Best Graphics Cards For The Money: October 2014 (Archive)

[deedubbadoo]

I'm using a Superclocked 650ti Boost right now. With GTAV right around the corner, I was thinking about an upgrade. Currently have an i3-4130, and 8GBs of RAM. Would it be better to try an track down another 650Ti, which are running about $130 or should I sell the one I have now and stick with a single card? I just don't know what would be comparable performance wise to SLI'd 650s, in a single card setup. Thanks in advance!

Based on GTA IV, I think your processor is what will hold you back. The city and all of its inhabitants, and their dynamic nature, is really processor intensive. My hunch is that GTA V won't even be SLI/crossfire enabled, and you'll be back to lowered settings, like draw distance, etc, to accommodate the processor. I'd stick with the hardware you have for now, at least don't base any decisions on GTA V alone. Wait for it to come out and get thorough benchmarking, or make purchasing decisions based on other games. GTA V will be an exception to the rules, much like MMOs are imho.

I'm definitely going to wait until they release the recommended specs, which should be the next week or so. I was looking at a CPU upgrade, as well as a RAM bump with the graphics. Namely moving up to an i5-4460, and doubling the memory to 16GBs. With the new cards coming out, and the numbering they use, it's difficult to sort out what's what. I just want a good stable 1080p experience, without breaking the bank. Far Cry 4 runs around 35-40 FPS on very high settings on my current system @ 1080p. I just want to smooth out some of the slowdown I experience, when things get crazy!

 

[icerider]

I really think having the R9 295X2 in this chart skews the value of the chart horribly. It is after all a dual gpu and pulls everything so far to the right in the performance curve near the bottom that it really throws off how close the 980 and 970 are in performance compared to price. Really, rechart without it and compare the curves of performance to dollar.

 

[FTLAUDMAN]

Those AMD 280s (7950s) have always been a great value (crypto-mania prices aside, of course). I've had good luck overclocking them in Crossfire. Roughly two of the 280/7950s equals the frame rate I get from a 780 Ti Classified.

 

[Johnny Goode]

where would the 7570 and 7570 dell gddr5 version rack up

 

[01002920]

well, you did it tom's hardware, i got a gtx 970, everywhere i look all the people told me that gpu was so cheap for the kind of performance it gives. I got the msi 4g and without OC it runs at 1329mhz because of the Nvidia smart boost 2.0.

 

[enewmen]

Please update the Hierarchy Chart. Intel has improved a lot since the HD 4000.

 

[Mr_Venbeer]

In order of price: GT 740, R9 270, R9 290, GTX 970.

 

[Drejeck]

With the possibility of a GTX 960 soon, what effect might that have on 970 prices, if any?

I heard it takes the 770 place so it doesn't affect higher tier pricing. It just fills a gap were AMD has a 1440p better option but not at 1080p.

 

[Drejeck]

Last Quarter I would have agreed with this jump from 200 to 330. Now tho AMD has there prices in line with the cuba core maxwell. The 280 for $199 will beat the plain gtx960 1024 cuba core. The 280x is a bit out of line costing $250 and will be beat by the gtx960ti 1280 cuba core version. Lastly at $280 the 290 will beat the gtx960ti boost/gtx965 1536 cuba core. Jan 22 will be interesting if Nvidia can release all three with better prices than has leaked.

It's CUDA, like barracuda.

 

[Nuckles_56]

960 is nothing but a highly oc'ed 680 . oh WAIT ! there already is such a card 770.

And that is where you are wrong, as the 960 will be a Maxwell card whereas the 680 and 770 are Kepler cards

 

[Drejeck]

960 is nothing but a highly oc'ed 680 . oh WAIT ! there already is such a card 770.

And that is where you are wrong, as the 960 will be a Maxwell card whereas the 680 and 770 are Kepler cards

Correct. 960 has probably the same performances as the 770, I would say, having the 770 Phantom and 750Ti KFA2, that the Maxwell products enables very good graphics in low power envelope and less space not to mention heat dissipation. Maxwell does a tremendous job with fewer bit and the pci slot doesn't affect it at all. An Athlon 5350 with a 4x pci express and a 750Ti deliver almost it's maximum. What feels kinda wrong with Maxwell products it's the absence of a heavy weight chip. Partners have difficulty to deliver higher overclockability and cooling on the 980 due to a reference system very well built.

 

[atheus]

I'm a bit puzzled by the tie between the GTX 970 and the Radeon R9 290x. Even if you call the performance dead even, this chart seems to be heavily price, and with a ~100 watt difference in TDP, you're looking at about $5 per year per hour of daily gaming tacked on to your electricity bill, (or $15 per hour per year in Hawaii). Depending on your use, that can add up to a pretty hefty price increase.

Aside from the price, it's just plain environmentally irresponsible to use more electricity than you need to for anything you're going to do. Global warming is not a joke. Equal performance while using 58% as much electricity is a clear win in my book.

 

[robisinho]

for me, the graphics tiers are "built-in", < $200 "minimal gaming", < $333 "gaming", and "money is no object".

the sub $200 range probably goes to the r9 280 ($150 on newegg), but you can get a 280x for just a tiny bit over $200.

the <$333 goes to the gtx 970. used to be that the 290x was cheaper but now retailers have caught on.

while the money is no object goes to the r9 295x2 (or the titan z .. but those weren't really mass-production cards so it hardly counts as aq real option to me).

 

[perryra1968]

Got lucky and purchased a R9 290 Sapphire on Ebay for $182.00(free shipping). Works like a charm and couldn't be happier.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I'm using a Superclocked 650ti Boost right now. With GTAV right around the corner, I was thinking about an upgrade. Currently have an i3-4130, and 8GBs of RAM. Would it be better to try an track down another 650Ti, which are running about $130 or should I sell the one I have now and stick with a single card? I just don't know what would be comparable performance wise to SLI'd 650s, in a single card setup. Thanks in advance!

I'm using a Superclocked 650ti Boost right now. With GTAV right around the corner, I was thinking about an upgrade. Currently have an i3-4130, and 8GBs of RAM. Would it be better to try an track down another 650Ti, which are running about $130 or should I sell the one I have now and stick with a single card? I just don't know what would be comparable performance wise to SLI'd 650s, in a single card setup. Thanks in advance!

Single card, will be lucky if the game works well in sli. Wait till the game comes out and look at some benches, then decide what you need. I woulnsay the i3 would be sufficient for 40 fps average with a decent GPU like a 760gt or r9 280. More fps will probably require an i5.

 

[zJoriz]

Sorry in advance, stupid question perhaps: where would the integrated Intel HD 4600 fit in this chart?

 

[heinlein]

I'm not much of a gamer anymore so the performance of most of these cards would be wasted on me. I am intrigued by the Oculus Rift products and my next build I will try to ensure is up to the requirements of such devices. Can Oculus suitability be included in future graphics card articles?

 

[Meyfei]

all i heard was Newegg Newegg Newegg. To hell with newegg.

 

[bigrich81]

Why are people so hyped on the best GPU, CPU, MONITOR, MOUSE, MOUSE PAD etc.. If you suck, your are still gonna suck, a better GPU will not help improve your KDR. LMFAO Just buy what you can afford and what is necessary for your GAME of choice being FPS, MMO, RTS, etc... Save your cash for taking a FRIEND out.

 

[logainofhades]

Why are people so hyped on the best GPU, CPU, MONITOR, MOUSE, MOUSE PAD etc.. If you suck, your are still gonna suck, a better GPU will not help improve your KDR. LMFAO Just buy what you can afford and what is necessary for your GAME of choice being FPS, MMO, RTS, etc... Save your cash for taking a FRIEND out.

This is the best for the money. It is good for those looking to get the best they can for their budget, not just what is the best card on the market.

 

[EJinFL]

I picked up a nice used AMD HD7950 3gb 384bit card for $80 on ebay

 

[mao_dze_dun]

How is the 270X not on this list?!?!?! You can easily find the 2GB version for 150$ and the 4GB can be sound sub 180$. This is the best budget card by a long shot. It can get high settings at 60fps 1080p on most games. Even the 2 gig version is a sweet deal.

 

[logainofhades]

How is the 270X not on this list?!?!?! You can easily find the 2GB version for 150$ and the 4GB can be sound sub 180$. This is the best budget card by a long shot. It can get high settings at 60fps 1080p on most games. Even the 2 gig version is a sweet deal.

Yea, this month seems to be missing some price points. Under $200 stops at like $130, and the $200-300 stops at $200. :lol:

 

[evolucion888]

I noticed there are two typos, the amount of cores o the GTX 750 is incorrect, says that it has 500 cores, also the GTX 980 TMU's are also incorrect, it says it has 106.

 

[sigma_ct]

guys im going for a sapphire r9 280, anything better around the same range of money? (less than 200)