Building A Computer – The Graphics Card

I was a little torn when I had to decide on what kind of graphics card to get. The latest and greatest wasn’t really an option mostly because they run more than $500 a piece. Not something I really wanted to dump a whole bunch of money into, especially since I don’t have the time to do any hardcore gaming. Sitting at the computer with virtual friends really isn’t an option when there is a toddler running around the home. However, it is possible that I sneak in the occasional MMO.

Really though, I mostly need a basic GPU these days to help run Adobe and other video editing programs. After nearly going blind reading review after review, I finally found a good balance between price and performance that will meet my computing needs and run games splendidly.

ASUS GeForce GTX760 Graphics Card

The ASUS GTX760-DC2OC-2GD5 GeForce GTX760 2GB GDDR5 256-bit, DVI-I/DVI-D/ HDMI/DP PCI-Express 3.0 SLI ready Graphic Card OC-selected 1072 MHz core was a neat addition to my build. There are a few reputable manufacturers that make graphics cards with the Nvidia chipsets, but ASUS seems to be the most reliable. A bonus to me, they built this particular version of the 760 to run quiet and cool. Nvidia also threw in two free downloadable games (Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed) with the purchase.

There really isn’t much for me to say about this piece of equipment. Without it, I can’t run my dual monitor setup and I can’t do some of the things I need to do with my computer. If you’re just using a computer to get on the internet, watch movies, and organize your digital photos – you don’t need a graphics card. If you’re playing graphic intensive games or need something to boost the performance of visual arts software, you need a graphics card.

Building A Computer Series

1. The Case
2. The Motherboard
3. The Cooler
4. The Power Supply
5. The CPU
6. The Memory
7. The Storage
8. The Operating System
9. The Graphics Card
10. The Hard Drive
11. The Optical Drive
12. The UPS