Performance ratings

Calculations are based on gaming, 3DMark and Unigine test results. The calculation method is described here.

You may have noticed our ratings have changed a bit. Now we only have two: capability and usability. The capability rating compares each graphics card with GeForce GT 430 which is considered a baseline, or 100%. The rating is based on both synthetic and gaming results and shows, as the name implies, what a product is capable of.

The usability rating is obtained by dividing each card's capability rating by its price. It basically shows whether a given product is over or underpriced, considering what it can do, and thus how reasonable it is to buy it.

Below are two tables sorted by different ratings.

Sorted by capability (high to low)

Sorted by usability (high to low)

Top solutions like Radeon HD 69xx, GeForce GTX 570, GTX 580 and GTX 590 should only be considered in terms of their capability ratings, because they are made for enthusiasts willing to spend no matter how much to get the best performance.

In relation to other graphics cards price plays a more important role, and the lower the product category the more critical it is. Reduced prices of GeForce GTX 460 and GeForce GTX 550 Ti significantly improved ratings of these graphics cards and put an end to the reign of Radeon in the Top 5.

As of early December 2011, Radeon HD 6770/6850/6790 still offer the best usability, but GeForce GTX 460 is already on the 4th place. The new GeForce GTX 560 Ti 448 has a bit better usability than the competing Radeon HD 6950 these days. The gap may become bigger after the price of the novelty adjusts to a more reasonable. But that is a topic for the December issue of i3DSpeed.

We express gratitude to KFA2, XFX, Leadtek, TUL (PowerColor), Chaintech, Zotac, EVGA, MSI, Gainward, NVIDIA, HIS, AMD, Sapphire Technology, ASUS.

The PSU has been provided by TAGAN, the monitor has been provided by NVIDIA.

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