The heart and soul of any good gaming rig lies with its graphics card which can give any gamer not only an aesthetic advantage, but also an in-game advantage due to proper performance. Conversely a poor video card/GPU can cause any gamer to under perform through lagging, ghosting, and freezing. The graphics card product line is constantly changing and it is for this reason that we’ve decided to build, review, and maintain a list of the top rated GPU for each year.
Comparison/Review of 2012′s Best Rated Graphics Cards:
| Product | Price and Rating | Memory Size/ Interface/ Type/ Engine Clock | Ports | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS HD7850-DC2-2GD5 Radeon 2GB DDR5 VGA/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort GPU Tweak Utilities PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card HD7850-DC2-2GD5 | 870MHz core clock/ 1024 Stream Processing Units/ 1210MHz (4.84Gbps) effective memory clock/ 2GB memory size/ | 1 x HDMI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 1 x DVI | 3 years parts and labor warranty. | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2 GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 11200-00-20G | 860MHZ core clock/ 1024 Stream Processing Units/ 1200MHz (4.8Gbps) effective memory clock/ 2GB memory size/ | 1 x HDMI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 1 x DVI | 2 years limited parts and labor | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC 3GB DDR5 HDMI/DVI-I/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 11197-01-40G | 950/1000MHz Core Clock / 2048 Stream Processing Units/ 5700/5800MHz effective memory clock/ 3GB memory size/ 384-bit/ GDDR5/ | 1 x HDMI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 1 x DVI | 2 years limited parts and labor | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX480 1536MB GDDR5 Dual DVI, HDMI, SLI Graphics Cards 015-P3-1480-KR | 1536MB/ 384-bit/ GDDR5/ Core Clock 700MHz/ Shader Clock 1401MHz/ | 1 x mini HDMI/ 2 x DVI/ 2560 x 1600 max resolution | 3 years parts and labor warranty. | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card - Lifetime Warranty 01G-P3-1563-AR | 1GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5 | 1 x mini HDMI/ 2 x DVI | Lifetime warranty period for parts and labor. | |
| Sapphire Radeon Eyefinity HD 6970 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100311-2SR | 2GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5/ 1536 Stream Processing Units/ 1375MHz effective memory clock/ 880MHz core clock/ | 1 x HDMI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 2 x DVI/ max resolution of 2560 x 1600/ Eyefinity support, CrossFire X support | 2 years parts and labor warranty. | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB 1024 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Graphics Card, 01G-P3-1556-KR | 1GB/ 192-bit/ GDDR5 | 1 x mini HDMI/ 2 x DVI | 2 year parts and labor warranty. | |
| XFX ATI Radeon HD6870 GPU 1 GB DDR5 HD687AZNFC | 1GB/ 256-bit/ DDR5/ Effective Memory Clock 1050MHz (4.2Gbps)/ Core Clock 900MHz | 2 x DVI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 1 x HDMI | Lifetime Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 100312SR | 2GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5/ RAMDAC 400 MHz/ 1408 Stream Processing Units | 2 x DVI/ 2 x Mini DisplayPort/ 1 x HDMI | 2 Years Limited Parts and Labor | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 012-P3-1570-AR | 1280MB/ 320-bit/ GDDR5/ Effective Memory 3800MHz/ Core 732MHz/ RAMDAC 400 MHz | 2 x DVI/ 1 x mini HDMI | Lifetime Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 590 Classified 3072 MB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 3DVI/Mini-Display Port SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 03G-P3-1596-AR | 3GB/ 768-bit/ GDDR5/ 3456MHz/ 630MHz/ Shader 1260MHz/ PCI Express 2.0 x16 | Max Resolution 2560 x 1600/ 1 x Mini DisplayPort/ 3 x DVI | Lifetime Limited Parts and Labor Warranty. | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1 GB GDDR5 | 1GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5/ Effective Memory Clock 1000MHz (4.0Gbps)/ Core Clock 775MHz | 1 x HDMI/ 1 x DisplayPort/ 2 x DVI | 2 Years Parts and Labor | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 580 3072 MB GDDR5 PCB PCI Express 2.0 2DVI/Mini-HDMI SLI Ready Limited Lifetime Warranty Graphics Card, 03G-P3-1584-AR | 3072MB/ 384-bit/ GDDR5/ 1544MHz shader clock/ 772MHz core clock/ 400 MHz RAMDAC | 1 x mini HDMI/ 2 x DVI/ NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround Ready/ NVIDIA CUDA technolog/ NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology | Lifetime Limited Warranty for Parts and Labor. | |
| EVGA nVidia GeForce 9500GT graphics card - Over 800 days on the bestseller list and still number 1. | 1GB/ 128-bit/ DDR2/ 550MHz | 2 x DVI/ HDTV / S-Video Out | 2 years limited parts and labor | |
| HIS Radeon HD 4670 Graphics Card H467QR1GH | 1GB/ 128-bit/ DDR3/ 750MHz | 1 x HDMI/ 1 x D-SUB/ 1 x DVI | 2 years limited parts and labor | |
| MSI GeForce GTX560 1 GB DDR5 | 1GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5/ Effective Memory 4200MHz/ Core Clock - 880MHz | 1 x mini HDMI/ 2 x DVI | 3 Years limited parts/ 2 years limited labor | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX460 Graphics Card1024 MB DDR5 01G-P3-1371-AR | 1GB/ 256-bit/ GDDR5/ Effective Memory Clock 3600MHz/ Core Clock 720MHz | 1 x mini HDMI 1.4/ 2 x DVI | Lifetime Limited Parts and Labor | |
| Sapphire Radeon HD5770 Video Card Vapor-X 1 GB DDR5 | 1GB/ 128-bit/ GDDR5/ RAMDAC 400 MHz/ 800 Stream Processing Units | 2 x DVI/ 1 x DisplayPort/ 1 x HDMI | 2 Years Limited Parts and Labor | |
| EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked 1536 MB GDDR5 015-P3-1582-AR | 1536MB/ 384-bit/ GDDR5/ Effective Memory 4050 MHz/ Core Clock 797Mhz | 2 x DVI/ 1 x mini HDMI | Lifetime Limited Parts and Labor Warranty |
1. EVGA nVidia GeForce 9500GT Graphics Card
Additional Product Details for the 9500GT:
- Chipset: GeForce 9500 GT Engine Clock: 550 MHz
- Video Memory: 1GB DDR2 Memory Clock: 1 GHz Memory Interface: 128-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 16 GB/s
- RAMDAC: 400 MHz Stream Processors: 32
- Connectors: Dual DVI-I, TV-out (HDTV ready)
- Bus: PCI-Express x16 (PCI Express 2.0 Supported)
- Max. Resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Thermal: Fansink
2. HIS Radeon HD 4670 Graphics Card H467QR1GH
Additional Product Details for the HIS Radeon HD 4670:
- CHIPSET FEATURES?: 320 stream processing units; 128-bit memory interface
- Go Beyond HD Video: Accelerate your PC with the ATI RadeonTM HD 4670 GPU
- IceQ Technology – Efficient transfer of heat outside of computer case: Cool air is drawn from both sides of the fan
- Microsoft DirectX 10.1 support: ATI RadeonTM HD 4600 series GPUs offer full support for the new DirectX 10 and DirectX 10.1 API
- ATI CrossFireXTM Technology” “Take gaming to a new level with plug-n-play ease”
3. MSI GeForce GTX560 1 GB DDR5
MSI GeForce GTX560
Additional Product Details for the GeForce GTX560:
- Twin Frozr II Thermal Design, Dual 8cm PWM Fans for 50% more airflow.
- Military Class Components Hi-C Cap provides more precise GPU voltage.
- MSI Afterburner overclocking utility Support Over Voltage function of GPU Support advanced fan speed control. Support burn-in stability test.
- PhysX & 3DVision Surround technology Support PhysX technology effects for realist physics effect.
- Support 3DVision Surround technology to provide 3 monitor output simultaneously and real 3D image experience.
- SSC (Solid State Chock) has No Buzz noise and higher current for better overclocking ability. All Solid CAP for longer lifespan.
- SuperPipe technology and nickel-plated copper base for better dissipation 20? cooler than reference design
4. Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1 GB GDDR5
Additional Product Details for the Radeon HD 6850:
- PCI-Express 2.0 x16 bus interface
- 256-bit DDR5 memory interface
- Microsoft DirectX 11 Support
- Microsoft Windows 7 Support
- ATI Eyefinity Technology, support up to 3 displays
5. EVGA GeForce GTX460 Graphics Card1024 MB DDR5 01G-P3-1371-AR
Additional Product Details for the EVGA GeForce GTX460:
- GeForce GTX 460 with 675 MHz core clock
- PCI Express 2.0
- 1024 MB 256 bit 2.5ns GDDR5 memory
- 3600 MHz memory clock and 1350 MHz shader clock
- Windows XP, Vista and Windows7 support
6. Sapphire Radeon HD5770 Video Card Vapor-X 1 GB DDR5
Additional Product Details for the Sapphire Radeon HD5770:
- GDDR5 memory
- Microsoft DirectX 11 Support
- Microsoft Windows 7 Support
- ATI Eyefinity Technology, support up to 3 displays
- hd5770; radeon5770; 5770; vaporx; vapor
7. XFX ATI Radeon HD6870 GPU 1 GB DDR5 HD687AZNFC
Additional Product Details for the XFX ATI Radeon HD6870 GPU:
- Chipset: Radeon HD6870 Engine Clock: 900 MHz
- Video Memory: 1GB DDR5 Memory Clock: 4.2 GHz Memory Interface: 256-bit
- Bus: PCI-Express 2.1 x16 RAMDAC: 400 MHz Max. Resolution: 2560 x 1600
- Connectors: Dual DVI; HDMI; 2x Mini DisplayPort Thermal: Fansink Support Microsoft Windows 7
- Support HDCP – High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection Support Microsoft DirectX 11 500 Watts Minimum Power Supply Requirement
8. EVGA GeForce GTX 580 Superclocked 1536 MB GDDR5 015-P3-1582-AR
Additional Product Details for the EVGA GeForce GTX 580:
- GEForce GTX 580 Superclocked with 797 MHz core clock
- PCI Express 2.0
- 1536 MB 384-bit 0.4ns GDDR5 memory
- 4050 MHz memory clock and 1594 MHz shader clock
- NVIDIA 2-way, 3-way and 4-way SLI ready
9. EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 012-P3-1570-AR
Additional Product Details for the EVGA GeFprce GTX 570:
- GEForce GTX 570 with 732 MHz core clock
- PCI Express 2.0
- 1280 MB 320-bit 0.5ns GDDR5 memory
- 3800 MHz memory clock and 1464 MHz shader clock
- NVIDIA 2-way and 3-way SLI ready
10. Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 100312SR
Additional Product Details for the Sapphire Radeon HD 6950:
- PCI-Express 2.0 x16 bus interface
- 256-bit DDR5 memory interface
- Microsoft DirectX 11 Support
- Microsoft Windows 7 Support
- ATI Eyefinity Technology, support up to 3 displays