(Please see October 2008 article)
Tom's Hardware recently released their monthly article on the Best Video Cards For The Money: August '08.
The recommended PCI-E cards were the following:
- GeForce 9500 GT GDDR3 (under $100)
- Radeon 3850 512MB (about $100)
- GeForce 9600 GT 512MB (about $125)
- Radeon 3870 (about $125)
- GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (about $150)
- Radeon 4850 (about $175)
- Radeon 4870 (about $280)
- 2x Radeon 4850 in Crossfire Configuration (about $350)
- 2x GeForce 9800 GTX in SLI Configuration (about $360)
Most inexpensive PCI-E gaming card:
"The 9500 GT GDDR3 is essentially a reworking and optimization of the popular 8600 GTS GPU on a smaller process. ... The extra $30 is well worth stepping up to a Radeon 3850, but if you want the absolute cheapest gaming card and don't plan to go higher than the 1280x1024 resolution, the 9500 GT is a good option. Just be sure to get the faster GDDR3 version, not the slower DDR2-equipped cards." [Tom's Hardware]
Maximum is US$360 for most expensive PCI-E gaming card setup:
"... we have a hard time recommending anything more expensive than two Radeon 4850s. As more data surfaces as to how the 4870, GTX 260 and GTX 280 perform in multiple card configurations compared to two 4850s in Crossfire, we might add a higher price point to the list. But for now, the power of two 4850's in Crossfire is our top recommendation for performance. ... While two Radeon 4850s are really the way to go in terms of price/performance, those of you who have an SLI motherboard will probably find staying with Nvidia's video cards a cost-effective choice. For you folks, two GeForce 9800 GTX cards are about as good as it gets..." [Tom's Hardware]
The recommended AGP cards were the following:
- Radeon HD 2600 PRO (under $100)
- Radeon HD 2600 XT (about $100)
- Radeon 3850 512MB (about $140)
Sadly for AGP, Radeon HD cards are usually a rarity on store shelves. I guess if you see a Radeon 3850 512MB for sale, grab it immediately.
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