How To Buy The Right Video Card (a.k.a. Graphics Card)
Buying a new video card, or graphics accelerator card, for your PC can be daunting. At any time, there are approximately 60 different models of video cards available for purchase in North America. Most of which feature graphics chip technology from one of the two large graphic technology companies, ATI Technologies and NVidia Corporation.. However, if you can answer a few basic questions about how you plan to use the card and what computer system you have, you can make the process much simpler and choose the best video card for your needs and your budget.
If you are planning to upgrade your computer to Windows Vista™, please see our Diamond Multimedia Video Cards for Windows Vista™
Different Levels of Video Cards
Xtreme Performance Video Cards :
These are the highest-end, fastest, best-performing cards for high quality imaging, 3D gaming and other demanding applications. If your goal is to play games with visual options turned on to their maximum settings, a card from out Xtreme class is the answer The video cards in this class generally are priced above $200.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
2900XT512PE
ATI RADEON HD 2900XT VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2900XT PCIE 512MB GDDR3
429.00
2600XT512PE3
ATI Radeon HD 2600XT VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600XT PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
249.99
X1950PRO512AGP
ATI Radeon X1950PRO: DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO AGP 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
249.99
X1950PRO512PCIE
ATI Radeon X1950PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
199.99
X1600AGP512
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO AGP 512MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
189.99
X1600AGP256
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO AGP 256MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
169.99
X1650AGP512
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO AGP 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
149.99
X1650PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1650PRO: DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
149.99
X1950PRO256PCIE
ATI Radeon X1950PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
149.99
X1600PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO PCIE 512MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
149.99
X1600PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 Pro PCIE 256MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
129.99
X1650AGP256
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO AGP 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
129.99
X1650PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
129.99
Mainstream Video Cards :
These are the mid-range card. If you are looking for affordable PC graphics upgrade for gaming, video editing, digital photography, or simply web surfing, then mainstream is the answer. The video cards in this class generally are priced between $99 - $199.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
2600PRO512PE
ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR2 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
199.99
2600PRO256PE
ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR2 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
159.99
BV300
Diamond Multimedia BizView® BV300 PCIE 256MB DDR Dual Digital DVI and TV Out Low Profile DMS59
149.99
X1300AGP512
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 AGP 512MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
149.99
X1550PRO512PE
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 512MB DDR2 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
139.99
BV200
Diamond Multimedia BizView BV200® PCI 128MB DDR Dual Digital DVI and TV Out Low Profile DMS59
129.99
X1550PRO512A
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 AGP 512MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
129.99
2400PRO512PE
ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HD 2400PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR2 Dual Link DVI + HDTV-Out and VGA
129.99
X1300PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCIE 512MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
129.99
X1300PCI256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCI 256MB DDR2 DVi, VGA & TV-Out
129.99
X1550PRO256P
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCI 256MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
129.99
X1550PRO256PE
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 256MB DDR2 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
119.99
2400PRO256PE
ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HD 2400PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR2 Dual Link DVI + HDTV-Out and VGA
119.99
X1300AGP256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 AGP 256MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
119.99
X1550PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 256MB DDR1 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
109.99
X1300PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCIE 256MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
99.99
X550PCIE256
ATI Radeon X550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X550 PCIE 256MB DDR2 DVI & TV-Out
99.99
X1550PRO256A
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 AGP 256MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
99.99
Value Video Cards :
These cards are used primarily for business and desktop graphics functions, as well as specific applications like providing TV output or S-Video output or dual monitor support. If your main goal is to improve your graphics for desktop publishing or surfing the web, or you just need dual monitor support or TV output, then value video cards should be sufficient. Any video card under $99 is considered a value video card.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
S9250PLDM256
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S9250PCI 256MB DDR Dual DVI & TV-Out Low Profile
99.99
S120AGP256
ATI Radeon 9550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S120 AGP 256MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
89.99
S9250PCI256
ATI Radeon 9250: DIAMOND STEALTH S9250PCI 256MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
89.99
X300SE256HM-CN
ATI Radeon X300SE VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HYPERMEMORY ® PCIE 256MB DVI & TV-Out
79.99
S85PCI
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S85 PCI 128MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
79.99
S85AGP
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S85 AGP 128MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
59.99
S60PCI64
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 PCI 64MB DDR TV-Out
49.00
S60AGP
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 AGP 32MB DDR TV-Out
39.99
S60PCI
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 PCI 32MB DDR TV-Out
39.99
Your Computer System
The next thing you need to consider is the type of computer system you have now and/or the system you are considering purchasing. The two main factors are your CPU type and speed and the type of card slot you have.
CPU Type
If your needs are limited to basic business or desktop graphics use, you can use a CPU with a speed of as little as 500 MHz, although we recommend at least 800 MHz for better performance. Above 1,600 MHz you will not notice a significant improvement for these applications.
If you are looking to run some business applications and some limited 3D gaming, you will want to have a CPU speed of at least 1,600 MHz. The faster your CPU, the better your performance will be, especially for more advanced 3D gaming.
If you want to play the latest hardcore 3D games you will want to have the fastest CPU you can reasonably afford, with a minimum of 2.4 GHz. The faster speeds allow you to play these games at higher faster frame per second, and with of the special effects turned on to enhance the realism of the experience.
Slot Type: PCI, AGP, PCI Express
Before you buy your video card, you should check what slots are available on your motherboard. There are 3 types of slots available today: PCI, AGP, and PCI Express :
PCI -
The PCI slot was developed first and is the most limited in terms of performance. However, if you are looking for a value-level video card, there are many excellent PCI cards available that offer great performance for the money.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
X1550PRO256P
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCI 256MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
129.99
X1300PCI256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCI 256MB DDR2 DVi, VGA & TV-Out
129.99
BV200
Diamond Multimedia BizView BV200® PCI 128MB DDR Dual Digital DVI and TV Out Low Profile DMS59
129.99
S9250PLDM256
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S9250PCI 256MB DDR Dual DVI & TV-Out Low Profile
99.99
S9250PCI256
ATI Radeon 9250: DIAMOND STEALTH S9250PCI 256MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
89.99
S85PCI
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S85 PCI 128MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
79.99
S60PCI64
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 PCI 64MB DDR TV-Out
49.00
S60PCI
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 PCI 32MB DDR TV-Out
39.99
AGP -
The AGP slot was developed next, and offers as much as 8X improvement over PCI in terms of performance. There are several different versions of the AGP slot. AGP 1.0 is an older standard that is no longer used. Most AGP video cards are designed to work only with the newer AGP 2.0 and 3.0 versions.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
X1950PRO512AGP
ATI Radeon X1950PRO: DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO AGP 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
249.99
X1600AGP512
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO AGP 512MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
189.99
X1600AGP256
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO AGP 256MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
169.99
X1300AGP512
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 AGP 512MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
149.99
X1650AGP512
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO AGP 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
149.99
X1550PRO512A
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 AGP 512MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
129.99
X1650AGP256
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO AGP 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
129.99
X1300AGP256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 AGP 256MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
119.99
X1550PRO256A
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 AGP 256MB DDR2 Dual Link & TV-Out
99.99
S120AGP256
ATI Radeon 9550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S120 AGP 256MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
89.99
S85AGP
ATI Radeon 9250 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S85 AGP 128MB DDR DVI & TV-Out
59.99
S60AGP
ATI Radeon 7000 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH S60 AGP 32MB DDR TV-Out
39.99
PCI Express -
The PCI Express, also known as PCI Express x16, is the newest slot type and offers performance as much as 4X faster than the fastest AGP 8X slot. Nowadays more PCs come standard with at least one PCI Express x16 slot type. Although the names are similar, PCI Express is separate and different from PCI. They are physically different shapes and use different standards of data transfer. A PCI Express video card will not fit into a PCI slot and vice-versa.
Product #
Products Description
Price
Details
2900XT512PE
ATI RADEON HD 2900XT VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2900XT PCIE 512MB GDDR3
429.00
2600XT512PE3
ATI Radeon HD 2600XT VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600XT PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
249.99
X1950PRO512PCIE
ATI Radeon X1950PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
199.99
2600PRO512PE
ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR2 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
199.99
2600PRO256PE
ATI Radeon HD 2600PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER HD 2600PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR2 Dual DVI & HDTV-Out
159.99
X1650PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1650PRO: DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
149.99
X1950PRO256PCIE
ATI Radeon X1950PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1950PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & VIVO
149.99
BV300
Diamond Multimedia BizView® BV300 PCIE 256MB DDR Dual Digital DVI and TV Out Low Profile DMS59
149.99
X1600PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 PRO PCIE 512MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
149.99
X1550PRO512PE
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 512MB DDR2 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
139.99
X1300PCIE512
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCIE 512MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
129.99
X1600PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro VIDEO CARD : Diamond VIPER X1600 Pro PCIE 256MB DDR2-128bit DVI, VGA, TV-Out
129.99
2400PRO512PE
ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HD 2400PRO PCIE 512MB GDDR2 Dual Link DVI + HDTV-Out and VGA
129.99
X1650PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1650PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1650PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR3 Dual DVI & TV
129.99
X1550PRO256PE
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 256MB DDR2 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
119.99
2400PRO256PE
ATI Radeon HD 2400PRO VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HD 2400PRO PCIE 256MB GDDR2 Dual Link DVI + HDTV-Out and VGA
119.99
X1550PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X1550 PCIE 256MB DDR1 DUAL LINK & TV-Out
109.99
X550PCIE256
ATI Radeon X550 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH X550 PCIE 256MB DDR2 DVI & TV-Out
99.99
X1300PCIE256
ATI Radeon X1300 VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND VIPER X1300 PCIE 256MB DDR2 Dual DVI & TV-Out
99.99
X300SE256HM-CN
ATI Radeon X300SE VIDEO CARD : DIAMOND STEALTH HYPERMEMORY ® PCIE 256MB DVI & TV-Out
79.99
PCI Express Video Cards vs. PCI Video Cards
Although the names are similar, PCI Express is separate and different from
PCI. They are physically different shapes and use different standards to
transfer data. A PCI Express video card will not fit into a PCI slot and
vice-versa. Almost all PC's have PCI slots, while PCI Express slots are
found only on newer more advanced PCs.
S-Video, TV-Out, & Dual Monitor Support
Video cards provide additional functions beside increasing the ability to render 3D graphics for gaming. The main functions include:
DVI: DVI is a higher-definition output used with some newer monitors as well as some high-end TVs. If your monitor or TV supports DVI, using this jack will give you a better picture than the standard VGA or RCA (TV-out) output. If you are using an older monitor, you can convert the DVI signal to VGA using a DVI-to-VGA adaptor.
S-Video and/or TV-Out: Most video cards, even value cards, provide the ability to send the video signal from your PC to your TV. This feature is labeled as "TV-Out" on the video card package. In most cases, the TV-out jack is an "S-video" type jack designed to send a high-quality s-video signal to newer TV's. If you are using an older TV that has RCA input instead of s-video, you can use an "S-Video to RCA adaptor" to convert the signal to RCA to input to your TV.
Dual Monitor Support: Dual monitor support refers to splitting your video signal to go across two monitors instead of one. This is very useful for designers, engineers, multi-taskers, and others who need to view large files on their desktop and still have other windows open. Usually the dual monitor support consists of one standard VGA output (standard computer monitor) and one DVI jack, which provides a higher-resolution output used for newer high-end monitors. This feature will be labeled as "dual monitor support" on most video card packages.
Choosing the Best Video Card For You
Now it's time to put it all together. Once you have decided how you are going to use the video card, what type of system you will use it with, and how much you are willing to spend, you can decide whether to buy a Xtreme performance, mainstream, or a value card as well as the slot type: PCI, AGP, or PCI Express. This will narrow down the range of options considerably.
Then decide if you require any special features: TV-out, S-video, dual monitor support; and which GPU technology you wish to buy. Both ATI and NVIDIA make excellent products. However, in the past two years, ATI Technologies have become the leader in terms of the performance of the ATI Radeon.
Choose Diamond Video Cards For Great Quality, Service, And Value!
Your last decision is which manufacturer's product to purchase. Of course, we recommend purchasing a Diamond Multimedia Video Card. Diamond has been the leader in the video card industry offering the highest quality with the lowest return rates in the industry, free customer service by telephone and e-mail.