Buying Guide to NVIDIA Video Cards
What to look for:
There are several characteristics of a card that determine how well it performs.
> Fill rate: the number of pixels the card can generate in a second. This is the number of pixels without any textures added, which slow down the card (if you look at the fill rates of some cards, it’s quite obvious they can’t make that many good-looking pixels in a second), but nonetheless it’s a pretty good measure. The fill rate is equal to the clock speed multiplied by the number of pixel pipelines.
>Clock speed: the number of clock cycles the GPU goes through in a second. In each clock cycle, one pixel can be created or one texture can be applied for each pipeline in the GPU.
>Pixel pipelines: the “channels” in a GPU by which something can be done. Each pipeline represents a simultaneous process through the GPU in each clock cycle.
>Vertices/second: in 3-D applications, this is the number of vertices (points where lines attach to each other) that can be created in a second. The vertices are connected into triangles that together create the shapes necessary, so you may also see “triangles/second.”
>Memory: this is the amount of memory on the card. Memory is used to store instructions that haven’t yet gone to the GPU. Memory keeps the GPU from waiting for something to do, so the more you have the better.
>Memory interface: the width of the channel between the GPU and the memory. For example, if you have a 256-bit memory interface, 256 bits of information can go from the memory to the GPU in each memory clock cycle.
>Memory speed: the equivalent of clock speed for memory. Memory can only send information to the GPU in increments of the clock cycle.
>Memory bandwidth: equal to the memory speed multiplied by the interface width, this is the total amount of data that can be transmitted between memory and the GPU per second.
All of these characteristics are important, but the number of vertices per second is the most important, as it represents the practical performance of the video card in actual applications.
SLI
If you haven’t heard, SLI is a feature of newer NVIDIA cards that allows a user to use multiple (currently two) video cards in the same system to increase performance. The use of two video cards in an SLI setup gives you almost twice the performance as one card alone. Of course, buying two video cards means spending twice the money, so the choice is left to you. Also keep in mind that if you purchase two cards, your next upgrade will require you to either buy a card better than your two cards combined or buy two more cards, which will leave you stuck in an endless cycle of buying two cards at once. And remember that your motherboard has to support SLI, too; only motherboards with select NVIDIA chipsets support SLI. If you have one you probably bought it on purpose, so I won’t linger on that subject.
6 or 7 Series?
NVIDIA’s two newest series (for home users) are the GeForce 6 and 7 series of GPUs. The 7 series of GPUs supports a new feature known as High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting, which causes objects to reflect or absorb light, not just become brighter, and also creates realistic effects such as the glare experienced when suddenly walking out into a bright area after being in a dark room. Along with this, of course, there are the usual added features, like higher fill rates and polygon creation rates, faster core and memory clocks, and higher AA or AF settings. When it comes down to it, you should buy into the 7 series if your budget allows for it, and my recommendations will only list 7 series cards, as this is what I believe you should purchase.
Who makes the best NVIDIA cards?
NVIDIA only makes the GPU, or graphics processing unit. They then sell their GPUs to other companies, who then add the memory and other essential components to make the video card itself, and you, the consumer, purchase the card from one of these other companies. My personal favorite is eVGA because their products are well priced, they offer a lifetime warranty (that can also be transferred to a second owner), and their warranty is friendly to people who overclock their cards. Many of their cards also come from the factory at higher clock speeds than NVIDIA calls for, which gives you added performance, and they have a program that allows you to trade in your card for an upgraded one within 90 days if you pay the difference. (Unless you bought the card from their website, though, the “difference” ends up being a lot.) Gigabyte has recently taken to making completely silent cards by cooling the GPU with only a high-performance heatsink. BFG Tech sells overclocked cards, sometimes with superior cooling, but they come at a price. The bottom line: all brands are acceptable, but make sure you have a warranty, because video cards break, and it’s easier to get one replaced than to have to buy another one. (Well, that’s not true. Getting anything replaced is a pain, but it’s practically free.)
Which cards are worth the money?
If you graph a list of video cards in terms of the performance they give you for the cost of the card, it generally looks like a straight line until you hit the top few cards, and then it skyrockets. Personally, when I upgrade my video card I try to find the point at which the price:performance ratio starts going up, and I buy the last card that seems to be worth it. But I’m a gaming enthusiast, and you may not want to shell out that much for a video card. I do, however, advise against any model number ending in LE. GT, GS, and XT are all fine, but LE models are budget models that do not demonstrate appropriate performance for the price you pay. Following is a table of different budgets and the corresponding video card you should probably purchase:
Budget Video Card Notes $50-$100 7300GS A lower end card, but gets the job done. $100-$150 7600GS The 7600 series of cards are very well priced. $150-$200 7600GT See above. $200-$300 7900GT My personal favorite, I have one of these myself. More than $300 7900GTX or 7950GX2 These are extremely pricey, but if you want the best…
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Vertices/second: in 3-D applications, this is the number of vertices (points where lines attach to each other) that can be created in a second. The vertices are connected into triangles that together create the shapes necessary, so you may also see "triangles/second." >Memory: this is the amount of memory on the card. Memory is used to store instructions that haven't yet gone to the GPU. Memory keeps the GPU from waiting for something to do, so the more you have the better. >Memory interface: the width of the channel between the GPU and the memory. For example, if you have a 256-bit memory interface, 256 bits of information can go from the memory to the GPU in each memory clock cycle. >Memory speed: the equivalent of clock speed for memory. Memory can only send information to the GPU in increments of the clock cycle. >Memory bandwidth: equal to the memory speed multiplied by the interface width, this is the total amount of data that can be transmitted between memory and the GPU per second. All of these characteristics are important, but the number of vertices per second is the most important, as it represents the practical performance of the video card in actual applications. SLI If you haven't heard, SLI is a feature of newer NVIDIA cards that allows a user to use multiple (currently two) video cards in the same system to increase performance. The use of two video cards in an SLI setup gives you almost twice the performance as one card alone. Of course, buying two video cards means spending twice the money, so the choice is left to you. Also keep in mind that if you purchase two cards, your next upgrade will require you to either buy a card better than your two cards combined or buy two more cards, which will leave you stuck in an endless cycle of buying two cards at once. And remember that your motherboard has to support SLI, too; only motherboards with select NVIDIA chipsets support SLI. If you have one you probably bought it on purpose, so I won't linger on that subject. 6 or 7 Series? NVIDIA's two newest series (for home users) are the GeForce 6 and 7 series of GPUs. The 7 series of GPUs supports a new feature known as High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting, which causes objects to reflect or absorb light, not just become brighter, and also creates realistic effects such as the glare experienced when suddenly walking out into a bright area after being in a dark room. Along with this, of course, there are the usual added features, like higher fill rates and polygon creation rates, faster core and memory clocks, and higher AA or AF settings. When it comes down to it, you should buy into the 7 series if your budget allows for it, and my recommendations will only list 7 series cards, as this is what I believe you should purchase. Who makes the best NVIDIA cards? NVIDIA only makes the GPU, or graphics processing unit. They then sell their GPUs to other companies, who then add the memory and other essential components to make the video card itself, and you, the consumer, purchase the card from one of these other companies. My personal favorite is eVGA because their products are well priced, they offer a lifetime warranty (that can also be transferred to a second owner), and their warranty is friendly to people who overclock their cards. Many of their cards also come from the factory at higher clock speeds than NVIDIA calls for, which gives you added performance, and they have a program that allows you to trade in your card for an upgraded one within 90 days if you pay the difference. (Unless you bought the card from their website, though, the "difference" ends up being a lot.) Gigabyte has recently taken to making completely silent cards by cooling the GPU with only a high-performance heatsink. BFG Tech sells overclocked cards, sometimes with superior cooling, but they come at a price. The bottom line: all brands are acceptable, but make sure you have a warranty, because video cards break, and it's easier to get one replaced than to have to buy another one. (Well, that's not true. Getting anything replaced is a pain, but it's practically free.) Which cards are worth the money? If you graph a list of video cards in terms of the performance they give you for the cost of the card, it generally looks like a straight line until you hit the top few cards, and then it skyrockets. Personally, when I upgrade my video card I try to find the point at which the price:performance ratio starts going up, and I buy the last card that seems to be worth it. But I'm a gaming enthusiast, and you may not want to shell out that much for a video card. I do, however, advise against any model number ending in LE. GT, GS, and XT are all fine, but LE models are budget models that do not demonstrate appropriate performance for the price you pay. Following is a table of different budgets and the corresponding video card you should probably purchase: Budget Video Card Notes $50-$100 7300GS A lower end card, but gets the job done. $100-$150 7600GS The 7600 series of cards are very well priced. $150-$200 7600GT See above. $200-$300 7900GT My personal favorite, I have one of these myself. More than $300 7900GTX or 7950GX2 These are extremely pricey, but if you want the best...Next%20stop%3A%20Pinterest" data-pin-do="buttonPin" data-pin-config="beside">
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