How to evaluate a video card?

[sym]

I was looking at new video cards, and realized that I had no idea what I was looking at. I know that different chip sets are better than others, but I don't know which ones are the better ones :o .

What are the most important features to look at when evaluating a video card (chipset, ram, etc...)?

I currently have an AGP port, but may be upgrading, so please don't consider that a limitation.

I am looking at cards for $300 or less, but I am more curious to learn about the cards and how I should go about evaluating them based on specs (as opposed to the "try it and see" approach).

Any insight or links to good reference reading would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Small_Fry]

There are many things you have to look at while evaluating a video card, but the biggest difference is AGP and PCI. There are AGP and PCI cards, but AGP is definately faster, since it has a direct port to the graphics processing section of the motherboard. PCI is used for many different things, so the video isn't as fast. PCI-E is becoming the new standard for video cards, however. But if you are upgrading, try to atleast get a board with AGP. Another thing to consider is card memory. Like RAM, it is measured in bit values (2,4,8,16,32, etc) and plays an important part in processing video. For $300, you could probably get a very good 256MB card, or an average 512MB card. Also, there's Pixelpipelines, which are all around the same range, 2-4, so don't bother that. The DirectX and OpenGL versions of the card are important, too. DirectX 9 is the newest, and I'm not sure about OpenGL, but I think it's 2.0. If a video card has a fan, it wont be specifically faster, but faster cards require more cooling. You can look at the pictures to see what kind of ports a card has on it, there's not just moniter ports-there's an article on that here (http://images10.newegg.com/UploadFilesForNewegg/itemintelligence/VideoCard/Graphics_Card_Interfaces.pdf). Lastly, remember to read reviews. People aren't reviewing cards to trick others, just to state their usefullness and quality. Newegg.com has a good video card search engine with many filters, so you should probably start looking there.

Good luck! :D

[blue60007]

If you are sticking with AGP, the fastest card you can get is the 7800GS which is right in your budget I believe. If you plan on upgrading the board, hold off on the card and upgrade to PCI-E. That may, however, also require a CPU upgrade.

Either way, you may also need a power supply upgrade. This (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130275) one requires at least 350W of *quality* power. EDIT: If you are going with PCI-E, then you need an ATX 2.0 unit (24 pin connector & PCI-E power cable), which your power supply probably doesn't have.