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Graphic card explained??

Dibbley247

Dibbley247

Dibbley247

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Joined
20 Feb 2013
Posts
34
Could someone tell me how to understand a graphics card?
I kinda get comparing clock speeds etc, but if I look on the back of games they just say model numbers and memory of the graphic card?
How can I tell what's compatible by looking at a model?

E.g my 6year old one is an ATI RAdeon HD2400.
Now a bit of guessing tells me this does run high end games, but it will run some of today's still (only at recommended levels) so how can I tell by looking at that make/model that it will work?

Thanks.
 
Im sorry but im confused by your post.

You cant compare graphics card clock speeds unless they are the same architecture.
And compatible with what?

Don't know how you figured your 6 year old card will run high end games because it won't.
 
We need your pc spec,if you were to want to play the latest games,each game will tell you minimum spec and advised specof hardware,2 play a modern game you will need a card with at least 1gb of ram,but as said we need your spec and gaming requirments,also what screen /resolution you plan to game on.
 
Bacon? said:
Im sorry but im confused by your post.

You cant compare graphics card clock speeds unless they are the same architecture.
And compatible with what?

Don't know how you figured your 6 year old card will run high end games because it won't.
Click to expand...

I didn't say my graphic card will run high end games, I said SOME games. (Like tropico 4).

How can I tell a spec of a graphics card from the model number then? I don't have a budget yet, I want to UNDERSTAND the models. And simply go oh that's compatable that's not.
 
Compatible with games? All graphics card will work with games :p

Forget model numbers it has no relation to compatibility with games
 
As above, model number has nothing to do with compatibility. The only real compatibility issue is with the DX type.

And you did say your card "does run high end games" which it won't on even low settings. Tropico 4 is not and never will be a high end game.
 
Ok so here is a random game with graphic card requirements:
Guild wars 2: Graphics card NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800, ATI Radeon™ X1800, Intel HD 3000 or better
(256MB of video RAM and shader model 3.0 or better)

Let's look at the intel one... What's better than a HD 3000? Or worse???
And the same with the X1800. The RAM I understand, higher the number is more. It's the rest if these numbers and letters I don't get.
 
The letters and numbers don't mean anything unless your comparing same Gen cards...

Quite a lot is better than HD3000, including the ATI 6450.
 
HD3000 is graphics built into the CPU so doesn't get any worse than that in current market :p

The others are graphics cards which are old and not so good either
 
Dibbley247 said:
if I look on the back of games they just say model numbers and memory of the graphic card? How can I tell what's compatible by looking at a model? so how can I tell by looking at that make/model that it will work?.
Click to expand...
You have kind of answered your own question. Follow the minimum system requirements on the back of game cases or the box, or research online at the official game website for recommendations. If you meet none of the recommendations then you take the risk that it will work with what your pc system components are.
 
It's ok, I found an example now:


1st number = generation
2nd/3rd number = tier and power within the generation
GS = lowest
GSO = lower
GT = semi-gaming, regular/high tier
GTS = gaming, slightly better than GT
GTX = gaming, delineates highest end

9800GT

9 = 9x00 generation
8 = highest tier
GT = regular/higher tier
GTX260
GTX = highest tier
2 = 200 generation
60 = mid tier

GTX280
GTX = highest tier
2 = 200 generation
8 = high tier

GTX285
GTX = highest tier
2 = 200 generation
8 = high tier
5 = above the GTX280

GTX295
GTX = highest tier
2 = 200 generation
9 = highest tier
5 = highest power of the high tier
 
Exactly, I didn't know what the numbers referenced to! Unlike some, I didn't wake up one morning and know everything.
So now going by that, if a game requires a 800, then a 700 is no good, and a gtx is the highest type?
This is what I was getting at.
 
Not sure why you're making this so hard for him.

Let's take Ati cards as an example.

The first number is the generation, newer generations mean more features (not necessarily faster) but you need to take the whole set of numbers in to consideration.

Example, a 7770 would be a current generation card, whereas a 6970 would be a last generation card. However, the 6970 is faster than the 7770 due to where it sits in the range. A 7770 is the lowest of the 7xxx series but the 6970 is highest of the 6xxx (single gpu) series.

The only way to know for sure where a card sits in relation to another card is to look up benchmarks. There are a few comparison sites that list all GPUs in order with approximate performance metrics.

It did get a bit confusing on the nVidia side a few years ago though.
They used to have 6900GT, 7900GTX etc etc, then they went to GT250, GTX670 etc for example.

Clock speed and RAM are not a good indicator of performance, for example:
An AMD (ati) 6670 2GB card would be worse in games than a 6870 1GB.

Where we have problems is when a game box says "nVidia GTX470 or equivelant". How are you supposed to know what is equivalent? Well, you can't just by reading the numbers. You may think a GT610 is better than a GTX470 right? Wrong! The GTX470 would eat it for breakfast.

So, the only way to can know for sure that one card is faster than another is either if the numbers at the end are higher within a range. Eg 7970 is faster than 7770. GTX670 is faster than a GTX660, or if the card you are replacing now costs about the same or more than what you paid for your last card. Eg, a £250 card today will be much faster than a £250 card for 5 years ago.

Comparing between manufacturers is something you just have to research and find out for yourself.

Also, with regards to minimum specs on game boxes. They are MINIMUM specs to RUN the game. Whether you can actually PLAY the game is another matter entirely. Take Crysis3 for example:

Minimum spec for Crysis3 GPU is listed as: DirectX 10 graphics card with 1 GB RAM, Nvidia 400-series or AMD Radeon 5000-series.
So, chuck an nVidia Geforce GT610 in an you're good to go? Wrong! It will be a slideshow even on the lowest graphics settings. Stick a GTX470 in there and you might be able to play it.
 
basically, model numbers don't really MEAN anything, other than higher is generally "better" and more expensive

if you are thinking of buying a new one, you can try posting up your current PC specs (CPU, RAM, motherboard if you know it, power supply) and a rough idea on budget, and then people can give you some suggestions on what card(s) fit your budget and would work with your current PC

if your graphics card is 6 years old and you PC the same or older, then you may just be better off buying a new PC

when looking at minimum specs on games, you would have to run the game on the lowest settings and even then you may not get playable frame rates... basically any new games e.g. anything "high end" released in the last 12-24 months or onwards, will really struggle to be played on your graphics card at all... you will need to be playing older or low spec games

you've got a Radeon card from ATI (now AMD) so the thing you posted up about Nvidia cards isn't really relevant... if you are trying to work out what games you can still play on your current card then you need to find cards that list "Radeon 2000" or lower as the minimum spec
 
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That's exactly what I'm looking for!!!! I expected to do some research on some cards when comparing "equivalents" but at least now I have a "rule of thumb" to go by!
I have a PC speced out for me, I just like to get the knowledge of everything and the GPU was the one that was the one that bamboozled me, I would have been alright a few years ago if I took an interest and kept up to date, but there's so much out there it's tricky to compare with my limited knowledge (at the moment)
Very much appreciated!!!! Thanks.
 
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