How to Pick the Right Graphics Card for You
The graphics card, also called a GPU, is often the most discussed part when talking PC parts. Not for bad reasons. It’s usually the most expensive part of a gaming rig, and can make or break an enjoyable gaming experience.
But the thing is some gamers overestimate what they need in a graphics card. This is especially true of first time PC game rig builders.
Below we will go over basic concepts related to researching graphics cards, and relating to what types of games you play what you can reasonably expect when you eventually purchase your new graphics cards.
What Games You Play the Most
The types of games you play most should play a role in buying a new graphics cards.
The majority of gamers will benefit from and buy a high-end 300-400 dollar plus graphics card no matter if they really need it or not.
The truth is if you don’t play the latest AAA games upon release at Ultra graphics with a 4k monitor then you don’t need to spend more than 400 dollars. Maybe not even over 300 dollars.
If you play games like Civilization V or Total War games you can get away with an even more affordable graphics card like the EVGA Geforce GTX 750 Ti.
This is because big games with huge worlds and big picture view run more on the power of the CPU than a powerful graphics card.
For other games where you are seeing the graphics up close, like Overwatch or The Witcher 3, gamers will most likely go for a mid-tier or higher GPU. Many gamers will still go for a high priced, powerful graphics card if for no other reason than there’s the possibility they will want to play a new AAA game when it first releases. It doesn’t do a game like the Witcher 3 justice playing at an inferior resolution.
But for those advanced games you will need all high-end powerful components. It’s important to keep these next two tips in mind.
Bottlenecks and Compatibility
Another two of the biggest mistakes newbie PC builders make is not paying attention to the rest of their parts.
These two things are very important remember: your system performs as good as your “weakest” part will allow, and if it doesn’t fit it won’t work either.
Some gamers get so excited about having extra money to buy a nice shiny NVIDIA Quadro they don’t check if there’s any compatibility issues.
Certain types of motherboards don’t work with certain graphics cards. Higher-end components will not work properly with weak, low-cost power supplies. Low resolution monitors are the same way. But the reverse is true too: high resolution monitors are a waste of money if your other components can’t reach those resolutions.
Then there’s the common sense physical set up, but again if you’re new then you may forget this important factor.
If your graphics card is too big it won’t fit in your computer!
Common sense but can be easy to forget. The bigger the card the more space will be needed and the more wires and wire management. Also a high watt power supply.
