I want to buy a new graphics card for my PC (PCI Express) but how do I know which ones are better than others?

Question

I used to just go off the size of the memory they came with eg. 128mb is better than 64mb, but now am told this isn't the case. Also anyone have any average recommendations for a reasonably priced one?

Answer 1

The cheapest card worth buying is the Nvidia 7600GT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062

I think the best card for the dollar is the ATi x1950PRO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102061
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161060

If you have a lot so spend, the Nvidia 8800GTS is a beast, available in 320mb and 640mb versions. You'd need the 640mb version if you have a high-res monitor. The 320mb version is good for most 17" and 19" monitors at 1280x1024 and 1650x1080 (widescreen).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133193
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071

You can check most cards performance at tomshardware's VGA charts.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=725&model2=716&chart=276
Look at the blue lines, 7600GT vs x1950PRO
Cards at tested for FPS = frames per second. Most people recommend a minimum of 40+FPS for shooting games (FEAR, Far Cry, etc) and 25+FPS for RPGs/Strategy (Oblivion, Company of Heroes, etc).

Also, any card more powerfull than the 7600GT is going to require a 400+ watt quality power supply.
The 8800 series cards require a 500watt+.

Answer 2

Graphics Cards CNET brings you the best reviews for Graphics Cards. ... If you're looking for a dual analog TV tuner and have an open x1 PCI Express slot, ...

Answer 3

it all depends on what you are going to use the graphic's card for:

gamer graphics card cost from £100 - £800

average graphics card can cost from £30 - £200

all graphics card come with processor's and memory - and a bus like AGPx8 is faster than AGPx4 and the same for PCI-Ex16 is faster than PCI-Ex8, it all depends on which graphics card your motherboard can handle! you can check on the internet for this!

check out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_card

http://tomshardware.co.uk/graphics/

Answer 4

Gaming performance is a lot more dependent on the architecture of the graphics processor, core clock speed and memory speed. 256mb ddr3 videoram will always beat 512mb ddr2.
CHEAP OPTION - 7300GS
FASTER BUT NOT SO CHEAP - 7300GT, 7600GS

Answer 5

x1900xt are good!
have a look on www.ebuyer.com for prices!!