One of the most important components of any PC is a video card. It is she who does the work of processing the image and then displaying it on the screen. Gamers pay special attention to the choice of discrete graphics cards and spend a lot of time studying their characteristics and test results in order to acquire the most productive technology. It is not surprising, because the gaming industry produces a huge number of video games, which require the most powerful systems to run. In addition, modern monitors with support for 3D and 4K-format load the video accelerator even more. Let's try to figure out what the most powerful video cards currently exist, consider their main characteristics and differences from each other.
Which is better: Radeon or GeForce?
As you know, there are only two companies specializing in the production of video cards. The first is ATi / AMD, which manufactures products under the Radeon brand name, and the second is nVidia and their GeForce video accelerators. Each of these companies is trying to market products that will be better and more productive than competitors. It remains to find out which of them has achieved great success in this direction.
ATi / AMD products are in great demand among buyers. It is understandable, because its graphics cards show very good test results. In terms of price and quality, their products are often ahead of their competitors. But the most powerful graphics cards are produced by nVidia. More precisely, her devices are literally one step ahead of their "rivals", and sometimes even lose in this fight. But this only benefits the users themselves, because thanks to such competition, companies are forced to lower prices for their products or produce more productive equipment.
The Most Powerful Laptop Graphics Cards
These graphics cards are more compact and have less performance, unlike their "colleagues", which equip desktop systems. And all because it is impossible to put a standard gaming video card in the laptop case (due to its large dimensions). But, even losing in productivity, these devices cope with all modern games at the proper level. After evaluating all existing models, specialists made the top of the best, which included the most powerful video cards for laptops:
- AMD Radeon HD 8970M Crossfire. This is not even one, but two video accelerators, connected in one device, which alternately process frames and display the image on the screen. Based graphics card based on a graphics chip from HD 7870.
- AMD Radeon R 9 M 2590 X Crossfire. Just like the previous model, it consists of two graphic adapters combined into a single whole. It has support for DirectX 11, as well as OpenGL.
- GeForce GTX 780 M. Third place deservedly belongs to a representative from nVidia. GPUs are based on Kepler technology. It is equipped with a GDDR5 memory with a bit depth of 256 bit.
- GeForce GTX 880 M. Another representative of the Kepler family. Unlike the previous model, this video accelerator has a higher GPU frequency, which is 957 MHz, which increases productivity compared to the GeForce GTX 780 M by about 10%.
- GeForce GTX 980M. This is the most powerful laptop video card as of 2015. The processor is based on the new second-generation Maxwell technology, thanks to which the video accelerator was able to compete with the top models for the PC.
The Most Powerful Gaming Graphics Cards for Home Computers
From compact graphics cards to portable devices, let's move on to their more productive "brothers." It is these devices that attract the great interest of gamers who follow all the latest products to equip their systems. Discrete video accelerators are large enough, mainly due to the cooling system. With the ability to efficiently dissipate heat, their GPUs show incredible performance. To identify the winner, we will conduct a more detailed review of the video cards available today. The main characteristics of the video accelerators, build quality and results after testing in games and benchmarks were taken into account. After viewing all the models, a rating was compiled, including the five most productive devices. Based on its results, we will find out what is the most powerful video card in the world.
AMD Radeon R9 280 X
Opens the list of ATI / AMD products. The graphics chip of the video card is based on AMD Tahiti technology. The GPU includes 2048 stream processors and operates at a frequency of 1000 MHz. Equipped with a graphics adapter 3 GB of GDDR5 video memory, the frequency of which is 6000 MHz, and the bus width is 384 bits. It is possible to connect 4 monitors, thanks to the presence of all modern video outputs, except for the outdated VGA port. Like other gaming graphics cards, it supports DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL 4.X. Its characteristics are very impressive, and this despite the fact that the performance of the video accelerator can be further improved by overclocking. In addition, the build quality and cooling system, which adequately copes with its tasks, are encouraging.
AMD Radeon R9 290X
Next in the ranking is another model from AMD. This powerful computer graphics card is equipped with 2816 stream processors. The GPU operates at a clock frequency of 1000 MHz, but after overclocking, this figure was increased to 1180 MHz, which was a pleasant surprise, because this is one of the few video accelerators that easily beat the mark of 1100 MHz. Equipped with a Radeon R9 290X 4 GB high-speed GDDR5-memory, whose frequency is 5000 MHz. But during overclocking, it was possible to increase this value to 6000 MHz. All manufacturers of this video card are equipped with its air cooling system. But this is quite enough, because the test results showed that the temperature of the device, even at maximum load, was kept at 70-77 ° C.
GeForce GTX 970
The three leaders open creation from the developers of nVidia. The powerful graphics card GeForce GTX 970 is based on a GPU created on the new Maxwell architecture, which replaced Kepler. This model was developed on the basis of the GM204 chip, whose frequency of operation is 1088 MHz with the possibility of overclocking to 1284 MHz. The device’s performance is provided by 4 GB of new-generation GDDR5 video memory, whose clock frequency is 7010 MHz, and overclocked this result has reached the mark of 7416 MHz. Compared to other competitors, the video accelerator memory bus width is only 256 bits, but this is enough to pull any modern game, even in 4K format, at maximum settings. To remove heat from the processor, a radiator and air cooling are provided.
GeForce GTX 980 TI
Initially, it was assumed that the GTX 980 should take this position , but just recently, an improved version was released. Like the other most powerful graphics cards in the 9th GTX series, it uses a Maxwell-based graphics chip. GPU clock speed is 1000 MHz. This model is equipped with 6 GB of video memory with a bus capacity of 384 bits. According to the developers, this graphics adapter can easily cope with 4K resolution. As a result of testing games such as Battlefield 4 and GTA V on a 4K monitor, at maximum graphics settings it stably gave out 30 frames per second, which is very decent, given the complexity of image processing for this format. But the video accelerator consumes a considerable amount of electricity, therefore for its operation it is necessary to have a power supply with a capacity of at least 600 W.
GeForce GTX Titan X
As expected, the winner of the confrontation between the two companies again becomes nVidia. The most powerful video card in the world is called the GeForce GTX Titan X. The incredible performance of this device is provided by the GM-200 graphics chip, equipped with 3072 stream processors. The GPU operates at a frequency of 1000 MHz, and with the help of the GPU Boost mode, the indicator rises to the level of 1075 MHz. Surprising is the presence of as many as 12 GB of video memory, the frequency of which, even in standard mode, is 1750 MHz. Thanks to the 384-bit memory bus, the GPU can easily cope with any complex task. The video accelerator will require additional power, so it is equipped with 6-pin and 8-pin connectors. For stable operation of the device, you need to get a 600 W power supply.
As you can see, even with the factory settings without additional overclocking, this model has a huge performance margin. In addition, the relatively small dimensions of the video card, the length of which is 27 cm, are encouraging. This means that it will quietly go into any case of the system unit. And the presence of all modern video outputs will make it possible to connect up to 4 monitors to the video card.
findings
Our article is a brief overview of video cards. Based on the tests, a rating of devices was considered, which are considered the most productive for the current period (2015). The first place went to the GeForce GTX Titan X graphics adapter. Despite the competition, AMD products could not even enter the top three video accelerators, and nVidia deservedly won the victory. But is it worth it to buy video card data for home use? The fact is that the cost of some goods from the presented list exceeds $ 1,000, which is quite expensive, because for that kind of money you can buy an entire computer assembly that can cope with all modern games. It all depends on the personal preferences of the buyer. If there are no budget restrictions, then you can safely buy this equipment, but if you need to save money, then it is better to purchase a graphics adapter for 200-300 dollars, which will completely pull any video game. Of course, the most powerful video cards have high performance, but they are too expensive.