Buying a new graphics card may seem like a simple matter at first. After all, both Internet shops and local retail stores carry a plethora of graphics cards in every performance and price category. This large variety of cards, however, makes it hard to select the one that is ideal for you. A multitude of factors need to be considered in the selection process, to ensure that the choice you make will keep you happy over as long a period of time as possible.

This article covers all of the criteria involved in selecting and buying the graphics card that is right for you. How important each factor is will depend on your personal preferences and the way you intend to use the card. For example, some people will require a video-in line, and for them this will be a make-or-break feature; others will not care about this particular capability. To help you define your requirements, we will also give a short overview of the technologies used in graphics cards of the past and present.

We've broken this buyer's guide up into six large sections that cover all of the important factors. Obviously, there is no perfect way to prioritize selection criteria, because preferences and needs differ for each individual. The order that we present here is only one possibility among many, and is meant more as a guideline to help you find your own personal ranking of criteria. Remember also that it's sometimes difficult to draw a line between these issues, so there will be some overlap in certain areas.

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• 1 – Introduction
  

  1. 1 – Introduction
  2. 2 – Intended Use - A Short Overview
  3. 3 – Technology (Future Proofing)
  4. 4 – DirectX Technology
  5. 5 – Direct X 9 Class
  6. 6 – OpenGL
  7. 7 – Video Playback
  8. 8 – Performance & Image Quality
  9. 9 – Benchmark Results
  10. 10 – CPU
  11. 11 – FSAA And AF
  12. 12 – Image Quality
  13. 13 – Budget (Card Overview)
  14. 14 – Price Categories
  15. 15 – Older Radeon Models
  16. 16 – Radeon 9800
  17. 17 – ATI's Current Product Family
  18. 18 – Older NVIDIA Models
  19. 19 – GeForce FX 5900
  20. 20 – NVIDIA's Current Product Family
  21. 21 – GeForce 6600
  22. 22 – Manufacturer & Feature Set
  23. 23 – AGP Or PCI Express
  24. 24 – SLI
  25. 25 – Power Requirements
  26. 26 – Looks & Cooling
  27. 27 – Monitor Connectivity
  28. 28 – Video In & Out
  29. 29 – Software Bundle
  30. 30 – The Purchase
  31. 31 – Drivers
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