Best Values VGA Card For Games

The specifications of the graphics card and comments are great-that is, if you have the time to do research. But at the end of the day, what a player needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.

Therefore, if you do not have the time to research the benchmarks or if you do not feel confident enough in his ability to pick the right board, fear not.

The Radeon HD 4850 X2 became commercially available right after last month’s article was published. The 4850 X2 is a tough card to peg, as its $370 street price is a bit more than the cost of two separate 4850 cards, which can retail for as low as $340. Having said that, the 4850 X2 is equipped with 2 GB of video RAM, while the 4850s with 1 GB of RAM start at $200 each from what we’ve seen. In addition, the 4850 X2 seems to be able to beat Nvidia’s more-expensive flagship GeForce GTX 280 by a small margin. With this in mind, we recommend the Radeon 4850 X2 for those of you with a $370 budget.

Otherwise, the news has been pretty quiet going into the holiday season. Prices keep falling and consumers can’t complain with all of these wonderfully-powerful cards hovering around the $100 mark.

AMD is on the verge of releasing its Catalyst 8.12 driver, which, once installed, should introduce marked performance increases in a number of newer games, as well as adding some new capabilities like a stream computing feature and video encoding acceleration to battle Nvidia’s recent "Badaboom" trial.

On the Nvidia side, we should soon see 55 nm versions of the G200 cards. These should use less power than Nvidia’s current 65 nm GeForce GTX 260/280 cards and make them more overclockable to boot. If this is the case, it’s a safe bet that they’d be ideal for a GeForce 280 GX2 card with two GPUs — just the kind of thing that Nvidia would love to manufacture in order to get the performance crown back from the Radeon HD 4870 X2.

Regardless of what the future holds, lower prices and more performance equal good times right now.

Some Notes About Our Recommendations

A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list:

• This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need;
• Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t offer up-to-the-minute accurate pricing info, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest;
• The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary;
• These are new card prices. No used or open box cards are in the list; they might be a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.
  

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.

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 4670 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).

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games; 1920x1200 in most titles with some lowered detail

Radeon HD 3870
Codename: RV670
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 320
Texture Units: 16
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 775
Memory Speed MHz: 1,125 (2,250 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

At $95, the Radeon HD 3870 is an easy recommendation, positioned between the GeForce 8800 GT and the new Radeon HD 4670. It is still a force to be reckoned with at 1600x1200, and even at 1920x1200.

GeForce 9600 GT
Codename: G92
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 64
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 650
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The 9600 GT is a good match for the Radeon 3870—both are excellent choices at the $95 price point.

Good 1600x1200 performance in most games; 1920x1200 in most titles with some lowered detail

Radeon HD 4830
Codename: RV770LE
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 640
Texture Units: 32
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 575
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The new Radeon HD 4830 finally gives AMD something to compete against the legendary GeForce 8800 GT (as well as its identical sibling, the 9800 GT). Just as the 8800 GT is a crippled 8800 GTS, the Radeon HD 4830 is a crippled 4850. Both cards are excellent, while one winning over the other depends on the game or the image-quality settings.

GeForce 9800 GT 512 MB (aka GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB)
Codename: G92
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 112
Texture Units: 56
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 600
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

While the Radeon HD 4830 offers the 8800/9800 GT its first competition in its price class, the card remains a strong contender and is still a viable option.

Note that it has been reported that some 9800 GTs have been found in the wild with 3-way SLI support.

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

Radeon HD 4850
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 625
Memory Speed MHz: 993 (1,986 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4850 is the new people’s champion, instantly bringing yesterday’s $300 performance level down to the mainstream $160 price point. This card has a lot of potential when used on its own, and becomes a devastating force when paired with a second 4850 in a CrossFire configuration.

Good 1920x1200 performance

Radeon HD 4870 512 MB
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The Radeon HD 4870 offers the same architecture that the 4850 series does, paired with its secret weapon: brand-new GDDR5 memory. This technology provides about twice as much throughput as the GDDR3 does, so its 900 MHz clock speed is comparable to a 3,600 MHz effective memory speed. This edge allows the 4870 to up the ante and offer a very compelling level of performance for the price, even competing with the more-expensive GTX 280 in some titles.

GeForce GTX 260
Codename: GT200
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 192
Texture Units: 64
ROPs: 28
Memory Bus: 448-bit
Core Speed MHz: 576
Memory Speed MHz: 999 (1,998 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

The GeForce GTX 260 offers a compelling level of performance now that its price has been reduced to $220, allowing it to trade blows with the Radeon HD 4870 on its own turf. This is one of those situations where a buyer really should look at which card is best for the games he or she plans to play (although you really can’t go wrong with either card).

Good 1920x1200 performance

GeForce GTX 260+
Codename: GT200
Process: 65 nm
Universal Shaders: 216
Texture Units: 72
ROPs: 28
Memory Bus: 448-bit
Core Speed MHz: 576
Memory Speed MHz: 999 (1,998 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10 / SM 4.0

We designate the new version of the GeForce GTX 260 with a “+” symbol to differentiate it from its identically-named older sibling. Even though there is no official difference between the two cards, the new GTX 260+ has some very tangible performance increases over the original version. For example, the number of shaders have been increased from 192 to 216, which are within spitting distance of the GeForce GTX 280’s 240 shaders. ROPs have been increased from 64 to 72, once again approaching the GTX 280’s 80 ROPs.

The result is a card that performs almost as well as the expensive GeForce GTX 280, for much less money, and it even beats the GTX 280 when overclocked! You must carefully search for the GeForce GTX 260+ by looking hard at the specifications, but it is certainly worth the price premium over the original GTX 260.

Radeon HD 4870 1 GB
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

It turns out that the Radeon 4870, when equipped with a whole gigabyte of GDDR5 RAM, can up the ante to compete against the GeForce GTX 260+ in some titles. As usual when it comes to these two tough competitors, it pays to look at the benchmarks and see which title you play more, as they tend to trade blows depending on the game.

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

2x Radeon HD 4850 in CrossFire Configuration
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 800
Texture Units: 40
ROPs: 16
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 625
Memory Speed MHz: 993 (1986 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

In the 4850 CrossFire benchmarks we’ve seen so far, we’ve found that AMD has really learned to squeeze the performance out of its new cards. While a single performs in the same realm as the Radeon HD 4850 GeForce 9800 GTX+, two 4850s in CrossFire mode will beat the dual-GPU GeForce 9800 GX2—and even put the hurt on the more expensive GeForce GTX 280.

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

Radeon HD 4850 X2
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 1,600
Texture Units: 80
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

The 4850 X2 differentiates itself from a cheaper 4850 CrossFire setup with a full 2 GB of RAM, which usually allows this card to perform better than Nvidia’s flagship GeForce GTX 280 for less money. While the gains over two 4850s in a CrossFire setup might be minimal, those of you without a CrossFire-compatible motherboard will find the 4850 X2 more convenient—just make sure your case and power supply can accommodate the beast.

Good 2560x1600 performance in most games, some with lowered detail

Radeon HD 4870 X2
Codename: RV770
Process: 55 nm
Universal Shaders: 1,600
Texture Units: 80
ROPs: 32
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Core Speed MHz: 750
Memory Speed MHz: 900 (3,600 effective)
DirectX / Shader Model DX 10.1 / SM 4.0

In this author’s opinion, with exponentially increasing prices over $370 offering smaller and smaller performance increases, we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than two Radeon HD 4850s. While the 4870, GTX 260, and GTX 280 perform impressively in multiple-card configurations, there’s just not enough of a gain compared to a Radeon 4850 X2, unless you’re playing at resolutions beyond 1920x1200.

Then again, while we often recommend against purchasing any graphics card more than $370 from a value point of view, there are those of you for whom money might not be much of an object, who can afford a 30” LCD monitor and who require the best possible performance money can buy. For those of you, we recommend the $500 Radeon HD 4870 X2, the fastest video card on the planet.

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, and we leave that part up to you. The best prices will almost certainly be found online, but sometimes large retail outlets might surprise you with a good sale.

Don’t worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there stick pretty close to Nvidia’s and AMD’s reference designs. Just pay attention to price, warranty, and the manufacturer’s reputation for honoring 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.