Guides to buying graphics cards

[J T]

I bookmarked this link awhile ago:
http://gizmodo.com/#!5422706/the-graphi ... very-price

I'm posting this because I thought it might be useful to people that are a little worried about getting into PC gaming because they are unsure about what graphics card to get. I think figuring out what are the best graphics cards is one of the most confusing things about getting into PC gaming.

The article is a bit date though since it was printed at the end of 2009. Does anyone have a similar article that helps you decide what to get that is more appropriate for 2011?

[nielse16]

Tom's Hardware: Best Graphics Cards For the Money, March 2011

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bes ... ,2879.html

I have an older computer (May 2006) and my graphics card (Radeon X600) took a crap last month. I went with a low end card (Radeon HD 4650) and it has worked out great in enabling my wife's Sims 3 addiction. I was also able to play a few of the more advanced games in MAME.

Oh, this reminds me...I need a new computer!

[nielse16]

Tom's Hardware: Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bes ... 879-7.html

I went up 8 tiers!

[Erik_Twice]

According to this, when I get my 5770 tomorrow I will jump 13 tiers =D

[J T]

Thanks for the extra links nielse16!

[Anayo]

I would almost prefer to see a graphics card list that tells how well the card actually performs on specific games. E.g. can run Bioshock at high settings, Batman Arkham Asylum maxed out, etc. That would mean a lot more to me than raw numbers.

Also, with my graphics card I thought it was odd certain games would slow down at certain parts, whereas certain other more visually intense games would perform smoothly. For instance Fallout 3 slowed down for me when I was in a very huge, expansive area with lots of enemies, and Bioshock kept crashing on high settings. Resident Evil 5 and Batman Arkham Asylum, however, had even more spectacular looking visuals but kept a good framerate all the time. Not sure if that's an unrelated digression I just wondered whether it was my card or the game itself.

[Dakinggamer87]

Tom's Hardware is a very great resource for PC Tech

[Niode]

I would almost prefer to see a graphics card list that tells how well the card actually performs on specific games. E.g. can run Bioshock at high settings, Batman Arkham Asylum maxed out, etc. That would mean a lot more to me than raw numbers.

Also, with my graphics card I thought it was odd certain games would slow down at certain parts, whereas certain other more visually intense games would perform smoothly. For instance Fallout 3 slowed down for me when I was in a very huge, expansive area with lots of enemies, and Bioshock kept crashing on high settings. Resident Evil 5 and Batman Arkham Asylum, however, had even more spectacular looking visuals but kept a good framerate all the time. Not sure if that's an unrelated digression I just wondered whether it was my card or the game itself.

Well that's because Resident Evil 5 uses very small environments. It takes way more processing power to fill a large expansive scene than it does to model a favela.

Just look at Crysis and Crysis 2. They had to move from the expansive vistas of Crysis to crummy looking boring inner city environments because the consoles couldn't handle it. It's disgusting that Crysis 2 looks worse than Crysis. That just shouldn't fucking happen. EVER. Fucking consoles bringing the standard down for PC titles. Why didn't they do a proper sequel to Crysis on the PC and then some separate watered down shit title for the console shooter retards to play.

[Anayo]

I'm no so sure the size of the environment caused it. Bioshock had really small indoor environments, but Arkham Asylum was pretty dang huge. Yet it ran smoother.

[avrame]

Why didn't they do a proper sequel to Crysis on the PC and then some separate watered down shit title for the console shooter retards to play.

As ashamed as I am to admit it, it solely because of the sale/profitability of the product. I'm sure that the Crysis devs/producers lost tons due to the low market for high-end pc gamers in combination with the overwhelming amount of PC piracy.

To them, they were given a chance to release a product with much less effort, selling it to a broader audience and make more profit. It's win-win in their book. That's why so many devs are jumping to the iOS/Android platform, make and sell a game quickly with little effort, and still rake in some cash. That is what the Angry Bird creator has been harping all along.