Graphics Shootout: 17 Cards for a Better Gaming PC
 

How much video card do you need? Which ones deliver the most bang for the buck? We've tested an amazing collection of 17 of the latest graphics cards that cost between $80 to $600.

If we have learned anything from our collective years of testing and writing about PC hardware and related technology, it's this: Not everyone has the same needs and budget. Sure, those brand-new, high-end graphics cards make all your games run fast with all the settings cranked way up, but the vast majority of PC enthusiasts don't have $600 to drop once or twice a year. Similarly, those $100 cards offer tempting savings, but will they get the job done? Can you really play that game that's giving your current video card so much trouble?

Once or twice a year, we try to solve this dilemma with a big video card roundup. This time, we took 17 currently available cards representing the range of price points from $80 up to $600. We'll show you benchmarks with 3DMark06 and a sample of games that are representative of the graphics-card-stressors of the day. We'll show you which models deliver high fames-per-second per dollar, and just plain high frames-per-second. Ultimately, we hope to arm you with the information you need to figure out exactly which graphics card is right for you.