Best Budget PC Graphics Cards

PCI-Express Graphics Cards Between $100 and $200

ATI's Radeon HD 5000 series card has brought a whole slew of new performance and features to the PC graphics market. At just under $200, the Radeon HD 5770 1GB graphics card is the best overall choice for those on a budget looking to play today's games at resolutions up to 1920x1200. The big feature though is support for the new Direct X 11 in Windows 7 with adoption likely to be faster than Direct X 10 was. The card is a double wide design like most high performance cards but has the advantage of a greater port selection including HDMI, DisplayPort and two DVI ports. Unlike higher end cards it only uses a single 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. Prices start about $175.

With the release of the new Radeon HD 5000 series graphics cards, prices have come down dramatically on the older 4000 series cards. This includes the previous top of the line Radeon HD 4890 graphics cards which can now be found for under $200. The Sapphire Vapor-X card is a bit unique among the cards as it uses a special cooling system designed for low profile file servers that allows it to run with much less noise from the cooling fan than traditional cards. Performance is still quite strong with support up to 1920x1200 with high detail levels. The card is double wide and requires two 6-pin PCI-Express graphics power connectors. Connectors include HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI and VGA. Priced around $195.

The Radeon HD 5750 is currently the lowest version of ATI's new Radeon HD 5000 series but it still provides some amazing performance. It is similar to the 5750 save for a slightly slower core clock speed and 720 stream processors instead of 800. In terms of performance, it is on par with the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 and slightly better than the older HD 4770. Expect graphics experiences up to 1920x1200 without too much trouble and the 1GB of memory on this version certainly helps when filters are enabled. It supports the new Direct X 11 in Windows 7 and EyeFinity multi-monitor support as well. It is a double wide card and requires a single 6-pin PCI Express power connector. Prices are around $145.

Well, the GeForce GTS 250 isn't really a new card. Essentially it is a rebadged GeForce 9800 GTX+ graphics processor. It has roughly the same performance as a similarly clocked and configured 9800 GTX+ card. Expect it to play games up to the 1920x1200 resolution without any issues. Some changes have been made to this new $150 version of the chip though. Most notable of these is the requirement of only a single 6-pin power connector and a 450W power supply. It still uses a double card slot design though. The card features two DVI-D connectors with a DVI-to-VGA adapter included. It also features a special video cable for output to component video for HDTVs. Prices are around $145.

The Radeon HD 4670 may not be a flashy card but it gets the job done when it comes to gaming on a very low budget. It should be able to run games up to the 1650x1050 resolution without too much problem but some newer games may need to drop down to 1280x1024. Unlike many newer cards though, the Radeon HD 4670 only takes up a single card slot and does not require any PCI-Express power connectors. It features an HDMI, DVI and VGA connector. Priced around $80 but can be found for less with rebates.

One of the longest running graphics cores is the NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT. It has been rebranded so many times that \the GeForce GTS 250 is practically the same card as the original 9800 GT. While a relatively old card, performance is still fairly respectable. The card is primarily limited by the 512MB of memory. Games should be able to play up to the 1680x1050 resolution but running with filters is not really possible. The card only takes up a single slot, has two DVI outputs and requires a single 6-pin PCI-Express power connector. TPriced around $100. The nice part about eVGA is their step-up program where buyers can upgrade their cards within 90-days by shipping the card in and paying the difference.