Dedicated images cards, which we will be talking about in this guide, are needed if you wish to do 3D gaming or even watch high definition movies (even though it may sometimes be enough with a powerful CPU as well as lot's of internal RAM)
Important Specifications to Consider Think about a Graphics Card
GRAPHICS
GPU stands for "Graphic Running Unit" and is the main managing circuit on every graphics cards. The GPU is the most determinant feature of every graphics credit card when it comes to the overall performance and also speed. The two biggest producers of GPUs are N-VIDIA and ATI (which is actually owned by CPU producer AMD). They do the research designs for each new era of graphics card. But graphics cards are sold through other manufacturers who generate their own flavour of the guide cards from NVIDIA along with ATI. Examples of those companies are MSI, Asus, ECS Elitegroup, XFX and more.
Samples of recent generations of visual GPUs from NVIDIA tend to be; GeForce 8500/8600/8800/9800 GT/GTX/GX2 in addition to GTX 260/280. ATIs most recent generations of graphics credit cards are: RADEON HD 3850/4850/4870 in different versions.
RAM
Additionally it is important to consider the amount as well as type of the onboard MEMORY of the graphics card, that is a different thing than the RAM MEMORY of your computer. The RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY is important for a number of technical factors we will not go into further right here. But in short you should choose a graphics card with a minimum of 256MB of RAM. The kind of RAM is less important, however we recommend that you buy the graphics card with the 2nd or later generation associated with GDDR (GDDR2 or later).
Different Slot Types
You will find three different slots on the PC market. The actual "slot" is where you link the graphics card within the mainboard of your computer. You have to verify which type of port your mainboard has prior to purchasing a graphic card, or else you may waste money on some thing you cannot use. The accessible slots are PCI (very old), AGP (old) or perhaps PCI express (today's standard). All fairly recent purchased computers are outfitted having a PCI Express slot, yet be sure to check it. PCI express is the newest technologies and allows the largest bandwidth which means better performance for you.
Exterior Connectors
The connecters around the graphics cards are also essential. Standard analog VGA fittings have been replaced by DVI (digital) connectors. The DVI connector is a must, some control cards even come with two DVI connectors which will allow you to hook up an extra display. Additional exterior connectors to look for are:
oHDMI, which will enable you to connect your pc to a plasma or LCD-TV. (This can also be done via a DVI connector with a DVI/HDMI converter)
oS-Video outputs prefer connect the PC for an older style VCR or maybe TV and allow outputting exactly the same display as present on the screen.
oDB-15/VGS/SVGA connectors are usually basically utilized for a standard outcome to an analog monitor. Great if you have an old monitor.
Thinking about your budget
Of course , you monetary possibilities will limit your buy options too. Let's have a look of what you can expect based on how much you want or have enough money. Remember that graphics cards are generally products with short process so suggestions below are just guide lines.
Low budget image cards
We are talking about investing $50 to $80, what else could you expect?
In this lower spending budget level the most popular and useful GPUs from ATI and also NVIDIA are the ATI Radeon HD 3650 and the -NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 along with 8600GT/GTS. These cards usually carry a RAM regarding 256MB-512MB depending on model in addition to manufacturer. There are no issues to find cards with several DVI connectors and some actually carry a HDMI connection.
These types of cards are suitable for quiet HTPCs and media zones since you can get them with noiseless passive coolers. We are not able to recommend the entry level visuals cards for hardcore video gaming rigs, even though they will perform some older games without any sweat.
Medium priced graphical cards
In this segment, along with prices from $80 in order to $250, you will find graphics business with good performance also for gaming. You should be aware, simply because as we said, this is a moving market and you can sometimes discover real bargains on the present generation of graphics memory cards when the next generation credit cards are introduced to the market. Costs drops fast when merchants and e-tailers have to create place in their stock for your new generation of control cards.
As always we recommend you to definitely read expert reviews involving graphics cards to find that the leading expert editors possess recommended. Also based on the testimonials, try to find out which is the last creation of GPU for the time being. At this time the last generation high end GRAPHICS CARD from NVIDIA is the GTX 280. We couldn't look for a 280 GTX card beneath $250, but we found one for $260 therefore the prices are dropping.
All of us recommend you to go with the following to last generation business like the GeForce 9800GTX as well as 9800GX2 (dual onboard GPU) and the ATI HD 3850 and 4870. They will provide you with a great performance/price ratio.
Superior graphic cards
Obtaining maximum performance and resolution might lead you to spend $400 as well as above on a high end design cards. This is for real players who need that extra FRAMES PER SECOND rate and resolution to do optimally. You should look for double GPU solutions, either on-ship dual GPUs or utilizing SLI or Crossfire technological innovation (two physically separated artwork cards working together).
The particular 3870 X2 with 1 GB RAM from ATI is a great alternative and is somewhat less expensive than the 4870 X2 that naturally gives some extra percents of performance. From N-VIDIA you should take a look at the GTX 280 and 9800GX2.