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Buying A Graphics Card: The Not-So-Average Guide!
ByBilal Khan- Read Time18 mins
Hey, all you gamers, you screen addicts and keyboard warriors, your wait is finally over. Expanding Errorbook’s Guide Series, now is the time to talk about the formula for buying the right Graphics Card. Whether you are a hardcore gamer or someone who dreams of playing high-budget video games, this guide is for you.
Firstly, the following guide will give you a reason to invest in a Graphics Card. It would highlight the possible reasons you need to have one. Moving forward, you will learn about the factors that are considered important for buying the right Graphics Card.
By going through the factors, you will ensure you get your hands on a product that will meet the graphics-related requirements of your PC.
If you want to master the art of buying a Graphics Card, you can’t afford to miss any single factor explained in the guide. Scroll through the following section to learn the guide on buying a Graphics Card.
Top Pick
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Why Do You Need A Graphics Card?
A Graphics Card holds the top rank in the hardware hierarchy of a gaming PC. It tends to be as important as the CPU. A gaming PC that lacks a Graphics Card is like a human that lacks creativity.
Acting as a separate division for high graphics processing, a Graphics Card is considered the real boss of a machine built for hardcore gaming.
Like it or not but the concept of a high-end gaming PC is a blurred one without a Graphics Card. Most high-profile video games, video editors, and 3D applications require high graphics that can’t be generated by a CPU alone.
No matter how powerful the CPU is, it would always be unable to take care of the graphics department of a PC. To sum it up, a CPU is an underpowered device to perform the complex graphics of a video game or an application.
Therefore, every modern PC requires a specialized device like a Graphics Card to lead its graphics department in the best way possible. A Graphics Card does the graphics processing job like no other device. It transforms a conventional PC into a powerhouse of extreme graphics processing.
With a Graphics Card, you can play all the high-profile video games, run video editing applications and use 3D programs. A PC supported by a Graphics Card performs graphically ten times better than one without it.
How To Buy A Graphics Card
If you don’t know what a Graphics Card should or should not have, you better forget about it. Before you want to grab a product, be sure it has all that you need to run high-graphics applications. To be specific, the following are the factors that you should keep in mind when buying a Graphics Card.
Budget
Your first move should be to make a budget that allows you to set your financial boundaries. To make it as simple as it could be, under or over-investing in a Graphics Card is no good idea. Generally speaking, Graphics Card comes with tons of different price tags. Don’t expect them to be a cheap alternative to a CPU. While some Graphics Cards can be grabbed for a few hundred dollars, others can cost you thousands of dollars. If you plan to invest in an entry-level Graphics Card, you will have to set a budget of more than a hundred bucks. Want to go for a mid-level option? Come with a budget of $400-$500. A mid-level Graphics Card can be a great thing to start with. In case, you intend to turn your PC into extreme graphics processing machine, you better be prepared to spend more than $1500 on a high-end Graphics Card. To give you a bit of an idea, a Graphics Card worth more than $1500 will enable your PC to play 4k visual content. Budgeting is one of the most significant factors in buying a Graphics Card. It allows you to know your financial limitations and help you be specific about your requirement. Set a budget first, period!
Form Factor
Don’t end up buying a Graphics Card that can’t fit into your PC. Instead, get one that can fit well into the internal structure. If you love your PC’s hardware, you will make sure to get a Graphics Card with a suitable form factor. Anything bigger than the PC case can damage the hardware. At first, you will have a hard time installing a big Graphics Card. Secondly, even if you manage to install it, there will be a chance you may damage the hardware accidentally. The best way to avoid this is to check out the size of your PC’s case and compare it with the Graphics Card you want to buy. The size of the Graphics Card should be good enough to leave extra space between it and other hardware. Otherwise, the low space available will disrupt the overall cooling process of the PC and might damage the hardware as well.
Memory Speed
The higher the memory speed the faster the Graphics Card. Applying this rule to the buying process, you are supposed to get a Graphics Card that features high memory speed. Look at it this way, If you compare two same-sized RAMs, the one with higher memory speed will operate faster than the one with low memory speed. In simple words, memory speed/bandwidth is like CPU overclocking. It allows the RAM to operate on a higher level for increased performance. When going through the specification list of a Graphics Card, make sure to check out its memory speed.
TDP Rating
TDP stands for Thermal Design Power which refers to the power consumption capacity of an electronic device. The higher the TDP the better the performance of the device. Get a Graphics Card featuring a high TDP for improved performance. Since high TDP means high power consumption, be sure it will cost you a high electricity bill. Go for a high TDP Graphics Card if you can afford it and don’t if you can’t.
VRAM
For those who don’t know, a Graphics Card comes with a dedicated RAM that operates separately from the main memory of a PC and is called VRAM. It is the dedicated VRAM that makes a huge difference to the graphics processing capability of any Graphics Card. As a general rule, the more the RAM, the faster the Graphics Card. Initially, you can buy a Graphics Card powered by 8GB RAM. Anything less than 8GB would impact the graphics department of the PC. For your information, 8GB RAM is enough for high-standard visual content. And If you want to have 4K experience, you can double the RAM size. Overall, 32GB RAM will do miracles for you. It would boost your PC with the extraordinary capability to run graphics-hungry programs. In the end, it is you who has to decide the amount of RAM you want to support your PC with.
Ray Tracing
A modern Graphics Card should be armed with the latest technology of Ray Tracing. The Card should have all the means to support and apply Ray Tracing technology to video games. Otherwise, the Graphics Card is a mere waste of money. If you are wondering what Ray Tracing is all about, let me explain it to you. Ray Tracing technology transforms the lighting effects into a perfect equivalent of realistic lightning. The technology allows the Graphics Card to process graphics in such a way that they should resemble what we experience in the real world. It is a whole new experience for both beginners and professionals. The Ray Tracing offers a glimpse into the real-world simulation that would leave you speechless. Don’t underestimate Ray Tracing, I would say it again don’t. When buying a Graphics Card, look for the updated version of the Ray Tracing Write it down, Ray Tracing is one of the most important factors to be considered in the entire guide.
Overclocking
Overclocking makes a little bit of a difference to a Graphics Card’s performance. Given this fact, Invest in a Graphics Card that features overclocked processor. Although not a must-have, an overclocked processor can improve the speed of the Graphics Card to some degree. A Graphics Card supported by an overclocked processor is likely to give you a slight edge over one without it. However, don’t expect miracles to happen with an overclocked processor. As said earlier, an overclocked Graphics Card is only slightly faster than a non-overclocked Graphics Card.
Display Connector
Every monitor comes with a different display connector. While some monitors feature HDMI connectors, others are supported by DVI ones. When you choose a Graphics Card, make sure it supports the Display Connectors of your monitor. Otherwise, you will have a hard time figuring out to connect the Graphics Card with the monitor. Check out the type of Display Connector your monitor features and try to look for a Graphics Card that has the same one.
Choosing A Brand: AMD OR Nvidia
Although there are several Graphics Card manufacturers in the market, I would suggest you stick with ones offering NVIDIA or AMD chips. Dominating the Graphics Card market for decades, NVIDIA and AMD are the primary Graphics Card chip manufacturers. Any Graphics Card featuring an NVIDIA or AMD chip is likely to offer superior performance than ones without them.
Realistically speaking, NVIDIA and AMD are the backbones of the Graphics Card industry. Innovating the Graphics Cards technology, they have set up new trends in the market. Both brands make amendments to their fleet of Graphics Card chips from time to time.
Since there is a constant battle between NVIDIA and AMD, they always strive hard to make their Graphics Card chips better and better. This ongoing rivalry is one of the many reasons their Graphics Card chips are too good to be grabbed. But before you move forward to the next factor, here is something to be considered.
While NVIDIA also manufactures limited models of Graphics Cards, AMD seems to have discontinued it completely. Both the brands solely rely on selling out their chips to other Graphics Card manufacturers.
It is the design of the chip that makes a huge sum of money for these brands. Regardless of who has manufactured the Graphics Card, you can buy it as long as it features NVIDIA or AMD chip. In case it doesn’t, you better skip it.
ErrorBook’s Recommended Graphics Cards
Skip the hassle of looking for a Graphics Card on the internet and take a look at the ones featured in ErrorBook’s recommendation section. As a result of extreme research, ErrorBook’s recommended Graphics Cards are all-around performers. Whether it’s hardcore video gaming or 3D rendering, the following Graphics Cards are enough for highly-graphic tasks. Swipe to check out each and look for the best one for yourself.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 box
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 box
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 unbox
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 unbox
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 incase
nvidia geforce rtx 3090 incase
You will never have a hard time spotting Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 in the list of best Graphics Cards available in 2022. A heavyweight graphics generator, RTX 3090 is armed with all the latest tech dominating the world of Graphics. You can count multiple reasons to load this masterpiece into your PC.
Firstly, Its 24GB GDDR6X RAM brings 8K resolution to your screen redefining the modern standard of visual content. You get to experience extremely crystal clear visual content at its best. Further thanks to the super-size RAM, 8K video gaming would allow you to celebrate every victory with extreme detail.
Secondarily, the 2nd generation Ray Tracing technology supports live-streaming like no other. You can live stream video games without compromising on the quality even a little bit. At the moment, there are hardly any Graphics Cards that are good enough to be compared with RTX 3090.
Built as a future-proof device, it is way ahead of its time. This means you can use this Graphics Card without having to switch to the upcoming Graphics Cards shortly. It is already equipped with the required hardware to stand against the next-generation graphics technology.
Specs
24GB GDDR6X RAM
1.70 GHz Boost Clock
10496 NVIDIA Cuda Cores
Pros
2nd Gen Ray Tracing
Crystal Clear Live Streaming
AI Enhanced Video
Cons
Expensive
AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
amd radeon rx 6950 xt box
amd radeon rx 6950 xt box
amd radeon rx 6950 xt unbox
amd radeon rx 6950 xt unbox
amd radeon rx 6950 xt incase
amd radeon rx 6950 xt incase
The RX 6950 XT is unlikely to disappoint you like other so-called powerful Graphics Cards. Considering the specification list, It is a pretty cheap device to lead the graphics processing department of your PC. This device is one of the best Graphics Cards released by AMD ever. It is a mega-powerful device supported by 5,120 stream processors. You can play almost any graphics-intensive program with these numbers of processors.
The device features 16GB GDDR6 RAM which sounds to be more than enough for 4K video gaming. It backs your PC to run 3D content with as little effort as possible. Moreover, the 1,800 MHz memory clock refers to the blazing speed of this overpowered machine to achieve high performance. You can expect the RX 6950 XT to be the perfect option for highly graphical programs.
Comparatively, It turns out to be a fair option for advanced users. From delivering a smooth gaming experience to rendering 3D images, this Graphics Card does all the jobs perfectly. If you are into high-end graphics generators, then RX 6950 XT is specifically built for you.
Specs
16GB GDDR6 RAM
1,925 Core Clock
3 x 8-pin Power Connectors
Pros
4K Visual Content
Ultra Fast
Cons
Lacks Creativity
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 box
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 box
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 unbox
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 unbox
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 incase
nvidia geforce rtx 3050 incase
Operates with a memory speed of 12Gbps, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is a powerful Graphics Card for high-end use. It processes graphics in almost no time. Thanks to the 8GB GDDR6 RAM, you can play visual content at 1080p resolution. The detail of the visual content is breathtaking for the given resolution. The RTX 3050 popularizes the use of high-powered Graphics Cards. It is a power-hungry Graphics processing machine with a Core Clock of 1.78 GHz.
It features thousands of stream processors making it an ultra-fast option for extreme graphics generation. The device can play any high-budget video game you can talk of. Its above-average specification hints at its ability to perform graphics-intensive operations without putting much effort.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 is a game-changing asset for any gaming PC. There is much more to this Graphics Card than just what has been mentioned above. It applies Ray Tracing technology to give you a realistic experience. The Ray Tracing feature gives you a matchless experience for a fair deal as you can view the content with clarity similar to the real world. You better get it as long as high-power-consuming devices are not a big deal to you.
Specs
8GB GDDR6 RAM
1.78 GHz. Core Clock
1 x 8-pin Power Connector
Pros
Good Performance For Price
Ray Tracing
Cons
High-Power Consumption
Questions Asked By Graphics Card Buyers
Part of the guide, this section addresses the questions asked by Graphics Card Buyers. Check out all the questions and answers to find out if they are similar to the ones popping up in your mind. In case they are not, you are more than welcome to submit your questions in the comment section and I would love to answer each of them.
Wrap Up
Congratulations, you hold a Ph.D. in buying a Graphics Card. You are now aware of all the factors that are considered essential to getting the right Graphics Card. Every factor explained in the guide is of huge importance to making a great investment. Don’t undermine the importance of any single factor and make sure the Graphics Card you buy has all that has been mentioned above.
Did you like the content? Or is there anything you want to ask me? Feel free to jump into the comment section and I would be there for your assistance. Furthermore, please share the guide with your friends, and subscribe to our newsletters to be a part of the growing community of ErrorBook.
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