Thread: Best Budget Graphics Card

If you are looking for a GPU upgrade to get you through the next 6 months of gaming without having to dig deep into your wallet, you should seriously consider the GTX 460.

There are some really great deals after rebates for this card... especially for the 768mb version. Check out these deals from Newegg:

Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $124.99

Newegg.com - Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GC 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $119.99

Newegg.com - SPARKLE SXX460768D5UNM GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - $129.99

There are three options of a great graphics card for less than $130. These cards still kick some serious ass in terms of price/performance. I used to own two GTX 460 SC editions and had them in SLI and they ran things great. I stepped them up to my 570s. If you aren't ready for that next big upgrade but want an FPS boost over your 8800/9800/2xx series or your ATI/AMD 4000 and some 5000 series card. If you think it won't make much of a difference, check out this test comparing the 9800GTX to the GTX 460:

GeForce 9800 GTX vs GeForce GTX 460 – Performance Comparison Benchmarks @ Hardware Compare

Just thought I would pass along some potential savings. When I get the cash to build me dedicated folding machine, I will likely be purchasing two GTX 460s as you can get two for the price of a GTX 560ti at the moment. They really are a spectacular buy.

Got a TINY bit more money? I suggest the 5850:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100282XTREME Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity - $139.99

5850 vs 460 768mb
Bench - GPU11 - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

a 5850 for $140 is a total steal. Unless you are folding @ home, which you should be (TeamPlayer Gaming Folding @ Home Team) the 5850 will do pretty much everything better.

Originally Posted by Shinobi

Got a TINY bit more money? I suggest the 5850:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100282XTREME Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity - $139.99

5850 vs 460 768mb
Bench - GPU11 - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

That is a good deal for that 5850! Most 5850s still run between $175-200, so I wouldn't expect that card to last long. In fact, all other 5850 cards are quite a bit more for some reason:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics / Video Cards, Radeon HD 5000 series, Radeon HD 5850

The 5850 cards are actually in a different class than the GTX 460. The 460 is more of a mainstream card while the 5850 would be enthusiast class. The 5850's main competitor was the GTX 470, which it did a pretty good job beating due to running cooler and more efficient. The GTX 470 is still a great card if you have proper cooling.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics / Video Cards, NVIDIA, GeForce GTX 400 series, GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi)

But here again, you are looking at the $200 price range, and similar to the 5850, supplies are running short on these cards because their replacement cards are already available (6850 and GTX 570). The good thing for consumers is that the prices have come down quite a bit on these cards. There are many GTX 460 options out there, likely due to the mass production and leftover 460 GPUs.

Originally Posted by HeavyG

That is a good deal for that 5850! Most 5850s still run between $175-200, so I wouldn't expect that card to last long. In fact, all other 5850 cards are quite a bit more for some reason:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics / Video Cards, Radeon HD 5000 series, Radeon HD 5850

The 5850 cards are actually in a different class than the GTX 460. The 460 is more of a mainstream card while the 5850 would be enthusiast class. The 5850's main competitor was the GTX 470, which it did a pretty good job beating due to running cooler and more efficient. The GTX 470 is still a great card if you have proper cooling.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics / Video Cards, NVIDIA, GeForce GTX 400 series, GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi)

But here again, you are looking at the $200 price range, and similar to the 5850, supplies are running short on these cards because their replacement cards are already available (6850 and GTX 570). The good thing for consumers is that the prices have come down quite a bit on these cards. There are many GTX 460 options out there, likely due to the mass production and leftover 460 GPUs.

Yeah, I was surprised to find Sapphire making them so cheap. But hey, a deals a deal!