Recommendations for graphic card

[Steve]

I wish to build a new computer suitable for Vista and I need some
recommendations for buying a high quality new graphic card.
I am not interested in games or using my computer for TV.
Computer is mainly used for Photoshop, Corel applications and Internet
Appreciate some advice on this

 

[Rick Rogers]

Hi,

Understand what you are looking for, then you can make the right decision
for you. This can help you in understanding the meaning behind all the terms
you see: http://www.tomshardware.com/graphics/index.html

Personally, my preference lately is towards ATI cards. I would also
recommend, since you are building from scratch, that you ensure the
motherboard you pick supports the newer PCIe standard as opposed to AGP for
video, as that is the way the industry is moving.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Nero]

IF you are not into games then an nVidia 7300 GT 250Mb is a good one.
I have one and it does everything I need.
There are no nVidia drivers for Vista RTM yet but Vista RC2 and RTM have
nVidia driver built in.

 

[Guest]

There are a lot of good graphics cards with Vista drivers. Several GPUs made
over the last 5 years are fully compatible with Vista including Aero. The
point of the 5 years is that you don't have to get the latest and most
expensive graphics cards for Vista or even for Aero.

The biggest issue in Vista graphics cards seems to be around Aero support.
Let me tell you that Aero is not all its cracked up to be. So you get a
transparent title bar on a window. Who cares. Actually, the transparent
title bar is distracting. It blurs the line between what you want to see and
what you specifically want not to see when working with several open windows.
So, I wouldn't get too excited about buying an expensive GPU just to get
Aero.

That said, I just finished building my Vista box a couple weeks ago. I put
an NVidia 7600GS with 256MB of video ram in it for $110. This is way more
than adequate for Vista, Aero, and most games. It gives me a 4.7 Windows
Experience Index (WEI) for desktop graphics and Aero and 4.8 WEI for games.
I think the minimum for Aero is 4.0 so this is well over what's required.
Combined with my Core 2 Duo 6400 (5.1 WEI) and 2 GB of 800MHz RAM (5.6 WEI),
this box does pretty well. I am thinking about upgrading to a 7600GT just to
try to get that WEI over 5 - not because I need to but because its a man
thing. Why settle for a half-horsepower quarter-inch drill when you could
buy a 3 horsepower.

You could go to an NVidia GPU (or ATI, etc.) that is a few years older, such
as 6200 or 6600, and 128MB of video ram for under $50 and meet the minimum
advertised requirements for Aero. While I am not sure how well that would
perform for Aero, if you don't care about Aero (and I don't see why most
people should) it should do great for general use.

HTH

 

[Guest]

Since you are wanting to build a new system, you might consider a motherboard
with on-board video that supports Vista.....thus not having to add a separate
card....

My Asus motherboard works great with Vista, and saved $$$ by not having to
add video card...

Good luck !!!

 

[Steve]

Thank you all for your valuable and speedy advice.
Steve (Netherlands)

 

[Robert Robinson]

Almost all of the higher end video adapters now require a PCI Express
x16 slot. I would make certain that your motherboard has at least two of
these slots that are adjacent to each other, have plenty of surrounding
room, and are available for the card. ( You may need additional PCIe
slots for other applications.)
Note that PCIe slots unfortunately come in x1, x2 x4, x8, x16, and x32
lanes. You need at least a x16 lane.
I prefer nVidia chips and software.
The Gigabyte GEForce 7600 GT is a reasonably priced ($150), high
performance card that has dual DVI connections and heat pipe cooling (no
fan). Its only disadvantages are that it takes two slots and you want
good cooling within the computer enclosure. Looking from the back, it is
actually plugged into a left hand slot but the slot to the right must be
empty to provide room for the heat pipes.
See:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/VGA/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2235
and
http://www.nvidia.com/page/pci_express.html

Robbie

 

[Frank]

I wish to build a new computer suitable for Vista and I need some
recommendations for buying a high quality new graphic card.
I am not interested in games or using my computer for TV.
Computer is mainly used for Photoshop, Corel applications and Internet
Appreciate some advice on this

If you are truly building a system for Vista, the only video cards to
consider are the new ones just coming out that offer support for Direct
X10. Otherwise you're doing yourself a disservice by downgrading to an
old card that only supports direct X9.
Frank

 

[Steve]

If you are truly building a system for Vista, the only video cards to
consider are the new ones just coming out that offer support for Direct
X10. Otherwise you're doing yourself a disservice by downgrading to an old
card that only supports direct X9.
Frank

Frank, I do not find any X10 support mentioned in the card specifications.
Can you recommend a specific type?
Steve

 

[Jeff Gaines]

Frank, I do not find any X10 support mentioned in the card specifications.
Can you recommend a specific type?
Steve

It's *very* early days for a DX10 graphics card! In the UK the GeForce
8800GTX has just been released, it's the only DX10 card available here ATM.