Holiday 2008 GPU Guide: Price Cuts Galore
by Derek Wilson on December 18, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Let's Get Ridiculous: $130 - $180 Graphics Cards
This is arguably the most important market segment in this entire list. At $150+ the price isn't going to break the bank compared to other graphics hardware, and the performance we can expect is great for gaming at widely used resolutions like 1280x1024 and 1680x1050. This is the lowest performance card anyone who calls him or herself "gamer" will want in their system (though sometimes it is necessary to get by with a little less), but don't mistake that qualification for anything that implies disappointment. Those who need more than what can be had at this price only need it because 1) they are professional gamers, 2) they have large (high resolution) monitors or 3) want it real bad (not all decisions have to be logical, I understand and even identify).
Okay, maybe I'm generalizing a bit much here, but seriously, $150 gets you a lot these days. These cards won't run the highest settings at the highest resolutions in all games, but they will run the highest settings in most games at decent resolutions. They can muster 1920x1200 with reduced quality if you need to push it that high to connect with an HDTV or something.
The midrange segment is populated with what used to be high end hardware from NVIDIA. The GeForce 9800 GTX/GTX+ are priced between $150 and $200 depending on the vendor and whether or not the hardware is overclocked. At the lower end of this price spectrum, this competes with the Radeon HD 4850 from AMD, which happens to be our pick for the best midrange graphics option this holiday season. The AMD solution is generally the same performance or better than the GeForce 9800 GTX, and is more easily found at lower prices (and with rebates can even be found for less).
Beyond the performance and price of the Radeon HD 4850, the card is much smaller, quieter and doesn't require as much power. Because of this, while not the ideal HTPC card, the 4850 does offer a compelling hybrid solution for the living room that can provide an okay HTPC experience (it will be louder than cheaper cards that are designed for HTPCs) as well as a decent gaming experience on an HDTV in the living room. Sure, game consoles are the king of this space, but even this modest card offers multiples of the performance of the graphics hardware in either the XBox 360 or the Playstation 3.
The beloved RV770, the Radeon HD 4850 (Image From newegg.com)
Recommendation: ATI Radeon HD 4850
| Newegg | ZipZoomFly | TigerDirect | Buy.com |
PowerColor Radeon HD 4850 | ASUS Radeon HD 4850 | Diamond Radeon HD 4850 | Diamond Radeon HD 4850 |
| $132 | $130 | $182 |
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
37 Comments
View All Comments
SiliconDoc - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - link
How about " if you do FOLDING at Home " trying to find a cure for cancer, the price points being so close, and Nvidia cards EXCELLING at 5-10 times the performance of ATI cards for folding at home, your choice is CLEAR - Nvidia is the way to go.NO - no chance of it, huh.
One recommendation comes for HTPC concerning size and heat - for ATI of course from you, but when it comes to the GTX260 that has BETTER power and heat characteristics... don't mention that.
Whatever. Total SLANT.
SiliconDoc - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - link
I see, when the Nvidia wins in performance, you cite a non existent price advantage ( like on the 130-180 page).You recommend the 512 ram version of the 4870 - never even mentioning the superior 896 ram on the GTX260/192 WHICH HAS BEEN $200 AT NEW EGG SINCE THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER....with A FREE GAME
But your text says before November you would have never recommended the GTX260 (even 192 apparently) ... when the 4870 512 WAS MORE EXPENSIVE - WAY MORE EXPENSIVE.
So, when it's lower performance you want to save 5 bucks, you recommend the ATI card....
I am so sick of it. Before November the 8.12's were not out- so the 10% performance increase wasnt there.
You've ENTIRELY ignored CUDA and PHysX - why don't let that influence ANYONE....
What a CROCK of a review.
How about " if you already have an 8 series nvidia card and another pci-e slot- we fdefinitely recommend going with the NVidia choice in ALL CATEGORIES, because you can use your current NVidia card as a dedicated PhysX processor...."
NO - NO CHANCE of ever mentioning it.
SiliconDoc - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - link
At newegg RIGHT NOW the lowest 4830 is 89.99, and the lowest 9800GT is 89.99I see where you MENTIONED the 9800GT and decided PRICE favored the 4830.
Whatever. You're bleeding red.
Am I supposed to comclude there's just 1 NVidia I should buy, or did I miss 1 other, since you also listed them SECOND in your entire piece no matter what ?
Why didn't you name the piece " Why only ATI should be purchased! " ?
SiliconDoc - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - link
So the 9800GT for around $105 is not mentioned... LOLYou pretended it doesn't exist.
You managed to ignore it by picking the EXACT dollar categories that would allow you to. rofl
Tell me what does the 9800GT do for gaming - what card do you compare it to with ATI ? lol
Shame, shame.
SiliconDoc - Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - link
The 9800GT whips the 4830http://xtreview.com/images/HD4830vs9800GT.PNG">http://xtreview.com/images/HD4830vs9800GT.PNG
High rezz and plenty of AA and AF.
Oh well, only red cards will do.
Schmide - Thursday, December 18, 2008 - link
Before I went to bed it pointed to the MSI gtx 280. Looks good to me now.mlemboyo - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
*touches ground* this was a place of much cultural heritage, no doubt the scene for some grand event