Best Video Card for Performance

The video card (or graphics card) is the most important factor in achieving smooth frame rates in intensive video games and graphical applications. It renders the pixels that create the game world, providing the calculations and the hardware to make smooth framerates and incredible graphics possible. High resolution gaming also requires a fair amount of video hardware, given the amount of pixels on typical 20-24" monitors; 30" monitors also require great video hardware, given their 2560x1600 resolutions. Anti-aliasing (a process that makes textures at a distance look clear rather than blurred) also requires highly-capable hardware to render properly and maintain good framerates. This list consists of the best of the best consumer video card on the market today. Just be prepared to spend a premium for some superb performance and make sure that none of your other computer parts like the CPU, RAM, or motherboard are a bottleneck to the video card.