Best PCIe Card: $400 And Up
Honorable Mention:
Best PCIe Card For ~$430: Radeon 4870 X2
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles (some with lowered detail)
| Radeon HD 4870 X2 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x RV770 |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 1,600 (2 x 800) |
| Texture Units: | 80 (2 x 40) |
| ROPs: | 32 (2 x 16) |
| Memory Bus: | 256-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 750 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 900 (3,600 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10.1/SM 4.1 |
It's hard to recommend the $430 Radeon HD 4870 X2 when two GeForce GTX 260s in SLI or two Radeon HD 4870 1 GB cards in CrossFire can be purchased for $360. However, we can't ignore how a lot of folks out there don't have SLI- or CrossFire-capable motherboards and it might not be worth the cost and trouble to upgrade. For these folks, the Radeon HD 4870 X2 gets an honorable mention as a single card, despite its high price.
Best PCIe Card For ~$520:
Exceptional 1920x1200 performance in most games, 2560x1600 in most titles (some with lowered detail)
| GeForce GTX 295 | |
|---|---|
| Codename: | 2 x GT200b |
| Process: | 55 nm |
| Universal Shaders: | 480 (2 x 240) |
| Texture Units: | 160 (2 x 80) |
| ROPs: | 56 (2 x 28) |
| Memory Bus: | 448-bit |
| Core Speed MHz: | 576 |
| Memory Speed MHz: | 999 (1,998 effective) |
| DirectX/Shader Model: | DX 10/SM 4.0 |
Nvidia's GeForce GTX 295 sporting SLI-on-a-card is the most powerful single graphics card on the planet. Basically two attached GeForce GTX 275 cards that have been merged, the GeForce GTX 295 offers very notable gains over the Radeon HD 4870 X2 in the great majority of game titles. Even more impressive is that it does so while consuming less power than AMD's flagship does--no small feat.
If you want the best of the best, this is the card to get. The only way to get more performance is perhaps to triple-SLI some GeForce GTX 285s or quad-CrossFire two Radeon HD 4870 X2s, but unless you have a 30" monitor, that would likely be a gratuitous waste of money.
I'm getting a little tired with the ongoing shift in focus of these articles - it's the best card for your money. That to me says "here are some price brackets, here are the best cards for each" not "you'd be stupid to spend this much money when you can go SLI for cheaper".
As a result, it's of no interest to me within the scope of this article that 2x 260GTXs in SLI are better value than a single 4870 X2 (especially as earlier on Mr. Woligroski couldn't justify a single 260GTX). Maybe I don't have SLI or Crossfire, maybe I'm interesting in buying half or third of a monster GPU rig now and doubling-up when the cards are cheaper. Maybe I'm even a moron with too much cash.
Similarly, perhaps all I have is $160 and simply cannot stretch any more, so it's no good not putting a card in the $160 bracket just because a product at $25 more is "better value".
Any way you cut it, I want to know what single card is the best in a certain price bracket. These articles doesn't really do this any more.
Perhaps if the focus of the article was "best value for your money" it would be a different matter - what graphics performance can you get for x amount of money? Yes, then I'd be very interested that a pair of 260GTXs at $360 or 2 4870s at $400 is better value than a single 4870X2.
I'm sure there's room for both here: for each price bracket list best single card and best value option - at the lower price points they'll be one and the same.
it would be good if we saw some reviews of like 2x 150$ cards in xfire/sli vs a 200-300$ card lets actually see something about value for money
and why say get a $520 card when a considerably cheaper card can almost do the same for less.
also surprised you didn't say three 4830's in cf for $285, it would be more powerful than a GTX 285 for less.
What a lot of codswallop "Best for the Price crap" with competition in price variations this is no gauge to suggest that the Card(s) is any good and that it is in fact the best of its class, I’m sure you can do better in varying the Marketing and Sales propaganda and give us some facts and not “Bull Dust”