A Comparison of Computer Graphics Cards :: Compare Contrast Video

A Comparison of Computer Graphics Cards In today’s world of advanced computer games, the requirements that computers must meet to run these games are very, very steep ones. A major requirement of almost all high tech computer games is a decent graphics card. With most of the games today being developed in 3-D, unlike the games a decade ago which were almost always 2-D, an advanced graphics card is a must to get any amount of fun from these games. Two companies that are heavyweights in the ring of computer graphics are ATI and NVIDIA. ATI and NVIDIA are two main suppliers of almost all computer graphics cards in the U.S. and abroad, and while they supply cards for many different clients (engineers, graphic designers, architects), they’re main consumers are computer gamers. Computer gamers want to have the best performing computer possible to run these new advanced games. What this translates into is a need to have the best graphics card, and since the latest graphics cards don’t come cheap ($250-$550), computer gamers always do their homework when it comes to shopping for the latest graphics card. And when it comes to ATI’s and NVIDIA’s latest graphics cards, there is no end to how much analyzing and comparison their latest graphics cards will go through. ATI’s most recently released graphics card is the X800 and NVIDIA’s newest graphics card is the 6800. These two cards are in direct competition with each other and face a never ending comparison. When comparing these cards there are a number of technical specifications to draw upon, but there are a certain few detailed specifications which most gamers will look at in depth. The tech specs that most computer gamers will look at are the AGP speed supported by the card, the DirectX version supported by the card, and the speed of the core and memory processors. Now although gamers look at those specifications in detail, there are a few other issues that most will look at before even getting that far into researching a graphics card. One of the prime concerns about these next generation cards is how much power the draw.