Best Graphics Cards for the Money (Archive)

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chaosmassive

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typos found
"AMD introduced its Radeon RX 470 and 460, the former based on the same Polaris 10 GPU as Radeon RX 480 and the latter sporting a new Polaris 11 processor."

RX 480 and RX 470 based on Polaris 10
and RX 460 based on Polaris 11
 
Well Chris, this is one of those rare times I can say you got one wrong. According to http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/radeon-r7-360-video-card-review/6/ the GTX750Ti is the stronger card. Prices are similar, with the GTX750Ti having a few models currently offering rebates which could make them cheaper as well. The GTX750Ti also comes in variants that do not have a PCIe power cable.
 

Pixdawg

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@CHAOS--"the latter" in what Chris wrote refers to the 460, so it's not an error or typo. Perhaps you might read more carefully.
 

OcelotRex

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Well they should be - there's a single 4GB MSI RX 480 over on Newegg for $199.99 and I've yet to really see it in stock. It also uses the louder, poorer performing reference cooler.

There are a couple GTX 1060 6GB's in stock at the $249.99 price and some at $259.99 overclocked. So the caveat of:
It does all of those things for $200, if you snag the 4 GB version.
Is very important since there doesn't seem to be availability (and it's not improving) for said 4GB 480.
 

RomeoReject

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Yes, I love AMD dearly, but the fact they seem to be pushing the 8GB while neglecting the 4GB (Which I'd argue makes more sense than the 8GB in most cases) is beyond frustrating. Couple that with the price surging, lack of stock and huge delays with AIB boards, and the launch of the 480 has gone from excitement, to frustration, for me.
 

none12345

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1060 and 480 really really really really deserve to be on the same tier.

If you only consider dx11, then the 1060 almost deserves a tier higher, tho i dont know if id consider that tier. Really youd have the 480 at the lower end of the tier and the 1060 at the upper end.

If you only consider dx12/vulcan, then the 480 almost deserves a tier higher, tho again i wouldnt say its an entire tire. Now you have the 480 at the upper end of the tier, and the 1060 at the lower end.

On average tho, these 2 cards absolutely are on the same tier.

But taht leaves them in a wierd position, with all the old cards in their chart. Probably easiest way to do it is to create another tier for just thse 2 cards, below the 980/fury tier, above the next lower tier. That wont be right in all cases, but its the best i can think of to get the 2 newest cards from both companies compared correctly.
 

cangelini

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Which is exactly what the original text says :)
 

husker

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It occurs to me, as an owner of a high-end freesync monitor, that any recommendations of an Nvidia card (no matter how justified) are totally useless to me. I'm sure there are others like me. A quality monitor can be double or triple the cost of the video card, so there's no real chance of switching from freesync to g sync in order to snag a "best value" Nvidia card. For this reason, every category should include a recommendation for both AMD and Nvidia. The same argument applies both ways, if you're a g sync gamer, what good is an AMD recommended card?
 
@husker - Your post is a good example of why "vendor lock-in" sucks. The tech that makes gsync and freesync should and is standard, it's just nVidia decided to use a hardware approach. Greed is the only reason for gsync and nVidia's lack of support for freesync.

Vendor lock-in is why I will never buy either version of the tech until one becomes totally universal, which basically means nVidia will have to give in and support freesync, but I think they are making too much money for that to happen.
 

uglyduckling81

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No one would pay the g-sync tax if they had the option to do exactly the same thing for $300 less. I'm sure that chip they put in is worth $10-$15 so it's a little confusing why it needs to be so damn expensive. Pay for R&D but with an open source solution already available for no additional cost it makes no sense.
I would also like to get onboard with freesync but while Nvidia make the best cards in my price range I can't. Also I don't want to be pigeon holed in the future.

So I go without.
 
So this begs the question: What is the issue with the stock? Are there production yield issues or is there a delay at the AIB partners (maybe getting enough PCB and coolers together)? Or is it possible that the vendors are just withholding the stock to keep prices inflated?

Do we know where the supply failure is? I understand launch shortages, but it's been long enough for some of the cards to get sufficient stock.
 

husker

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@Martell1977 - Good point. I did jump in and choose a side, though. Nobody held a rocket launcher to my head, so that is totally on me. But it's hard not to take advantage of the smooth frame syncing that these technologies offer.
 

Zaxx420

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@Martell1977...damn good question that I think a LOT of folks are asking. Esp people like me that got sick of waiting and settled for a 470. Don't get me wrong...my Nitro turned out to be a solid card and OCs like a bat outta hell once unlocked and can go toe to toe with a ref spec 480....but AMD has pissed off more than a few of it's most loyal customers who specifically don't have money to burn, or waste. Not sure exactly what happened but one thing is for sure...retailers are making bank sticking it to these same cash strapped customers that make up the vast majority of the gfx card market. Thanks AMD (and NewEgg, Amazon, etc.)...we really appreciate that.
I heard some rumors that Apple was hogging the initial supply...dunno how true that is.
 

OcelotRex

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That was the issue that I tried to bring up further above. I've seen some outlets call the RX480 4GB a "paper launch" by putting just enough units out there so the card existed until the RX470 filled in that hole in the market. It looks good on paper and from review sites but actual availability to consumers should make it hard to recommend.

I still think that at the $239-249 price point you cannot go wrong with either the 1060 or the 480 and there are good reasons to go either way. I would've liked to have seen that reflected in the recommendations.
 
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