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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: January 19, 2012
Translator: Catherine Barraclough
Updated: January 19, 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 NVIDIA graphics card is a real gem! It offers fast gaming, compatibility with a load of extra features (3D, CUDA) and, above all, fairly quiet operation. Keep an eye on the price to make sure you get best value for money.
Two Alternatives 
On a Budget
On performance, noise and energy consumption, NVIDIA has got everything right in the mid-range GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1 GB graphics card. It's a great card that'll keep most gamers happy.
On a Shoestring
This is a card without any major faults—except for a poorly chosen, misleading name. For the rest (performance, noise and energy efficiency) it does very well.
Best of the Rest 
Here are a few more of our favourites.
Top of the Range
Review: Generic AMD Radeon HD 7970 3 GB
This graphics card is a great all-rounder, offering top performances in games, discreet operation and advanced functions. Power consumption when idle is excellent too!
Lightning Fast
Review: Generic AMD Radeon HD 6990 4 GB
The AMD Radeon HD 6990 is a very high-performance graphics card. This extra power does come at a price, however, as it's also quite noisy and guzzles loads of electricity.
| MARCHANDS | € |
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| Amazon.co.uk | 519.92 | ||
| Amazon mark... | 729.99 | ||
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Alternative Option
Review: Generic AMD Radeon HD 6970 2 GB
This graphics card makes a decent alternative to the Editor's Choice, with performance levels not far behind. It only uses a bit more power too.
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Buyer's Guide: The Best Graphics Cards
