How Buy Graphics Cards?

Answer 1

Graphics cards are what make graphics applications zip along fast and smooth, but there are literally thousands of graphics cards on the market. Learning how to buy graphics cards is part art, and part science, but it is almost 100% research regardless of how one chooses to view the situation. Here is a basic guide that will help virtually anyone learn how to buy graphics cards:

•The entire process of choosing the best graphics card for one’s needs would begin with an assessment of those needs. Does one just need a very basic graphics card to turn on all of their OS’s eye-candy, or do they need to play the latest and greatest games at the highest imaginable resolution? Draw up a basic list of needs and wants in relationship to graphics cards.

•A good needs and wants list will involve some research, especially for gamers. Many games run better with certain graphics cards, and will almost universally have hardware requirements relating to graphics hardware. Knowing what DirectX or OpenGL version one’s software runs can help one make an informed purchasing decision. The same can also be true when determining the amount of memory that a card will need, but be wary of using memory as a performance metric; many reviews indicate that a large portion of the memory present on high-end cards often goes unused.

•One will also have to determine what kind of connectors their computer has, both internally and to the monitor. PCI-Express has become the dominant standard in recent years, but there are multiple versions of PCI-Express to contend with. Prior to the advent of PCI-Express, AGP was the dominant graphics card connect standard. Unfortunately, AGP and PCI-Express are not compatible. Luckily, the monitor connection standards tend to be more compatible, and there are a number of converters to allow monitors and graphics cards to communicate even if they do not use the same connectors.

•When it comes time to buy graphics cards, it pays to know the upgrade cycles. The current generation of graphics cards tends to be refreshed every six to nine months, and ‘old’ graphics cards sell for great prices but lack the latest features.