Choosing the Right Graphics Card

Choosing the right graphics card has always been a difficult task. There are hundreds to choose from and many brands, model numbers and specifications to confuse the everyday computer user.

Whether you are building your own PC, upgrading your existing system the challenge to get it right first time is a difficult one.

When reading about all the different specifications & products obtainable it is simple to get bogged down & make a call based solely on promotion or sales hype.

The first step to choosing your graphics card is to pick exactly what you will be using it for. Are your demands for your PC graphics intensive? Are you a keen gamer & find your graphics card is not dealing with the newer games you need to play. Your main usage may lie in graphics work such as graphic design or photography.

To start with make a list of games you like to play or the graphics applications you use or need to make use of on your PC. A visit to the site of these games or application sites can lead to the basic knowledge they must get the ball rolling. Or in the event you have already bought a game or application package you ought to be able to finding these settings on the box or in the product knowledge be it a manual or CD. These sites or product knowledge will tell you the basic requirements & recommended requirements for playing or using the application. As a rule, always ignore the maximum requirements & take note of the recommended requirements. These are more important as these are the requirements for jogging all parts of a game or application suit. For example, if purchasing Adobe CS5 suite positive parts for video or 3d work cannot be installed if the graphics card does not have all the necessary features. Positive games cannot be run at full capability i.e. positive graphics setting will need to be turned off or specifications lowered if the graphics card is not capable or quick to run these features.

Getting it Right?

What does your motherboard support? This is important for beginning your research. Graphics cards are installed in to your PC by slot on the motherboard. If your computer is over 5 years old then your motherboard may have an older AGP slot.

Although AGP cards are still obtainable they have been replaced by PCI-E slots. If your motherboard still contains the AGP slot then you definitely ought to be thinking about a used PC or motherboard upgrade & all that will incorporate which is beyond the scope of this article.

PCI-E is the industry standard now & there is versions of this form factor, PCI-E & PCI-E it is important that you find out which your motherboard supports.

PCI-E is backwards compatible & will work in a PCI-E capable motherboard but the gains made by PCI-E format won't be obtainable on a PCI-E motherboard.

Making that Decision

The final decision ought to be made now that you have all the necessary knowledge to make a purchase. So what ought to you buy? You definitely have a budget for your purchase so this may limit what you can buy. Take a glance at lots of the hardware testing & review sites to see what they are saying about the latest graphics cards. These sites check & recommend graphics cards based on the results of their tests. Toms Hardware, MaximumPC & AnandTech have regular features & reviews for the latest technologies & graphics cards to help you compare your necessary specifications & make that final decision on which graphics card you need to improve your computers graphics performance.