Welcome back to another exciting edition to my multi-part series about building the perfect PC for gaming. My previous article was about general things to watch out for when purchasing a video card, now it's time to get specific about which video cards will make you look at your computer in a whole new light.
Usually the best judge of the quality of a video card is the brand. Manufacturers such as BFG have much more "street cred" with gamers than would an unknown manufacturer, as the BFG brand can usually be trusted to provide several other features - such as an overclocked core
speed (faster cards = faster video processing) and higher Video RAM (which from now on will be abbreviated VRAM). Another thing to watch out for is the connector to the motherboard - and chances are that if you have a newer motherboard, you have the PCI-Express 16 slot (usually abbreviated PCI-e x16) - however, since we're building the PC from scratch, don't buy any AGP cards. They're old hat, on their way out.
That being said, here are the top 5 video cards, along with their respective prices:
1. The BFG GeForce GTX 280
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3941064&CatId=3669
Clicking on the link above will allow you to witness the most sophisticated, high-definition video card known to man (currently). With a hefty price tag well over the $500 dollar range, this card will put you at the top of whatever it is you're doing graphics-wise. The GTX 280 is a hot new chip set that Nvidia unveiled earlier this year, so it doesn't get more cutting edge than this. With a whopping 1 Gb VRAM, a 602 Mhz core clock, this card is powerful enough to run anything you throw at it at 60 fps (more on frame rate in games when we get to processors). BFG is well known for their over-clocking of cards, which is essentially a means of increasing the core clock speed of the card in order to squeeze out more power.
2. The BFG GeForce 9800 GTX
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?MfrId=1646&CatId=28
The second-best card out there is even pricier than the GTX 280. The reason for this is because the 9800 GTX is not just a video card, it is a home-entertainment solution. While the GTX 280 scraps the HDMI port in favor of better gaming performance, the 9800 contains practically every output that can fit on the back of a computer. The extra HDMI port can come in handy if you're trying to hook up your gaming rig to a high-definition projector or television screen. This card also boasts 1 Gb RAM and a 680 MHz core clock (which is faster than the GTX 280), but since the chip set is made specifically for high-definition video-viewing, you'll get better game performance out of the GTX 280.
3. The BFG GeForce 8800 GTS
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3510472&CatId=28
In third place comes the tried and true standard in the industry right now. The 8800 GTS is a card that has a cult following all of its own. Since its inception at the end of 2007, this was considered the card that all other cards needed to be measured against. Now that a good six months have gone by, the 8800 GTS is quickly becoming a mid-range card compared to the monsters that are the GTX 280 and the 9800 GTX. This is good news for you, primarily because it means that across the board, prices are being cut on this card, yielding a great card for people with that $200 budget. However the trade-off in this case is that the RAM is only 512 MB.
4. The XFX GeForce 8800 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150261
While you can't really beat BFG for their over-clocking capacities, XFX often comes incredibly close. In this case, the trade-off is that the core clock is only 650 MHz as opposed to the 670+ MHz offered by BFG. However, if you're a gamer looking for a great card at a price that isn't going to break the bank, while still maintaining the 512 MB RAM the BFG one offers. As a matter of fact, as of publishing time on this article, Newegg is actually offering a mail-in-rebate, so the card will be even cheaper than is actually listed on the website. Basically, this card is a great buy for people who want the high-end system, but not at the high-end price.
5. The XFX GeForce 8600 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150250
If you're looking for the biggest bang for your buck - this is the card for you. A sub-$100 dollar card is the way to go if you intend on using the card SLI. SLI is a new technology from Nvidia that basically allows you to run more than one card (in the case of the GTX 280 up to three) in parallel, resulting in a boost in processing. Which is why it might be better to be running two 8600 cards SLI than one 8800 card. In this case in particular, the price for two of these cards will approach the price of one 8800 card like the XFX one in number 4. Keep in mind also, when talking about SLI that the motherboard and power supply (more on those in later articles) must be SLI-compliant.
You're absolutely right! Let's not move on before mentioning that cheap-gamer favorite, the budget card.
This time around, the pick for the best budget card goes to:
The EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130300
I personally have one of these sitting comfortably in my PCI-e slot. This card is hands down the card that offers the most for your money without compromising your set-up. You won't need SLI-compliant hardware, or anything like that. The only problem with this card is its immense size. While placing mine in my motherboard, I had serious fears that the thing would crack the motherboard. It is essential that you have the right computer case (more on that later) and measure out how much space you actually have inside for the graphics card. This card so far has run everything I have thrown at it. Including Assassin's Creed, GRID, and Crysis, all at higher than high settings. The best part about this card so far has been the fact that no matter which game I am running on it, it seems adamant about maintaining a 30 fps standard no matter what. Combined with a Q6600 Quad-core (more on that later as well), this card can outperform most rigs. If you're
on a budget, this card is the one you want - at $160, it's the perfect price for the perfect card.
In the next article, we'll be talking about the sound set-up for your system.
Other content in this series:
>>> Building the Perfect Gamer PC - Part 1: The Video Card