Holiday 2006 Shopping Guide: GPUs
by Jarred Walton on December 13, 2006 5:15 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Final Recommendations
We've mentioned a lot of GPUs worth considering on the previous pages, but some people just want a quick answer. If we had to pick one or two options for each price bracket as the overall "best", we would recommend the following. For the most part, similar cards from different manufacturers are going to offer the same level of performance. Pay attention to GPU and memory clock speeds if you are comparing two cards from different manufacturers, however, particularly in the less expensive markets where there's a lot of flexibility given to the card manufacturers.
If you're looking for a new graphics card for yourself or someone else, hopefully we have been able to shed some light on the situation. Once again from all of us at AnandTech, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays (and whatever other appropriate greetings you might want)!
We've mentioned a lot of GPUs worth considering on the previous pages, but some people just want a quick answer. If we had to pick one or two options for each price bracket as the overall "best", we would recommend the following. For the most part, similar cards from different manufacturers are going to offer the same level of performance. Pay attention to GPU and memory clock speeds if you are comparing two cards from different manufacturers, however, particularly in the less expensive markets where there's a lot of flexibility given to the card manufacturers.
| GPU Recommendation Summary | ||
| Class | GPU | Price |
| Integrated 775 | ECS P4M800Pro-M V2 + E6300 Bundle CPU = $160 value |
$160 |
| Integrated 775 | ASUS P5L-MX 945G | $83 |
| Integrated AM2 | Abit NF-M2 nForce 6150 | $96 |
| Cheapest | Sapphire 100190L Radeon X550 HyperMemory | $47 |
| Budget | EVGA 256-P2-N443-LX GeForce 7300GT | $75 |
| Lower-Midrange | EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT $20 MIR |
$135 - $20 |
| Midrange Overclocking | EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS $20 MIR |
$185 - $20 |
| Upper-Midrange | Sapphire 100176L Radeon X1950 Pro | $206 |
| Lower High-End | Foxconn FV-N79GM3D2-HP GeForce 7950GT 512MB $35 MIR - Includes free gamepad |
$270 - $35 |
| Lower High-End | Sapphire 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB | $255 |
| High-End | Sapphire 100177L Radeon X1950 XTX | $386 |
| Extreme Overclocking | EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800 GTS $20 MIR |
$455 - $20 |
| Extreme | EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX | $603 |
| Ultra Extreme | 2 X EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX (SLI) | $1206 |
If you're looking for a new graphics card for yourself or someone else, hopefully we have been able to shed some light on the situation. Once again from all of us at AnandTech, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays (and whatever other appropriate greetings you might want)!
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spidey81 - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
I was reading this article hoping to find a decent low priced card and when I saw the ultra budget section I thought I had found just that. But when I went to check the prices and specs of the cards listed the recommended 7300GT part was listed at several sites as only having a 64 bit memory interface instead of the listed 128 bit. The part number they posted was EVGA 256-P2-N443-LX. I didn't even find this product on the EVGA website. If someone knows the the deal is with this or even where to find one I'd appreciate it as a 128 bit intereface card versus 64 bit is a major performance booster especially in the price range I'm looking at.JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
I have modified this text slightly now. The cheapest EVGA 7300 GT is available for $75 at Newegg, but you're right that it is only a 64-bit memory interface. For about $10 more, I would recommend a Biostar 7300 GT instead, which comes with slightly higher clock speeds and a 128 bit interface. (It's also available at Newegg.)semo - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
page 7
is that a joke i'm not getting or should it say 1.21 kilowatts. if it is the later then why so much power? i would think a quality psu delivering 850 - 1000 watts should be fine. and where does the 1.21 figure come from? adding the maximum tdp values of all the components.
does anyone know when will we be getting low to mid end dx10 cards or when will gdx10 exclusive games start to come out that do not work on anything less than dx10
Chapbass - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
ROFL you just made my day man. go watch the movie Back to the Future with michael j. fox from the mid 80's...1985 i think. the "doc" in that movie makes a comment (actually he screams it) saying that you need 1.21 gigawatts in order to provide enough power for his time machine to work.a complete joke, hes saying that you need a ginormous (aka. big, high wattage) PSU in order to run some of these guys. yeah, 800 would be PLENTY imo.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
Cue Hewey Lewis and the News! "Gotta get back in time....." :DGlad some people got the reference.
bilbo3660 - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
The reality is you can run quad-core, three 8800GTX, water-cooling and overclock this monster on the Corsair 620W just fine. Review was done at the Inquirer. http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36...">http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=36...LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
It looks like the new 256MB Radeon X1950XT is a heck of a buy for anyone running a 20" display or less at least.This guide is much appreciated. I especially think your note on older high-end graphics cards is a good one, though I might place even more emphasis on it so that some people could make a good choice to buy used rather than new (especially AGP folks, many of whom will be best served by a top-end used card like the 6800Ultra or X850XT).
RamarC - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
No mention of the 7900GS at all??? And the 7900GT AGP was a ghost even when it first released, so why would you even mention it and then keep mum about the 7800GS AGP which is still easy to find?VooDooAddict - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
Agreed ... (For those who want to stick with NVIDIA) 7900GS is a great price/performance point.It's afordable and offers great performance on the 19" and 20" wide displays that are so popular right now.
I don't see any reason for someone to buy a 7900GT over a 7900GS right now they fall into the same perforamnce bracket. For people upgrading ... there are still quite a few people out there with SLI boards too. And while yes it's better to just get a more powerful single card. Many people can only afford XX right now. The ability to upgrade by adding a second card later adds some precieved value to people.
I do have to say, Good timing on your article. It's a confusing time for GPU upgrades. With the 8800s out the picture isn't as clear for people.
JarredWalton - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - link
I thought I had mentioned those cards, but you're right: I didn't. I have now added text to page 5 covering the higher-end AGP offerings in more detail.