Tino Kreiss

We're back with Part 2 of our bottleneck exploration in a mainstream gaming PC equipped with a Core i5 and GeForce GTX 460, ready to dive into test results from ten additional games. All of the results are summarized and analyzed in our conclusion.

Wondering if your favorite game wants more CPU or GPU muscle? We tested 20 different titles using a GeForce GTX 460 and a Core i5 processor (one of our favorite configs) in order to figure out where a solid mainstream machine gets hung up.

Motherboards with multiple PCIe slots are becoming the norm these days, and the trend is being fueled by multi-GPU configurations. Configuring Nvidia's SLI and AMD's CrossFire technologies is easy, but how much more performance can you expect from them?

In order to set their products apart, third-party vendors take reference GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, then make their own tweaks to layout, cooling, and performance. We're comparing a tuned-up card from MSI to AMD's reference Radeon HD 5870 to measure value.

Can you hit the performance level of the next-fastest GPU by overclocking your graphics card? What is the impact on power consumption? Can your cooler take the extra heat? We overclock three modern graphics cards to their limits for some answers.

Great graphics cards don’t always have to cost big bucks. Even for prices around $100, you can get enough performance for playable frame rates at resolutions as high as 1920x1200. We round up a load of these mid-range cards to see who comes out on top.

Our graphics card charts now cover 24 more new cards. Today's update adds mainstream cards tested at more realistic settings for value-oriented gamers in the same benchmark suite you've seen us apply to the latest and greatest graphics offerings.

Overclocking your graphics card can help squeeze out precious performance in games that utilize maximum GPU horsepower. We test whether it's better to overclock with your board vendor's tools, the GPU-maker's software, or third-party utilities.

You don’t always need the fastest graphics card around. For somewhere between $135 and $235, you can game like crazy in DirectX 10 without a problem at 1920x1200. We test and compare five graphics cards from this mid-range price segment.

Performance on its own is not enough to earn a recommendation here. Top-end graphics cards also employ innovative cooling to help muscle their way into our hearts. Today, we look at high-end offerings from BFG, EVGA, MSI, Palit, and Zotac

The 2009 Graphics Card Charts are here! New this year is an updated platform, reference and retail products (with overclocked/special edition boards), and an entirely new suite of benchmarks. Come compare the performance of your favorite cards!

We dissect the power consumption of 106 different graphics cards in single- and dual-board configurations to help you pick the right PSU.

Not only do we have four super-fast Radeon HD 4870 X2s to test, but also a list of 31 other graphics configurations including CrossFire and SLI setups. If you're in the market for AMD's fastest card available, you'll want to see this.

How far are PC graphics away from reality? Tom's Hardware takes a second look at the effects and tricks used currently by game developers to achieve more realism than ever before.

How close do PC graphics and effects get to the real world? Tom's Hardware takes a look and shows you the progress that’s been made so far, along with the tricks of the trade used by game developers.

How much extra performance can you get from a simple graphics driver update? And what sort of gaming gains can you expect from a high-end graphics card when you overclock your CPU?

Thinking about picking up the latest update to Stalker, but not sure if your graphics subsystem can handle it? Hang on as we take you through a performance tour and demonstrate how the game has been prettied up.

Manufacturers really love the first Geforce 9. The graphic chip is fast, the cards are inexpensive, and some retailers offer more than ten variations.

Our VGA Charts are updated for 2008 and now include 101 different configurations and more than 6,700 results. Needless to say, it's the biggest collection of scores we've ever compiled.

CrossFire and SLI, Nvidia's GeForce GTX 260 and 280, AMD's Radeon HD 4850 and 4870--they're all here in a battle royale, with comparisons to previous-generation boards that'll help you decide just how much graphics horsepower your next machine needs!

What brings better results, purchasing a faster graphics card or investing your cash in a more powerful processor?

While graphics drivers and third-party utilities allow you to overclock your graphics card's GPU and memory, pixel shader clock speeds can only be increased through the card's BIOS.

We compare ATI HD 2900 and 2600 cards from MSI and HIS with Nvidia 8600 cards from MSI and Colorful. Can you guess the winners?

It's truth time. The first DirectX 10 games have appeared. We ask the question: Which Nvidia Geforce 8x00 or ATI Radeon 2x00 card performs best under Vista?

April showers bring May flowers, and new graphics parts that require new VGA charts...