Are GPUs intentionally divided into tiers?

I don't know how else to put it but are GPUs divided into low end, mid level, high end according to what kind of gaming is to be done on them? So high end could be for those people who want extremely high resolutions, SLI for multi monitor, mid level for 1080p and low end for 720p? Are these the markets that the manufacturers target with the different levels of their products? If so approximately how long is a GPU expected to run the latest games decently before being obsolete as in unable to run the latest games at 30 fps with medium settings?

Yes GPU are typically put into tiers thought with a bit more granularity than simply 3 tiers. Most of the times each new generation has about 6 - 8 different products ranging from $50 to $500. Its not quiet enough to simply say "mid-range is 1080" or the like. Its just different levels of performance at different pricepoints.

The levels a GPU last is generally up to how comfortable a person feels with the performance they have. Some people will upgrade every year to maintain super high performance, other will go 4 or 5 years before an upgrade. I upgrade about every 3 years or so at the $200-ish pricepoint.

Thanks for the replies. If I were interested in budget gaming at just 720p/30fps, which current 'level' of GPU would you recommend? How much do you think upgrades would cost over say 6-8 years? Any chance of the hardware being almost equal to a console in price over a period of 6-8 years?

Thanks for the replies. If I were interested in budget gaming at just 720p/30fps, which current 'level' of GPU would you recommend? How much do you think upgrades would cost over say 6-8 years? Any chance of the hardware being almost equal to a console in price over a period of 6-8 years?

greengloop

720p/30 fps is an easily target for 2010 era low-mid range GPUs.

What's your budget for the PC box?

Low budget PC box with above Xbox 360 level gaming capability would be AMD A6-5400K based APU e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7pScFopnnA

F1 2012 1440x900 High settings benchmark test with AMD A6-5600K APU with Kingston Predator 2133 Mhz memory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRp3BxWOpMA

The performance key factor for AMD APU is with the memory speed.

AMD's "K" marking in the model number indicates that the APU is unlocked and can be overclocked.