Asus EAH5670 1GB

Introduction

The average person doesn't spend three to four hundred of dollars on a graphics card. This is evident by the large percentage of cards sold that are in the $100 price range. Unlike us hardcore geeks, some people have better things to do with their money. Paying the mortgage, buying food, and filling up the gas tank are probably at the top of that list. But once you've scrounged up some money, you have to figure out what to buy. With the slew of new cards that are being released on what seems like a daily basis, which do you choose? When I've determined that I absolutely must have a new graphics card, my main goal is to get as much of a performance boost as I can, with the money I have. The hard part...comparing what's currently being sold to my old card.

Each month, Steam collects data about what kinds of computer hardware their customers are using. According to that Survey, the Geforce 8800 series of graphics cards has the biggest market-share. 9.41% of all their users are currently running one right now. Needless to say, that's a lot of cards running on ~3 year old tech. With the release of AMD's fancy new 5000 series of cards, you may be wondering. Is the one that's in my budget, any better than the 8800gt that's in my computer now? I was anxious to find out the answer to this question when Asus sent me the EAH5670.

• Asus EAH5670 - $125.88
• Geforce 8800GT - $126.18
• Radeon 4830 - $140.37