Best Gaming Graphics Cards for the Money 2012

Before heading straight into my GPU picks I wanted to discuss some of the more important aspects of choosing a good gaming video card. Here's a few steps to follow.

Check the required specifications:

Some types of games are more demanding than others. If you plan on playing the latest FPS game, then you should expect the graphics to be considerably more demanding than an update to your MMORPG. Remember to check the specifications on the game you want to play and look at the minimum requirements as well as the requirements to run the game at its highest settings.

How much should you spend?

Again, this depends on the games you play. If you plan on always playing the latest video games, then I recommend you spend between $200-300 every couple of years to stay on top of it. This seems to give you a better overall value than spending $400-600 on the latest GPU and then waiting 4 years to switch it out. If you don't have the cash, then you usually can get away with an older card that's $100-150 by turning down the settings on your game.

Avoid the Bottleneck

My last piece of advice is that you avoid a bottleneck in the two pieces of hardware that matter most, your CPU and video card. A good way to do this is by spending a similar amount on each of them. In other words, its better to pair the i7-2600k with the GTX 560 ti, then pair an i3 processor with a GTX 670 for the same price. There may be exceptions to this rule, but my main point is to not let your CPU become the bottleneck.