Use these Top PC Video Cards for the Ultimate Gaming Experience
Have you bought a new game for your computer but for some reason it just looks terrible? It’s probably because you have an older computer and an out of date video card to handle the system requirements needed for the game. If you want to use your computer mainly for gaming purposes and not really anything else, you’re going to need a new video card.
The video card market can be a bit confusing and overwhelming for someone unfamiliar with it. It’s a daunting takes trying to find one which will work for you among the endless amount of different models and specifications available. With new products released every 6 months, the industry is never stagnant and seems harder to understand every day. Hopefully, the following list of top selling video cards will help you figure out what can work for you.
- Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX - The GeForce 8800 chipset from Nvidia were actually the first Direct X 10 video cards being sold on the market. They are currently the fastest cards being sold to the public because of their 768 MB of GDDR3 and core clock speed of 575 MHz. The 8800 GTX has been shown to easily outperform systems with dual GeForce 7 GPUs. Other than the entirely too expensive 8800 Ultra, the 8800 GTX is hands down the best gaming card to buy right now.
- Nvidia GeForce 8600 GTS – Nvidia’s GeForce 8600 can be considered a middle of the road video card with DirectX 10 compatibility, available in GT and GTS styles but the GTS products have a better speed of the two. They both use a 128-bit memory interface, which is a step down from previous-generation cards using 256-bit memory. Their performance in is respectable, and if you don't have a fortune to spend, the 8600 GTS is a very appealing card for your needs.
- ATI Radeon X1950 XT – Radeon’s X1950 XT was the last video card released from the aging X1900 series and there is a noticeable difference in performance and cost between the Pro, XT, and XTX versions, with XTX easily being the fastest of the bunch. If you are in the market for a new video card, you are probably better off with the GeForce 8800 over the X1950 XTX since they sell for a similar price.
- ATI Radeon X1950 Pro – While a step down from the X1950 XT, the X1950 Pro still isn’t a bad choice to make. It is slower and has fewer pixel shader units than the XT, but it easily handles most currently available games currently with little difficulty. The X1950 Pro comes with 256 MB of GDDR3. They used to be priced out of range but recent price drops have made these cards a pretty good bargain for less than $200.
- Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT – It can be confusing at times searching for video cards especially when you’re on a tight budget and not looking to spend too much money. That is where the GeForce 8500 GT comes in. First off, it has that all important DX10 support. While, its performance in DX9 games doesn’t stand out too much from some of the GeForce 6 cards, it doesn’t cost that much at $100 price range. Now, you can't expect the best performance from the latest released games but, it’ll let you at least play them. If DX10 isn’t important to you, look at the GeForce 7600 cards too. They are also priced reasonably.
- Nvidia GeForce 7900 GS - The GeForce 7 series has long been a fan favorite for gamers. This card has the capability to boost the performance of a 7900 GS to near standard 7900 GT speeds. Now that the GeForce 8600 cards are available don’t expect it to be very long before they have a drop in price too.
About the Author: SoundOnUSA offers practical wireless audio solutions. SoundOnUSA products include Wireless Speaker Systems, wireless gaming headphones, Sound Hoppers and other products delivering audio data without wires. Visit them at www.soundonusa.com.
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Print Article | Download PDF | 82 views | Aug 24 2007
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