Soleron on 14 September 2008
Performance:
Number in brackets is normalised to 9800GTX+, so relative performance can be compared with less skewing by large numbers.
| Card | Price | Call of Duty 4 | Crysis | Bioshock | Oblivion | Average Normalised Perf | Normalised Perf per Dollar (Price/Perf.) *200 |
| Resolution | 1920x1200 4xAA | 1680x1050 No AA | 1920x1200 No AA | 1920x1200 4xAA 16xAF | |||
| 9800GTX+ | $200 | 61.4 (1) | 31.6 (1) | 69.2 (1) | 40.2 (1) | 1 | 1.00 |
| GTX260 | $255 | 74.3 (1.21) | 33.3 (1.05) | 69 (1.00) | 43 (1.07) | 1.08 | 0.85 |
| HD4850 | $170 | 66.4 (1.08) | 29.8 (0.94) | 86.8 (1.25) | 34.8 (0.87) | 1.04 | 1.22 |
| HD4870 | $260 | 82.4 (1.34) | 35.6 (1.13) | 107.7 (1.56) | 41.5 (1.03) | 1.27 | 0.97 |
All prices are the current cheapest on Newegg
So, the best performance in the $150 - $300 range belongs to the HD4870, and the best price/performance is the HD4850. Neither the GTX260 nor the 9800GTX+ are good choices. If you go above this price range, I can assure you that the HD4870 X2 beats the GTX280 in value and performance too, but there are diminishing returns after the $200 or so mark. AMD currently offer the best value solution at all price points.
