Let’s be honest; choosing the right graphics card for your specific needs is never an easy task. There is a tonne of key areas that you need to consider before coming to a final conclusion.
Understanding how a product works and what to look for is something we take very seriously. We try to educate people on these areas as often as possible so they can make their own informed decision.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the areas we feel you should consider before purchasing a graphics card.
Price
The first, and potentially most important aspect of any hardware choice, is its price. That’s right, whether you’re looking at one of the latest gaming monitors or a high-end motherboard, you must ensure that it falls within your budget.
Price is an interesting area when it comes to your PC’s GPU. Most people (unless you’re building a premium tier PC that isn’t restricted by budgetary requirements) try to stick to a strict price point. Which is exactly what you should be doing if you ask me.
However, what new PC builders may not be aware of is the current price of a graphics card in relation to the rest of the build. Let me give you an example.
If you’re building a PC in the region of $1,000, you’d be expected to put at least $400-$500 aside for the graphics card. Yes, 50% of the overall budget.
Even though that might sound a little crazy, it’s actually the smart way to go. The next section will explain this point further.
Performance
Most people reading this article will be seeking a graphics card for one of two reasons; they either need more graphical power for a gaming PC or a content creation PC. Most other tasks don’t require the need for a powerful GPU.
Since games started to shift their performance demands from the CPU to the GPU, more people have been investing larger amounts of money in their graphics processors – something we should all be looking to do if the aim is higher in-game FPS.
Obviously, this isn’t the only factor that goes into your PC’s ability to run games, but it’s certainly the main contributing factor. The GPU, ultimately, controls what screen resolution your PC can handle, what frames your PC is likely to get, and how well it can render graphics in creation-type scenarios.
This is why you must find the perfect balance between price and performance when selecting your next graphics card.
Figure out what games you want to play and at what graphical settings before jumping into a purchase. If you don’t, you might end up with a GPU that simply isn’t good enough for your needs.
Cooling
The next factor to consider before purchasing a GPU is the cooling system it comes equipped with.
Cooling and performance go hand-in-hand when it comes to… well, most hardware components. That’s because when under stress or high load they tend to create heat – a lot of heat.
Heat will compromise your hardware’s efficiency levels and as a result, could lead to a lesser gaming experience. Believe me, no one wants that.
For that reason, having the correct cooling is absolutely essential and an area that should be considered well in advance of your next GPU purchase.
Size
Finally, we have size. You might be thinking at this stage – bigger is always better. Thankfully, that isn’t always the case.
When we reference to size, we’re talking about the physical dimensions of a product. Some people aren’t always aware that graphics cards can vary in size dramatically – with budget offerings usually being much smaller than high-end offerings.
Always make sure that your case has the capacity to accommodate the size of the GPU you’re looking to purchase.
Clock speeds
If you have any PC building experience then you probably already know what clock speeds mean. If you don’t, then don’t worry; they’re pretty easy to understand.
Clock speed, or clock rate, is the speed at which your microprocessor (in this case, the GPU chip itself) runs. It basically refers to how fast your GPU performs instructions.
Each GPU is clocked at a different speed, meaning each one can perform tasks at different rates. Even though clock speed is one of the most important factors in a GPU purchase, it isn’t the sole factor that affects your in-game performance. That comes down to a number of factors.
VRAM
VRAM is your GPU’s video RAM (random access memory). It has a direct impact on how well your graphics card performs and how much data it can read at any one time.
VRAM is very similar to your computer RAM; it stores data that your GPU can access at any time in any order. The more VRAM you have, the more access you have to data without having to go via the CPU.
Higher-resolution game formats require more VRAM, as do tasks like anti-aliasing. For that reason, we always recommend looking for at least 6GB of VRAM when purchasing a GPU.
