Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Which Graphics Card to Get

So you are looking to build a computer, right? Well, if you aren't, you should be. Or at least have someone do it for you. You'll save a ton of money and get something far better. Anyway, the graphics card is one of the biggest aspects in the computer, especially if you are gaming or doing anything that involves video. So it seems like it should be pretty simple right? The higher numbers the better the card? No and no.

Some general advice that I can give: don't get integrated graphics (built in to the motherboard), get a motherboard that will support at least two graphics cards at highest speeds, and buy two graphics cards. First of all, any integrated graphics will just plain suck, plus they will kill down whatever you add to it. With two ports for graphics cards, you can buy one really good graphics card to boot with. Once that starts getting outdated (won't be long, graphics cards are the fastest changing part in computers), buy another one of the same type. Of course, months later it will be far cheaper. Just remember, two of the same type will work together better than anything else. So now you are set for another few months. Once that configuration starts getting low end, overclock them both. This will give you a performance boost to last yet a few more months. Once that configuration is completely dead, restart. Sell the two you have, buy one more great one.

How do I know what one to get? Well that is a complex question with a simple answer. Tom's Hardware puts out a hierarchy chart every month so you know what is the best in both the ATI and NVIDIA worlds and how they compare. This is what I use, and I don't recommend getting the top tier GPUs they cost way too much and are simply too good. Of course, they will last longer, but you will put exponentially more money into it. Here is the link to their latest chart: Click Here. Happy hunting!