Choosing when to upgrade and which graphics card to go for is just half the battle, there’s also the not insignificant choice of choosing from potentially dozens of variants from AMD and Nvidia’s graphics board partners. I myself had this last year when I decided to buy a GTX 970, having to pick my way through all the different cards from the likes of MSI,Zotac, Asus and more. Some, like EVGA, can even have three or four different variants of what is essentially the same card.

What usually ends up happening is you pore over the reviews, looking for which is the cheapest buy, or offers the most bang for your buck, or just go all out for performance.

Without doing some hefty research there’s practically nothing to discern between the brands, aside from looks. Some run faster than others of course, while others have more advanced cooling. Some have coil whine, some run hot, and some are even half the size of others. There’s even things to consider outside of the graphics card itself. EVGA has its step up program for free upgrades, while some have practically non-existent repair and returns facilities.

When buying your graphics card do you make sure you seek out the very best version there is? Or are you brand loyal? As soon as there’s a new graphics card do you look straight for your favourite manufacturer? Let us know why below!