Expensive Versus Cheaper Computer Video Cards

Today’s desktop computers are all about what goes inside of them. Each component of your desktop computers has a different function, and each one can be upgraded. One component of desktop computers that may be of particular interest to you is the computer video card.

Today’s desktop computers are all about what goes inside of them. Each component of your desktop computers has a different function, and each one can be upgraded. One component of desktop computers that may be of particular interest to you is the computer video card.

What Do Computer Video Cards Do For Desktop Computers?
Your video card controls your computer graphics. Those of us who are old enough can remember back to the days where a computer screen had two colors and was simply lines, space and text. No pictures, no icons, forget about video games unless you enjoyed text-based adventures (basically a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book on a computer screen). That was before the modern video card. These handy pieces of equipment turned desktop computers into fully interactive experiences, allowing games, Power Point presentations, and even computer art.


Why You Need Computer Video Cards
You probably noticed that your computer provides all those wonderful pictures, animated avatars and so forth without you having to add anything. That’s because most desktop computers come with a video card built in. However, for the most advanced and realistic graphics, you may need to upgrade your video card. Then the question becomes, should you spring for the most expensive card, the cheapest, or something in between?

The Differences Between Cheaper and More Expensive Computer Video Cards
A lot of it, believe it or not, comes down to the type of monitor you’re using. If you’re working with a laptop, you probably don’t need the most expensive video card, because frankly, your monitor doesn’t have the resolution for it. Think of your eyes. You could have 20/20 vision, but if your binoculars are of low quality, you still won’t be able to see all that far.

On the other hand, if you’ve got an extremely large monitor, or a very high resolution monitor, or multiple monitors, or some combination of these, you might benefit from a more expensive video card. Even in this case, you need to consider what you’re using the video card for. If you’re mostly playing Flash games, or doing the occasional school project with accompanying graphs, your basic upgraded video card will probably do you very nicely. On the other hand, if you’re a video game purist, or are doing complex technical presentations, you may want to spring for the more expensive card.

Final Note on Computer Video Cards for Desktop Computers
One final word of caution. Like many things in the computer world, video cards tend to evolve very quickly. The card you shelled out big bucks for a month ago may be considered ancient history today. If you see a video card you like, you might want to wait a bit for the price to come down and/or for it to be available at a discount. If you must have state-of-the-art, do your research and make sure the new video card coming out tomorrow isn’t going to put the one you’re planning to buy today to shame.