'DNA' review: A graphics card for every budget

When it’s time for an upgrade, selecting the right PC components is always a dilemma. This is always because we are spoilt for choice and not everything offers you the best bang for buck. Top brands to keep in mind while selecting a new GPU include Asus, ZOTAC, MSI, Sapphire, Powercolor, EVGA, HIS, Gigabyte, Galaxy, Leadtek and XFX.

There are more but these are the ones that are widely available in India. What we’ve done is given you the best chipset for each price bracket so that you can pick the brand you prefer as long as it’s priced in this bracket. So, here’s DNA Digital’s top GPUs for every budget. We’ve also included a card for those who don’t know the concept of a budget. The price has been deliberately withheld due to chances of severe chest pain.

5,000 and below
The HD 6670 offers the best bang for buck here. Delivers great performance and you don’t need an extra power source for it too.
Chipset - AMD HD 6670
Best resolutions for gaming - 1280 x 1024 and below
Clock speed – 800MHz
Memory - 1GB DDR3
Recommended PSU – 400W

5,000 to 10,000
The GTX 650 is a new entrant in this segment and shows good promise. It beats older cards like the HD 6850 and the GTX 550 Ti.
Chipset  - Nvidia GTX 650
Best resolutions for gaming - 1600 x 900 and below
Clock speed – 1058MHz
Memory - 1GB DDR5
Recommended PSU – 450W
 

10,000 to 15,000
Another good option is the AMD HD 7870. Both offer similar performance and are priced equally. Pick whichever you prefer, you can’t go wrong.
Chipset  - Nvidia GTX 560 Ti
Best resolutions for gaming - 1920 x 1080 and below
Clock speed – 822MHz
Memory - 1GB DDR5
Recommended PSU – 550W

15,000 to 20,000
The GTX 660 trashes more expensive cards like the GTX 570 and that too, at a lower price. You’ll easily be able to game at Full HD resolutions in most games.
Chipset  - Nvidia GTX 660
Best resolutions for gaming - 1920 x 1080 and above
Clock speed – 980MHz
Memory - 2GB DDR5
Recommended PSU – 550W

20,000 to 25,000
Packing in the same DNA as the more expensive GTX 670, the GTX 660 Ti offers good value in this price range and is easily future proof for the two years, if not more.
Chipset  - Nvidia GTX 660 Ti
Best resolutions for gaming - 1920 x 1080 and above
Clock speed – 915MHz
Memory - 2GB DDR5
Recommended PSU – 600W

Budget? What’s that?
Looking for the absolute best money can buy? Look no further than the GTX 690 from Nvidia. It packs in two full GPUs (GTX 680) onto a single board in SLI. Pick this for the best performance money can buy and of course, unlimited bragging rights.

Chipset - Nvidia GTX 690
Best resolutions for gaming- 1920 x 1080 and above
Clock speed - 915MHz  x2
Memory - 2GB DDR5 x2
Recommended PSU – 700W
Price -  Around Rs50,000