How fast do you need it?
The next thing we have to examine is how much faster do we need the PC to be? Well, since most applications already run fast enough on a basic PC package, what do we need a faster PC for? The answer is quite simple: you (probably) only need a faster PC if you're going to work with very heavy applications or playing games. Applications are easy, just match the processor and memory to the recommended requirements like before. As for games, it's a little bit complicated.You see, games are actually a very 'special' kind of application. Just like any other application, it will run faster on a faster processor and would benefit from more memory. But games also require a 3D accelerator / graphics card, since they run a special kind of program on them. So, you could say games are actually two applications running at the same time, but on different components. The graphics card (or chip in this respect) acts like a processor, although a very limited one. The faster the graphics card, the faster the images are displayed and the more fluid and smooth the animation will be. If the graphics card can't display the images fast enough, the animation seems to 'stutter' or 'lag', which could be very distracting (and possibly make the game not that 'interactive' anymore). The rate which the graphics card can display images are called 'frame rate per second' or 'fps' for short (don't confuse this with First Person Shooters). Generally, you want this to be above 30 fps at all times. Anything less, you'll start noticing stutter and lag. More is preferable, but most people couldn't tell much difference above 60 fps.
Of course, there's more to it than just the fps. Just like your desktop, games can run on different resolutions. Surprise-surprise, the resolution a games runs will have an impact on how heavy the application is to the graphics card. The higher the resolution, the heavier it gets. Now, remember what we talked before about monitors and resolutions? Since your monitor could only support so much resolution, it's best to choose a graphics card that works best at a resolution you?re comfortable with - usually the same resolution as your desktop. We've already said that for the most part, a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels has the best mix of refresh rate and workspace area. So, choose a graphics card that will provide at least 30 fps minimum on that resolution. If you're using a bigger monitor or a higher resolution, maybe you should consider getting a faster graphics card.
Other reasons for choosing a faster, more powerful graphics card are graphical features. Today's graphics card is a whole lot faster, more powerful and more capable than what they were five years ago. Features like full screen anti aliasing (FSAA) and anisotropic filtering are the norm for every graphics card today. While we won't discuss them in full in this article (it would take a whole article just to cover the basics of how these features work), basically these features will improve the images' visual quality, but they do come with a performance impact / penalty. That's why only the fastest graphics card can support these features in today's games without dropping to much frame rate (remember, fps?).
If you use your PC to play games, then you want a balance between the processor and graphics card. Since games runs both on a processor and a graphics card, there's no use of choosing a fast graphics card and pairing it with a slow processor or vice versa. What we need is the best combination of the two. A balanced mix, if you will. This is what makes it so complicated. There's no other way to find which processor works best with which graphics card without testing it first. Luckily, we can find such information readily available through review magazines and websites. If you looked through them, you'll find that the fastest graphics cards need the fastest processor to fully utilize their potential. Now, if money is not a problem to you, you could choose this route, but most of us are not that lucky.
To find a balanced combination of graphics card and processor you need to be aware of several things:
* pick the resolution you are going to use for games and applications. For most people, 1024 x 768 pixels on a 17' monitors seems to be a sweet spot, so we're going to use this a reference point. Remember, you still can choose another resolution, this is just a reference point.
* ask yourselves whether or not you're going to need features such FSAA and anisotropic filtering while playing. Do you prefer a high quality image or more fluid frame rate? Because you can only have them both on the fastest (and expensive) graphics cards. If you can do with either then your choices are a lot more affordable.
* look at what kind of games you are playing or planning to. Newer games are generally heavier and put more burden on your system than old games. Look at the games and see whether or not they feature very detailed objects and effects. The more details and / or the larger the area you can explore, the heavier it gets. Check out the recommended hardware requirements.
* find a benchmark of the game you want to play and look at the numbers for the fastest graphics card and the slowest one (Note: pick the benchmark numbers on the resolution and the graphical features you want). If the slowest one is already above 30 fps, it's actually fast enough. Look at the cards between those two and you'll probably find the ones that offer the best price / performance. Now, look at the benchmark numbers for these middle cards (we usually call them mainstream cards), and see what's the frame rate difference. That's the additional frame rate you get for paying more, so you'd be the judge whether or not you are willing to pay for that difference. As a reminder, anything over 60 fps is not necessary.
* do the same thing for processors. Find a benchmark on that game and compare the the numbers for the fastest processor and the slowest one. You would want the processor to be able to supply the same number of fps as the graphics card (if possible). Anything more is not necessary, anything less means your graphics card wouldn't reach its optimal frame rate.
Now that you've decided on which graphics card and processor you're going to use, just add them to the basic PC package and you'll have a PC that will be very comfortable for gaming. Of course, since you've already chosen what resolution you're going to play games and use the PC in general, all you have to do is pick the appropriate monitor. That's it.
A Little Side Note
There is something else you'll probably want to consider when buying a new PC. How long do you want to use that particular PC and also whether or not you should buy a new one to replace the old one? Like we said in the beginning of the article, it seems like every month there's a new, faster part for the PC. After a year, the PC you bought may feel quite old or just don't cut it anymore (especially for running new games). While you can buy a whole new PC to replace the old one, it might be best to consider upgrading it instead. Upgrading actually means replacing parts that's out of date. Most people would like their upgrade to be faster, so this means they will only have to replace the parts that affects performance (remember what they are? Processor, memory, hard drive and graphics card). Since you only going to buy the parts you're replacing, upgrading can be a lot cheaper than buying a new PC. You can even do it piece by piece, for example just the processor and graphics card.Of course, upgrading may not be as simple as that. Seems like every 4 years, vendors change some physical aspects of their products. For example, a faster processor will come in a new shape and socket (usually called a new form factor) or graphics card will use a new connector (or interface). Naturally, you have to buy a new motherboard as well. Don't worry too much though, the total price for the parts will still be cheaper than buying a new PC.
To avoid this, pick a motherboard that will support future upgrades (either as an upgrade or initially for your new PC). When a new processor comes out with a new form factor, motherboard that supports the new form factor is not that far behind. It's a good idea to buy that motherboard so you won't have to change it when you upgrade. The same thing also applies to graphics cards. The downside of this is that you will have to buy the new processor (usually with a quite heavy price tag). It's better to wait a while until there are more processors available in that form factor. You can opt to buy the slowest and cheapest new processors (don't worry, they're still quite fast) and still be able to use future upgrades (usually faster).
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