Video Card Review

Introduction to Video Cards

Inexpensive computers and motherboards have chips that send video output to a monitor; this is called "integrated video." Experts say that each generation of integrated video chip is better than the last, but not as good as even a cheap dedicated video card. If you want to play the latest action games, a video card is essential. If you don't play action games, a basic video card will considerably increase the speed of all your computing activities. Video cards have their own processors and RAM memory, which liberates a computer's processor and memory from having to help power the display. Video cards plug into a PCI-E slot on a motherboard. This standard has been popular for several years; older computers have AGP slots. Although the term is rarely used in advertising or by the public, manufacturers and reviewers often call video cards "graphics cards" -- the terms are interchangeable.

Mainstream computer magazines rarely review video cards, and consumer magazines never do. The best reviews come from computer hardware enthusiast websites and websites devoted to computer gaming. Playing games and measuring performance in pursuit of determining the best card in each price range is a labor of love for these enthusiasts, and we found many excellent reviews. Although all reviews measure gaming performance, many of the best reviewers also evaluate mid-priced and budget video cards for less demanding entertainment tasks and occasionally even for business tasks.

The best reviews of all can be found at [H] Enthusiast, HardwareLogic.com, X-bit Labs, ExtremeTech.com, Bit-tech.net and Madshrimps.be. All of these reviewers conduct extensive testing, and benchmark comparisons have to be objective, but these reviewers stand out in a number of ways. In particular, their reviews are fairly digestible -- not so technically written that a novice will be lost. Many other reviewers presume a high level of technical knowledge about video cards and drown readers in terminology and data. These top reviewers directly compare cards in roundups and make distinctions that identify the best products. They evaluate buying considerations other than just performance. These reviewers also look at relatively inexpensive video cards.

All video cards are designed by two companies: Nvidia and ATI (which was acquired by CPU-maker AMD in 2006). Neither company sells cards under their brand name. Instead, they license the technology to other companies. According to reviews, most branded cards use stock Nvidia or ATI designs. Thus, the majority of reviews are of Nvidia or ATI designs, rather than individual brands of video cards. The best reviewers evaluate both, and compare brands of video cards based on or using the same design.

A common weakness in reviews of any products is an over-emphasis on relative value. Of course, this is a critical buying consideration, but it's often much like the objective in many action games: an attempt to shoot a moving target. Prices change. Given that caveat, reviewers almost unanimously concur that the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS (*Est. $325) is currently a poor value. They often find that the considerably less expensive Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT (*Est. $270) equals or outperforms the GTS video card. For example, editors at [H] Enthusiast conclude, "The GeForce 8800 GT impressed us greatly; it provides a better game-play experience than the GeForce 8800 GTS for less money." Reviewers agree that the GTS is a great video card, but say that the cheaper GT and more expensive GTX (*Est. $550) in the Nvidia GeForce 8800 series are usually better values.