Graphics cards?

What should a user look for in a graphics card?





I've personally only looked for The cheapest ones with the best memory ( I've been looking for 512mb ones). Although you often see 256mb ones costing alot more than 512mb ones etc.





So what should you actually look for? I know compatibility is an issue but you either look for AGP ones or PCI-E ones.





And is DirectX 10 becoming a concern for people, is it the 256mb ones which cost more the ones which have DirectX 10 compatibility.


My main three questions are:


1. Whats the difference between 256mb and 512mb memory cards?


2. Will a 256mb card play almost every game there is, and if so how long will it be until games come out that exceed this limit. Or is it nothing to do with the mb.


3. Should everyone buying a graphics card now, who is expecting to keep in for a few years, make sure they buy a direct x 10 card, and is it a must.





Thanks in advance


- Sam

Graphics cards?
1. the more memory the better it plays on righer resolutions if you have a computer that runs at 1680x1050 or below you should be fine with 256mb or video ram but if your playing on higher than that go with 512mb


2. it has nothing to do with mb mb just helps on resolutions like i said above


3. no direct 10 isn't a much buy now it will be 2-3 years before games become direct 10 only so games like crysis and unreal tournament 2007 that run in direct 10 will also run in direct 9 just fine if i were you i would just get a high end direct 9 card for now and get a direct 10 card when more games come out because there are like 1-2 game out now that support it and in order to get the best direct 10 experience you have to buy the 8800gts which starts at $260 so just buy a highend direct 9 card you can find a x1950pro and 7950gt for around $100 and $150 on newegg and those cards should run games on max in direct 9
Reply:well on the 256 versus 512 another key factor is what kind of memory it is i've seen 256 ddr3 run better than 512 ddr2. i run 256 on this pc and my last one and run many of the top end games. but i am planning on going up to atleast a 320mb nvidea 8 series or a 512 from either ati or nvidea now that ati is finally geting the rest of thier new dx 10 cards out. and as for the dx 10 right now not much need for it but that will be changing over time personally i am going dx10 i don't replace vid cards much so will have it for a few yrs since i am allready pci-e 16x now. just gotta check all the specs type of memory amount of memory clock speeds slot type and sure i am missing some other important parts to consider.
Reply:I think you might find your answers in this article:





http://www.gamegiants.net/article_info.p...
Reply:Simply looking at the amount of memory is a common practice in video card shopping, and it is an absolutely terrible one. As far as specification go, you should look at core clock speed, number of pixel pipelines, memory speed, and memory interface, with the amount of memory coming in a distant fifth in importance. The reason you see 256 ones costing more than 512 ones it that they are better in the areas that really matter. Now to your numbered questions.





1. Amount of memory is the difference, like I said, by far not the most important spec.


2. Nothing to do with the amount of memory, you need to look at the other specifications.


3. If you plan to keep it for a while, then yes it would be a good idea to invest in a DirectX 10 card.





If you have further questions, or if you want me to recommend a card for your price range, feel free to email or instant message me.