There are plenty of great graphics cards out there, no matter what you're looking for. Thing is, the odds are seemingly stacked against you ever finding the right one. It doesn't have to be that hard.
Whether you're buying a new computer, building your own or upgrading an old one, the process of choosing a new graphics card can be daunting. Integrated graphics solutions—the kind that come standard with many PCs—have trouble playing games from three years ago, let alone today, and will put you at a disadvantage when future technologies like GPGPU computing, which essentially uses your graphics card as an additional processor, finally take hold. On top of all this, we're in the middle of a price dip—it's objectively a great time to buy. (Assuming you're settled on a desktop. Ahem.)
Set Specific Goals, Sight Unseen
Your first step to finding the right graphics card is to just step back. Just as graphics card specs are nigh-on impossible to understand, naming conventions and marketing materials will do nothing except give you a headache. The endlessly higher numerical names, the overlapping product lines, the misleadingly-named chip technologies—just leave them. For now, pretend they don't exist.
Now, choose your goals. What games do you want to play? What video output options and ports do you want? What resolution will you be playing your games at? Do you have any use for the fledgling GPGPU technologies that are slowly permeating the marketplace? And although you may have to adjust this, set a price goal. Ready-built PC buyers will have to consider whatever upgrade cost your chosen company is charging, and adjust accordingly. For people upgrading their own systems, $150-$200 has been something of a sweet spot: It'll get you a card with a new enough GPU, and sufficient VRAM to handily deal with mainstream games for a solid two years. If you want to spend less, you can; if you want to spend more, fine.
These are the terms that matter most. Seriously, disregard any allegiance to Nvidia or ATI, prior experiences with years-old graphics hardware or some heretofore distant, unreleased and unspec'd game franchise. Be decisive about what you want, but as far as hardware and marketing materials go, start blind.
