Upgrade advisor

How the advisor works

Enter your graphics card, your processor and your budget for the new card. The tool lists cards that are at least 25 percent faster than yours, inside your budget, ranked by how much speed you gain per dollar of launch price. A smaller gain than 25 percent is rarely noticeable in games, which is why we cut the list there.

It also checks your processor. If your processor already holds your current card back by more than 15 percent at your resolution, a new card would be held back even more, and the advice changes: upgrade the processor first, and the tool names processors that would balance your card.

When an upgrade is worth it

Upgrade when your frame rate is below what you want at the settings you like, and when the gain is large enough to feel. A 40 percent jump is clear. A 15 percent jump is not worth the price of a card. Also look at memory: a card with more video memory can fix stutter that a faster card with less memory will not.

Used cards, sales and street prices change the picture and we do not track them. We use launch prices because they are stable and let you compare cards across generations. Use the list to know what is worth looking for, then check current prices.

What to upgrade first

If your frame rate is low in most games, the graphics card is the likely culprit and a new card gives the biggest gain. If your frame rate is fine in some games and poor in others, especially strategy and simulation titles, check the processor and the memory. If games stutter or hitch while the average looks fine, look at video memory and at how much RAM is free. The upgrade advisor covers the card and the processor; the checker on each game page tells you when memory is the limit.