How to tell if a graphics card is good

[grumpymonk123]

What specs do you look at when considering graphics card?
In other words, what numbers tell me the performance of a graphics card?
Also can you give me some suggestions on graphics card for a gaming pc in which I want to play in 1440p or at least 1080p very high settings on games such as overwatch and call of duty

 

[jimmyEatWord]

it's basically the processing power versus the onboard memory i think

 

[engineer5261]

Sorry I am not too up to date on ATI's cards atm, but their 480rx is looking like a great deal.

I believe these are Nvidia's naming conventions
x50 Budget
x60 Lower-High End
x70 Upper-High End
x80/x80ti Enthusiast Class

Nvidia's 1070 should be good for you, if you do not have the budget for that then look up reviews and benchmarks for ATI's 480rx.
These cards should be great for 60 Hz 1440p gaming without spending too much money.

 

[zthomas]

this is a favorite subject around here.. spend about 400 for a high end card.. and I 5 or higher.. and a minimum 700 watts.. of power..

 

[Wolfshadw]

Look at the model number of the graphics card.
For NVidia, the current model numbers are preceded by some nomenclature (GT/GTX), With older model cards, the nomenclature followed the model number. If the model number only has three digits, the first digit is the generation and the second digit is the class. If the model number has four digits, the first two digits are the generation and the third digit is the class.

For current AMD card models, the first digit is the generation and the second digit is the class. The older generation cards had four digits in the model numbers where the third digit was the sub-class.

Generations:
The current generations of cards are the GT/GTX 10xx cards for NVidia and the Rx 4xx cards for AMD. The higher the generation number, the newer the card.

Classes:
This gets a bit muddled from generation to generation as the performance can vary greatly with each new issuance. In general

0-2 - Entry level cards - These are meant to be little more than on-board graphics replacements with their own memory.
3-5 - Low level cards - These will give some basic gaming functionality, but often fall below the minimum system requirements of a game.
5-7 - Mainstream level cards - These cards will function adequately in most (if not all) games.
7-9 - Enthusiast level cards - These are you high-end, throw anything you want at them cards

Of course, the newer the card and the higher the class, the higher the cost and (normally) the higher the power supply requirements are.

-Wolf sends

P.S. It cannot be said often enough. The power supply is the most important component of any computer system. Do NOT spend $600 on a graphics card and $25 on a power supply.