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Video Cards...
For most consumers, the main components that play a role in their computer's
performance are the CPU, motherboard, amount/type of RAM, and the video
card. If you are planning to spend a bit more money on a higher-end processor,
you should plan on purchasing a higher-end video card as well.
PCI Express
PCI Express is the newest technology introduced, and promises to perform 5x faster, at minimum, than the old AGP standard. All of the newest video cards made by ATI and nVidia are designed primarily for the PCI Express architecture, although some cards have been ported for the AGP format.
Essentially, the format gives each stream of data its own channel for data communication, which promises to dramatically scale performance increases. For more technical information, check it out here.
When shopping for a video card, consider the amount/type of memory in the card. Cards currently have either DDR2 memory or GDDR3. GDDR3 is optimized for better power use and less heat production, allowing cards to run at a faster speed and allowing the card to use a much simpler, possibly quieter, cooling system.
Also, when looking for a card, consider the generation number. While many cards appear to share the same memory and other card specifications, the difference usually is found in the chipset built into the card. The higher the card number, the newer/more optimized the chipset is going to be, allowing you to get more use out of that card you're paying for.
Video Card Innovations
Several recent innovations in video cards have dramatically improved potential video card performance. Technically it is now possible to run two (or more) video cards co-currently, which will dramatically increase video card performance.
This capability, using nVidia's innovation (SLI) or ATI's (Crossfire), has the obvious performance benefit but also requires a larger investment in a higher capacity power supply and extra video card hardware. NVidia promises up to 1.9x performance increase, while ATI promises up to 3.2x increase in performance (in a 4-card setup).
It is possible to implement ATI's Crossfire with different video cards within the same generation (a generation of video cards, whether nVidia or ATI, is denoted by the first number in the product, ie '4850' or '9600'), while nVidia generally needs both video cards to be the same model. ATI's Crossfire also has opened their chip architecture to Intel, allowing Crossfire to be present on many more motherboards than nVidia.
DirectX
For the first time in recent memory, DirectX plays a noticeable role in how well your video card performs. The new version of DirectX, 10, is a Windows 7/Vista-only feature, not available in Windows XP. Compare the two pictures below and see the difference yourself.
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This picture portrays Company of Heroes in DirectX 9. Pretty standard picture, one which I think all of us have grown used to over the years. A little dark, but one which is definitely playable |
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This one portrays Company of Heroes in DirectX 10. The main difference you'll notice is the shadows. DirectX treats every light as it should, as an independent lighting source. This provides for the cone of light in the picture, as well as the more detailed shadows of each object and character. |
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Since DirectX 10 is a Windows 7 feature, it will be a little while longer before we acutally see games exclusively designed around it. However, I think it shows a lot of promise, and for gamers, is definitely another reason to think about purchasing a more powerful video card to fully utilize DirectX 10.
Refer to this complete review comparing DX9 versus DX10. It will highlight the plusses and minuses of swithching over, and will finally point out that there is some performance deficiencies with DX10. However, it's absolutely a great start and worth keeping an eye on.
ATI versus NVIDIA
There are only 2 chipset manufacturers for video cards right now, ATI and NVIDIA. The battle for market share is eerily similar to AMD and Intel's. I personally think that NVIDIA will end up 'winning' this contest, but that's another story. This competition has slashed prices and increased video card performance, giving a distinct edge to do-it-yourself computer builders.
If you have already decided on purchasing a $200+ video card (easily the price of a top-end card; the newest cards tend to cost around $400), having a top-end processor and lots of memory is a must, as otherwise you will not be able to fully utilize the card's capabilities.
For relative comparison of video card performance, you should check out this site, which puts many different brands and versions of video cards against each other to demonstrate overall performance.
But, this excerpt from a Washington Post article points out how similar the cards made by the two manufacturers are:
"Even when a high-end card is needed, the differences between competing offerings at the same price points can be hard to notice. William O'Neal, hardware editor at Computer Gaming World, just took a deep look at two cards now hitting the market from ATI and Nvidia and had a hard time distinguishing between the two. "It's pretty much a tossup at this point," he said."
If you have designs on one of those $400 cards right now, but don't have the budget, remember that most computer components' price tends to fall rapidly, so that last year's $200 card now could be a 'value' card.
Again, the most important features to look for when buying a video card are the chipset and the memory in the card, but with the high-end cards, I'd honestly just consider who gives out the most free stuff with the cards.
Some cards come with TV-out channels, video-in, or even TV tuners. They are great cards, and if you can afford it, go for it. I would say, in general, though, that do-everything cards usually sacrifice performance tweaks, so if you’re trying to build an all-around system that pumps pixels, get a card that does that with authority and don’t worry about the TV.
Remember, you can buy a TV cheaper than some of those video cards. Make sure whatever you get is matched to your monitor. There is no sense in buying a cutting-edge video card with killer refresh rates if you're using an antiquated monitor that can't handle it.
Here are my complete recommendations for building a computer with a great Video Card at a low price!
Next - Powering Up Your Sound Card »
Rule of Thumb: If you plan on playing video games, expect to spend a fair sum for a video card. I would generally say that you should expect to spend $125-$175 for a card that will play games currently out, and $200+ for games that will come out in the future (the $300-$400 cards shouldl last you a long time).
