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Buyer's Guide: The Best Graphics Cards
A good graphics card is essential for smooth and detail-rich graphics in computer games. Check out our pick of the best graphics cards before you upgrade!
Régis Jehl
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Updated: April 5, 2012
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Updated: April 5, 2012
More Graphics Card Reviews
Looking for a new graphics card? Cut to the chase with this pick of the best models currently on the market or, for more options, you can browse all our graphics card reviews.
Performances. A card that's too slow will make certain games glitch and judder with graphics detail set to the maximum level.
Nose. Powerful graphics cards usually have a built-in fan, so look for a model that's not too noisy.
Power consumption. As a general rule, the more power a graphics card uses the hotter it will get and the noisier it will be. Plus, low power use is better for the environment and for your wallet.
With these factors in mind, here's our pick of the best graphics cards out there right now.
Editor's Choice 
This excellent AMD graphics card is fast and doesn't use too much power. Nevertheless, you're paying a high price for innovation here and it could be wise to wait for the competition to catch up and bring the price down a bit.
Two Alternatives 
On a Budget
Although it's no spring chicken, the GTX 570 still delivers great performances. There aren't many games this card can't handle and a recent drop in price makes it an ever more appealing choice!
On a Shoestring
This may not be the most recent card, but it's fine for playing the latest games in decent conditions. You may have to turn the graphics down when playing power-packed games on a Full HD monitor, but at this price, you'll be hard pushed to find anything better.
Best of the Rest 
Here are a few more of our favourites.
Top of the Range
Review: Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 2 GB
Nvidia's first Kepler-architecture graphics card packs a real punch! With top gaming performances, quiet operation in both 2D and 3D modes, and relatively low power use given its monster performances, this is quite simply and excellent choice!
Alternative Option
Review: AMD Radeon HD 7970 3 GB
This all-rounder combines good gaming performances and quiet operation in 2D mode with a host of advanced functions. What's more, power use when idle is top-notch!
Low-Cost Gaming
Review: AMD Radeon HD7750 1 GB
Power consumption is well controlled in this graphics card. Gaming performances aren't amazing but they're good enough to handle many recent games with the graphics detail turned down.
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Buyer's Guide: The Best Graphics Cards
