Considerations for Comparing Video Cards

There is no doubt that video cards can be a difficult thing to figure out. There are a vast number of options and each one has a different set of benefits attached to it. Because of that, you are going to want to take a few moments to compare video cards that might interest you and then start the process of getting the one that is going to work best for you.

One of the first things you are going to need to understand is that there is more than one style of slot that your video card can use. For example, you are going to find that your main choices are the PCIe or AGP options. With these card slots, you are going to have different benefits.

An AGP slot for example, is one that you will find directly located on your motherboard. This of course makes it one of the oldest styles of video card options around and because of that, you are going to find that there are limitations with it. In fact, many newer PCs no longer have this slot available and are moving on to the PCIe slots.

What you are going to consider when it comes to the PCIe slots is that they tend to have boosters attached to them. This of course makes them as much as 4 times faster than your traditional AGP video cards. As you compare video cards in this manner, you are going to want to look at both of these options and consider the benefits that each one will have for you.

Your video card can also have a level of bandwidth attached to it as well. Typically, this is either a GDDR2 or GDDR3. These are elements that the graphics cards that are available for your computer will have available. What you are going to find is that the higher the number at the end, the faster it is going to be in processing graphics and the cooler that it will end up operating on your computer system.

If you have multiple screens you are going to be putting a display on, then you are going to want to take a moment to review the options you have for this as well. Some video cards can handle just a handful of screens, while others can provide displays for up to 16 monitors. Because of this, you are going to need to determine what your needs may be and then begin to work on each of the options that you have.

The one other are you are going to want to look at for your video card is going to be the amount of memory that each unit will have. What you will want to do is take the time to ensure that you get enough to operate your software and have plenty of room for the ever changing needs that your computer system will end up having. That way, you never have to worry about it becoming obsolete.