The Buyers Guide to Video Graphics Cards
Video Graphics cards are one of the most essential pieces to any gaming or standard PC. It is by far one of the most important specs that determines the visual performance your computer is capable of.
In recent years, technology, especially surrounding computers, has been advancing at an exponential rate. While this growth is fantastic for human advancement, it can make the process of shopping for any technology, let alone video graphics cards, a tedious task. There are various factors to consider before even beginning the shopping process, making it especially easy to put off buying a new video graphics card and falling behind with the newest technologies. Luckily, you are not alone.
That’s where we come in! We broke down the basics of what you should be looking for when you decide to shop for a video graphics card as well as our hand selected list of the ones we believe provide the biggest bang for your buck!
Brand and Thinking About The Future
First things first, brand! When selecting a video graphics card, it is important to consider the quality of the brand you are purchasing. Some of the most famous names are NVIDIA and AMD. Selecting brand names that have been relevant for many years likely ensures you are purchasing a product that will remain relevant in the years to come. A simple google search of the most famous graphics cards brands will provide a comprehensive list for you to choose from, however, our personal favorite is by far AMD. Selecting a well known brand such as AMD ensures quality instead of gambling on a lesser known brand.
Does The Graphics Card Work On Your Hardware?
It is critical to verify if the graphics card you are interested in is in fact compatible with your current hardware. Purchasing a graphics card that does not match your current hardware would essentially be useless as it would not be able to function whatsoever. Verify the specs of your associated hardware beforehand and double check that they accurately match the graphics card you plan to purchase.
Overall Performance Quality
When selecting a video graphics card, one of the most important factors to consider is its overall performance quality. For performance quality of a video graphics card to be optimal, you must consider your purposes it is intended to be used for. Most people prefer a monitor that displays a clear, high resolution image with a fast refresh rate. For example in current times one of the most sought after resolutions is 4K which is most commonly used for video games. Stronger graphics cards are recommended for high refresh rates and image resolutions. Some graphics cards are more specific to video games to work in conjunction with top tier monitors to provide the absolute fastest frames per second while playing. Before purchasing, be sure to thoroughly consider the purpose of your purchase and if your hardware falls in line with these purposes.
When considering the performance quality of your video graphics card it is also important to consider its cooling capabilities. Nobody wants to be sitting on the computer and have a hard time hearing anything else around them! Most high quality video graphics cards come with cooling fan systems that help ensure performance quality and less noise while functioning. Cooler systems also protect the hardware from overheating and potentially getting damaged.
Final Thoughts
Selecting a video graphics card can be an overwhelming task, even for the experts. When shopping for your new video graphics card be sure to remember the points we made above, consider the brand, whether or not the graphics card in question matches your current hardware and finally the overall performance quality. As we are sure you already know, video graphics cards vary widely in price and some can burn a massive hole in your pocket. By taking each of our points and assessing your situation you should be able to enter the market with an educated approach.
Beyond our buyers guide, we have tested multiple brands and models of video graphics cards. Through our experience we have developed a comprehensive list of the top 10 video graphics cards on the market today that we believe are worth buying. We took into account the brand name, price and overall performance quality to ensure that our readers get the biggest bang for their buck! Enjoy our summarized list and be sure to consider all the points we made earlier when following through with your decision to purchase and video graphics card.
Happy Shopping!