A surprise return to form for Nvidia, as this card matches ATI’s latest for both performance and value.

The fastest card we’ve seen, but the performance boost doesn’t justify the price.

The fastest single-GPU card we've seen, but it can't shake ATI in the price war.

It’s fast, but not quite fast enough for the huge price.

Nvidia’s card is fast, but ATI’s is still faster.

A step behind ATI’s HD 4870 on price and performance.

A minor performance boost isn’t enough to fend off its rivals.

Hard to find, and not worth the typical price at all.

Decent power, but bigger, dearer and noisier than the HD 4850.

Still holding its own at this price, but note the HD 4830.

Not the perfect value card it once was, but still worth a look.

On its last legs, it costs as much as faster cards.

Can't handle gaming and beaten by cheaper media cards too.

Cheap and functional, but rivals perform better.

Fast but disappointing card that delivers only small benefits over its predecessors for a significant price premium.

It’s incredibly powerful, but recent releases offer similar performance for significantly less money.

A popular and fast top-end option, but it’s losing its grip to new competition from both sides.

A wonderful return to form, leaving the disappointment of the 8600 GT as just a distant memory.

Great performance at an appealing price, although the 9600 GT encroaches on its turf

Affordable and fast, the 8800 GS was our top budget choice until the 9600 GT arrived to spoil the party.