Best desktop graphics card available right now for under $200?

July 13, 2012 4:30 PM

What is the best gaming-appropriate desktop video card available right now for under $200?

My friend is building up a new Windows desktop gaming system and is looking for the best value for money, but the options are exquisitely confusing to both of us. Suggestions, Metafilter?

posted by killdevil to computers & internet (4 answers total)

See here. Mind the power requirements/connectors.
posted by ijoyner at 5:08 PM on July 13, 2012

Nthing ijoyner's link. I was coming in here to post the same thing.
posted by laconic skeuomorph at 5:14 PM on July 13, 2012

I also use this as a rough guide in order to get a decent idea of how much difference price tiers matter at the given time.

Both sources agree. Radeon 6870 or GeForce GTX 560 would be your best bet, largely depending on what maker you prefer. Radeon can have a few issues with a few high end games such as how Battlefield 3 stymied Radeon fans for a while. Haven't tested that one out though. Meanwhile, GeForce cards run hot. Very hot. If you plan on any overclocking or a small case, you really want to keep that in mind.

Personally I have been running a Radeon 6850 for over a year and it has met all of my needs and then some. If your friend is insistent on 1920x1200 for new releases on launch day, you'll want to squeeze that $200 budget and consider exceeding it. If your friend wants something that's going to get things done and can be upgraded in a year's time, I'd consider the 6850 on the basis of what you get for the money.
posted by Saydur at 6:30 PM on July 13, 2012

I have been running the GeForce GTX 560 in my computer since January and I love it. It does get hot and I have had some overheating issues while running games on the highest settings. That was solved by extra fans and a larger case with an exposed wall to help cool it off more. I have not done any overclocking so I can't help you there if you plan on it. The 560 is a solid graphics card though and I'm happy with mine.
posted by Marinara at 7:04 PM on July 14, 2012