The HD 4550 is a good, affordable option for high-def movie playback and occasional gaming. However, unless you’re on a shoestring budget, we’d recommend the HD 4670 instead. It offers a vastly superior graphics performance for a slightly higher premium.

Put simply, if you need a graphics card that’s able to play most recent 3-D intensive games at reasonable performance levels, EVGA’s latest 8800GT variant is a good choice at a reasonable price.

The Sapphire HD 4670 is an entry-level graphics card that casual users will be sure to love. Like its midrange and high-end siblings, it offers an exceptional performance for the asking price. Another Radeon winner.

The ATI Radeon HD 4670 is a mid-range graphics card decked out in entry-level clothing. While it lacks the sheer processing power of its more expensive siblings, it still packs a pretty impressive punch. With an RRP of well under $150, it’s one of the best-value cards on the market.

EVGA's e-GeForce 9600 GSO is a tasty little offering with one of the best cost-to-performance ratios we've seen. Hardcore gamers may want to cough up for something a little more gutsy, but for the asking price you can’t go wrong.

If you’re a stickler for innovation, ATI’s ‘double-or-nothing’ approach is unlikely to tickle your fancy, but it remains a powerful performer. On the other hand, its benchmark results were not as impressive as we would have liked from a top-end graphics card.

When it comes to bang for your buck, the Radeon HD 4850 is currently the best graphics card on the market. This Force3D version is just as good as the ATI reference board. If you're a stickler for value, you won't be disappointed.