Choosing a video card is always not an easy decision. On the one hand, I want to get a high-quality and productive product, and on the other hand, I don’t pay much for it. The task is even more complicated when it comes to choosing a game card, because to ensure a high level of graphics, it must have not only a good memory supply, but also a number of other characteristics, for example, bus capacity, GPU frequency, etc.
In this review, the most popular and most importantly, the best gaming video cards in the range of +/- 10,000 rubles, which can be purchased at any component store, will be examined in detail. In addition, some comparative tests will be conducted to test the performance, including in games, so it will be interesting. Let's get started.
Radeon RX 460 4GB
Opens the parade of the best gaming graphics cards - AMD Radeon RX 460 with 4 gigabytes of memory. This card attracts attention not only because of the amount of memory, but also because of its cost. At the moment, this model can be bought without any problems for about 8500-9500 rubles, and a completely new one under warranty.
Another important feature of the 460th model is the presence of two locked out of 16 CUs, which, if desired, can be opened by simply flashing the BIOS. This manipulation will allow you to get even a small, but still an increase of 6-7%.
Features
Here are the main technical specifications of the model. For example, we took the Radeon RX 460 WindForce 2X video card from the manufacturer Gigabyte.
- GPU - Polaris 11.
- GPU frequency - 1212 MHz.
- DirectX - 12.
- OpenGL - 4.5.
- Memory - 4 GB
- The bus width is 128 bits.
- Memory Frequency - 7000 MHz
- Maximum resolution - 4096x2160
User opinions
As reviews of the model show, the main drawback is the cooling system, which clearly lacks power to maintain low temperatures of the GPU. Overheating, of course, is not, but the temperature rises to high rates. The rest of the video card copes with the graphics of all the hits this year, moreover, not only at high settings, but also at ultra.
NVidia GeForce GTX1050 Ti 4GB
The next in the list of gaming graphics cards is the GTX 1050 Ti from NVidia. This model is considered a real hit and, so to speak, a bestseller of the current year. Despite its cost (from 9000 to 13000 rubles), the card shows high results, which almost reach the level of GTX 960.
For purchase, a version without an additional power source is recommended, that is, with a standard cooling system. This is due to the fact that this model does not heat up very much even at high loads, so it makes no sense to overpay the extra money.
There is also no need for overclocking, especially since the card is not doing well with this, and it is not necessary. The only thing you can do is raise the GPU frequency a bit. This manipulation will allow you to get a small increase in games, about 13%.
Characteristics
As an example, to consider the main characteristics of the model, we took the GeForce GTX1050 Ti card from Gigabyte. By the way, its price at the moment is almost 11 thousand rubles, but you can find a little cheaper.
- GPU - GP 107.
- The frequency of the GPU is 1315/1455.
- DirectX - 12.
- OpenGL - 4.5.
- Memory - 4 GB.
- The bus width is 128 bits.
- Memory frequency - 7008 MHz.
- The maximum resolution is 7680x4320.
Reviews
If you look at the reviews about the model, the main disadvantages of the above model are not very high-quality materials, the lack of a VGA connector and poor build quality (individually). For the rest, the video card works quietly, the maximum heating does not exceed 45 degrees, and the performance allows you to play all the hits of this and not only the year, on any settings, including the maximum.
Radeon R9 380 4GB
In third place in the ranking of the best gaming video cards for PCs is the Radeon R9 380, with four gigabytes of memory. In a new form, this card does not fit the +/- 10 thousand requirement, but in the used market it can be found for this money.
The main advantage of this video card is its performance, which allows it to easily overtake the 960 model from nVidia and therefore 1050 Ti in tests. Also on the side of the 380 model, improved work with the H. 264 format (encoding and decoding) in Ultra HD resolution.
In fact, this card is an improved version of the HD7950, however, already with the new graphics chip - Antigua and a lower TDP. In addition to the regular version of the 380th, you can search for the sale of the 380X model, which is already based on the Antigua X chip, i.e. is an improved version of the previous one.
Main characteristics
As an example, to review the technical characteristics, the R9 380 card from PowerColor was used.
- GPU - Antigua.
- GPU frequency - 980 MHz.
- DirectX - 12.
- OpenGL - 4.4.
- Memory - 4 GB.
- The bus width is 256 bits.
- The memory frequency is 5900 MHz.
- The maximum resolution is 4096x2160.
- Need extra food!
What do customers think?
Based on the reviews on this model, a simple conclusion can be made: the card has a weak cooling system and produces a lot of noise at high loads. The equipment also suffers greatly, but here it all depends on the manufacturer. The pluses include a good level of performance. The video card calmly copes with demanding games at various settings and in 2K resolution. There is a complete set of all the necessary connectors.
Radeon HD7970 / R9 280X 3Gb
The parade from AMD continues, and this time immediately 2 game video cards for the computer - HD 7970 and R9 280X from ATI Radeon. If you look objectively, then this is the same card, just 280X is an improved version of the 7970.
The card has 3 GB of memory and performs quite well in modern games, sometimes even bypassing the 380th model. On the used market, the 7970 or 280X can be bought for 5,500-7,000 rubles without any problems.
Characteristics
Consider the technical characteristics of the example of Radeon R9 280X Vapor-X from the manufacturer Sapphire. This card in its new form costs about 17 thousand rubles.
- GPU - Tahiti XTL.
- GPU frequency - 950/1070 MHz.
- DirectX - 11.2 / 12.
- OpenGL - 4.3.
- Memory - 3 GB.
- The bus length is 384 bits.
- The memory frequency is 6200 MHz.
- The maximum resolution is 4096x2160.
- Need extra food.
Reviews
This video card has perhaps only one serious drawback - it is quite noisy, especially when it is under high load. You also need to have a fairly powerful PSU (power supply), from 750 W, and preferably 800 or higher, since the card consumes a lot of electricity. As for the quality of the graphics, according to users, the video card can cope with ultra-settings in most modern games without any problems.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB
Closes the five gaming video cards - GeForce GTX 970 from NVIDIA with three gigabytes of memory. For a very long time, it was the 970th model that was considered one of the best solutions for a relatively low cost. Even now, the card is superior in all characteristics and indicators to 1050 Ti and shows results no worse than the GTX 1060 or the RX480 from Radeon. Unfortunately, at the moment the cost of the new 970 is in the region of 14-18 thousand rubles, and in rare cases it reaches an incredible 25, however, at a flea market this copy can be purchased for +/- 10 thousand rubles. If you manage to do this, then you can be called lucky.
The main advantage when buying a 970 model with a flea market is that these cards will not be "killed". This means that this series (Maxwell) is basically not suitable for mining tasks, unlike the new generation of cards released on the Pascal architecture. So you can not be afraid of damaged coolers, or chips that live out their lives.
Characteristics
As an example, consider the characteristics of the 970th model on the Gigabyte WindForce 3X graphics card.
- GPU - GM204.
- GPU frequency - 1114/1253 MHz.
- DirectX - 12.
- OpenGL - 4.4.
- Memory - 4 GB.
- The bus width is 256 bits.
- The memory frequency is 7000 MHz.
- The maximum resolution is 4096x2160.
- Need additional power (depending on model).
User reviews
If we turn to the reviews about this particular model, then one of the significant drawbacks is the large size of the card and places of deflection due to too heavy cooling system. Otherwise, the card has a good overclocking potential and provides a comfortable level of graphics at any settings.
It is certainly worth noting that on the market you can find cards not only with additional power, but also without it, that is, with an ordinary regular cooler. Accordingly, with such a cooling system, the dimensions will be much smaller, and performance will in no way be affected.
Comparison
It's time to compare the game cards and look at their main differences. For convenience, all parameters will be placed in a separate table.
Important! The characteristics in the table do not apply to the above-described video cards from specific manufacturers.
| Video card | Radeon RX 460 | nVidia GeForce GTX1050 Ti | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon R9 280X | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 |
| GPU | Polaris 11 | GP 107 | Antigua | Tahiti xtl | GM 204 |
| GPU frequency (nominal / acceleration) | 1090/1200 MHz | 1290/1392 MHz | 970 MHz | 850/1000 MHz | 1050/1178 MHz |
| Tire | 128 bit | 128 bit | 256 bit | 384 bit | 256 bit |
| Memory | GDDR5 4GB | GDDR5 4GB | GDDR5 4GB | GDDR5 3Gb | GDDR5 4GB |
| Memory frequency | 7000 MHz | 7000 MHz | 5700 MHz | 6000 MHz | 7000 MHz |
| TDP | 75 watts | 75 watts | 190 watts | 250 watts | 145 watts |
| Process technology | 14 nm | 14 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Year of issue | 2016 | 2016 | 2015 | 2013 | 2014 |
As you can see, almost all cards, one way or another, are similar in many characteristics, the only thing that differs is the bus capacity, the clock frequency of the graphics chip and memory, heat dissipation (TDP), and, of course, the year of manufacture.
Testing
In order to look at the performance of game cards, they need to be tested. And where is it better to do it than in games? But before you start, it's worth a few words to say about the test configuration:
- MP - STRIX X99 GAMING from ASUS.
- CPU - Intel Core i7-6800K at a frequency of 3.4 GHz.
- RAM - 16GB DDR4-2133.
- Hard Drive - Patriot Blast 480 GB.
- PSU - Corsair HX850i.
Battlefield 1
Settings are set to maximum, TAA smoothing is enabled, Ultra HD screen resolution.
- Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 WindForce 2X - 30/42 fps.
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX1050 Ti - 30/39 fps.
- PowerColor R9 380 - 30/39 fps.
- Radeon R9 280X Sapphire Vapor-X - 31/44 fps.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX970 Gigabyte WindForce 3X - 40/55 fps.
As you can see from the results of the first test, NVIDIA gaming video cards show a good result, especially the 970th model. Following them are the 280X, 460th and 280th from Radeon. In general, the indicator did not fall below 30 frames.
GTA V
Maximum settings, FXAA anti-aliasing enabled.
- Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 WindForce 2X - 32/44 fps.
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX1050 Ti - 42/58 fps.
- PowerColor R9 380 - 40/56 fps.
- Radeon R9 280X Sapphire Vapor-X OC - 44/62 fps.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX970 Gigabyte WindForce 3X - 51/73 fps.
In general, the situation is approximately similar, only this time the RX460 closes the top five.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Graphics set to maximum, anti-aliasing disabled.
- Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 WindForce 2X - 18/24 fps.
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX1050 Ti - 21/27 fps.
- PowerColor R9 380 - 26/33 fps.
- Radeon R9 280X Sapphire Vapor-X OC - 28/37 fps.
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX970 Gigabyte WindForce 3X - 32/40 fps.
And again, the 970th card from Nvidia is in the lead. The R9 280X and R9 380 show themselves very well, but the 1050 Ti and RX460 give a weak result. For them, you have to lower the graphics settings.
Summary
In conclusion, I would like to note the following: all game cards tested today can be safely recommended for purchase. Each of them is able to provide decent quality at maximum settings. Of course, for some models it is necessary to lower the settings, but the resolution of the monitor also plays a significant role, because the tests were carried out in Ultra HD, and most still have Full HD, so stable 30-40 frames are guaranteed.
Which card to choose from today? Let everyone decide for themselves on the basis of their material capabilities. That's all. Enjoy the shopping!