders:	320
Texture Units:	32
ROPs:	8
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	600
Memory Speed MHz:	500 (1000 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model	DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

With the Radeon HD 4650’s price dropping to $60, we have a really attractive budget gaming option that takes us past the old budget 1280x1024 limitation. The 4650 is simply an underclocked Radeon 4670, which by now has a reputation as being a very fast mainstream card with low power requirements. Well, the 4650 requires even less power and offers very good gaming performance for the price.

The 4650 is also an exemplary choice for a home theater PC because it can accelerate even HD video without breaking a sweat, and since it’s a single-slot solution, the card won’t use up too much space in your HTPC.

Best PCIe Card For $80: Tie

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games

**Radeon HD 4670 GDDR3**
Codename:	RV730
Process:	55 nm
Universal Shaders:	320
Texture Units:	32
ROPs:	8
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	750
Memory Speed MHz:	1,000 (2,000 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model	DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4670 slaps previous-generation, high-end performance squarely in the jaw of mid-range pricing. With 320 shader processors, this card means business and will provide awesome 1600x1200 gaming. Compared to the 9600 GSO, its main advantage is a low-power requirement—the 4870 doesn’t need an external power cable, which for some upgraders is a really important feature.

**GeForce 9600 GSO (aka GeForce 8800 GS)**
Codename:	G92
Process:	65 nm
Universal Shaders:	96
Texture Units:	48
ROPs:	12
Memory Bus:	192- or 128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	600
Memory Speed MHz:	900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model	DX 10 / SM 4.0

Previously a high-end card crippled and transformed into a high- to mid-range card, the release of the Radeon HD 4670 has forced the 9600 GSO to a lower price to remain competitive—which it does. It’s an excellent alternative to the 4670, as long as the buyer compares clock speeds and makes sure he or she has one of the desirable models (manufacturers seem to follow the reference speeds very loosely).