How to choose a video card?

The game and technical industry is developing at a rapid pace - the emergence of consoles of a new generation, the introduction of Windows 10 and DirectX 12, the announcement of a new line of processors and graphics cards. How to keep up with the general progress and keep up with the innovations all the time? Follow the tests and listen to user advice or trust advertising from the manufacturers?

First of all, it is necessary to understand all the technical features of video cards, designate financial boundaries for future purchases and determine the necessary "price-quality" ratio to choose the right video card. But to begin with an introductory tour.

The integrated devices are integrated in the motherboard, discrete video cards are purchased separately and installed in the PCI-Express interface (modern version, AGP meets in old systems).

Developers. AMD or NVidia - which side to choose in an eternal dispute? Each company has different advantages, expressed in similar modern technologies, like HairWorks and Pure Hair, or in support of timely updates and related programs.

Even the potential for working with two video cards is the same. Another thing is power consumption, cooling systems and overclocking capabilities - but everything depends on specific models.

Manufacturer. There are reference and non-reference solutions when assembling video cards. The reference is a universal design from the developer, compiled on the recommendations of AMD or NVidia. The main problem is deficiencies in nutrition and cooling.

It is better to immediately choose non-reference options from ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, Sapphire. Precisely recommend one brand will not be entirely correct, it is better to compare several options at once.

Periodicity. How often do I change my card? Not more often than once in three years - the architecture of devices varies slowly, the overall performance grows unnoticed by jumps. Running for each innovation is pointless - no money, no strength is not enough.

Video Card Settings

Interface. The PCI-E x16 connector is available in three versions - 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0. The difference is insignificant, only the throughput varies. All connectors are fully compatible!
The GPU clock speed. The indicator is defined in megahertz, affects the speed of operation and the number of data processing operations (GPU). The higher the number, the better.

• Video processor. Presented by a tiny chip consisting of blocks that conduct computations (shaders). The overall performance and maximum power depend on this indicator.
• Video memory. GDDR3 (almost unused version) or GDDR5? Everything depends on the price, but it's almost impossible to meet the "three" in the title.
• The width of the memory bus. In numerical equivalent, the item is expressed by numbers from 128-bit to 384-bit. The ideal option is 256-bit.
• The amount of video memory. Required minimum - 2 GB. If you like to play games with cool graphics, then focus on 4 GB.

Videocard size and cooling system

It is difficult to calculate the final cost of updating a computer system without going into detail. If you lose with cooling - you'll have to buy an additional cooler, and sometimes you'll have to change the case. The same is the case with the dimensions. Therefore it is worthwhile to understand the other parameters of the video card!

Passive cooling system. It is rare - a remnant of the past. If such a copy is found, then it's worth forgetting about overclocking and unventilated casing, otherwise overheating, malfunctions and malfunctions, and sometimes unexpected equipment failure are possible.
Active cooling system. Heat sinks, radiators, fans are an effective set of combating high temperatures. Allows owners to engage in even overclocking!
Width and length. Before buying a new thing, it is better to look at the manufacturer's website and accurately measure the case. Otherwise, you need to open the side cover and keep the system unit half-assembled.
Interface support. DVI is a popular system for connecting a wire from a card to a monitor. Not very different from the famous, but already outdated VGA. HDMI - the most modern connector, holds both sound and video.
But this is all a trifle - to study the theory without practical observations and comparative tests is meaningless. It is better to immediately go to the recommended segments of the market to determine the winning or weak participants.

Value for money and video card performance

The list of current video cards changes every six months - some devices disappear from computer stores, others cease to be supported by manufacturers.

To adjust to the sharply and constantly changing market is easy - just look at the manufacturer's website and choose from the list offered a suitable product. Below are actual comparisons of operating video cards:

Inexpensive cards priced from 110 to 150 $

AMD

• Radeon R7 360. 128-bit bus, low power consumption. Applications through 2015 will easily launch in FullHD, with others there will be problems.

• Radeon R7 370 (2-4 GB). A great option for a beginner gamer - the price is affordable, and the performance is high. Modern games will start on the settings, close to the maximum! The card is based on the R7 265 chip, which also stood in the Radeon HD 7850. Changing the brand did not prevent to save the architecture!

Nvidia

• GeForce GTX 750. Analog R7 360, but consumes much less energy. Heats up less, does not require a spacious casing or an additional source of cooling.
• GeForce GTX 750 Ti. Inferior in performance R7 370, but cheaper by $ 20.
• GeForce GTX 950. Balanced, fast and inexpensive (the cost is justified and adequate). The best option in the price category is up to $ 150.

Game boards cost from $ 200 to $ 250

AMD

• Radeon R9 380 (4 GB). Almost the ideal option for the price-quality ratio of this manufacturer.
• Radeon R9 380X. All shader units are unlocked, but the incremental gain is felt weakly. The cost is not justified, it's better to pay attention to the fellow without the prefix X in the title.

Nvidia

• GeForce GTX 960 (4 GB). Option floating at the level of R9 380 and 380x.

All that is more than $ 300

AMD

• Radeon R9 390. The base is R9 290. 8 GB of memory, competes with GTX 970, gives a stunning performance in high resolution (for example in WQHD).

• Radeon R9 390X. Expensive, low-power card with overstated requirements for power consumption.

• Radeon R9 Nano. The flagship, known because of constant surprises. The recommended clock frequency is lost - it flies up to 1000, then breaks off the cliff. Overclocking does not help.

• Radeon R9 Fury. Quite a popular but expensive way to spend money. With a lucky combination of circumstances, he bypasses all competitors, but takes up a lot of space in the case, and even spends a heap of energy.

• Radeon R9 Fury X. Actual, but not suitable for an overclocking card. A small amount of memory, just a couple of designs, is very hot.

Nvidia

• GeForce GTX 970. According to statistics, the ninth generation of "stoves" is buying this card with 4 GB of memory on board (3.5 + 0.5, as many experts note). Ideal for all modern games in FullHD resolution. Do not climb into the small body, but perfectly dispersed to the beyond the results.
• GeForce GTX 980. The overvalued card, bypassing the previous copy is completely insignificant.
• GeForce GTX 980Ti. The best way to spend the accumulated money is not found. With a price of $ 650 gives outrageous results, allows you to run even the most demanding new items in the best quality and even in 4K! Because of the abundance of non-reference solutions, it cool down perfectly, and moreover it is supplied with a factory gain in some indicators.
• GeForce GTX TITAN X. The fastest single-chip card, which has no analogues.
  
  Which model should you choose?

GTX 950, GTX 970 and GTX 980 Ti. The conclusion is made on the basis of cost, power consumption and various innovations produced by the forces of NVidia.

And what about CrossFire or SLI, are two identical cards sticking to neighboring PCI-Express connectors? The answer is no. And it's not about manufacturers or obsolete technologies, but in the developers of modern games of the AAA class.

No popular novelty supported either SLI or CrossFire - a flaw is noticeable to the naked eye! And that's the whole risk. Will there be any sense in harnessing extra horses?

Or have to scamper all the time in search of updates, new technologies and answers? And this is extra money and new searches. In 2016-2020, it is better to bypass such bundles with a side - the result is inadequate, and the costs are substantial.

Nuances of choosing a video card

1. First of all, you should look at the manufacturer's website and select the desired card.
   2.Due to the floating rate and price differences - immediately to the Internet or online store. There, sort all prices and, starting with the cheapest options, go to the expensive. If the finances are limited, then from the proposed segment to identify a couple of competitors.
2. Tests. A suitable copy is better to "check" on YouTube, it is enough to enter the name of the game (suddenly for this purpose the card is bought?) And to see the result (the higher the FPS, the better). It is better to carefully approach both the graphic settings and the screen resolution.
3. If the choice fell on two cards at once, then you can use the search engine and enter a combination like R9380 vs. GTX 970 and see what the pros and cons are.
4. When choosing a computer or laptop, be sure to pay attention to the video card installed in them. The video card directly affects performance. Especially it concerns laptops, which with a weak or faulty video card begin to brake and heat, because they use the processing power of the processor.