Few things can be as easy as replacing hardware. For example; you may notice that the onboard (which means it is welded to your motherboard and isn't separate) video on your computer is kind of jerky, or that your favorite game seems to have problems displaying certain graphics.
So, you think, I need a new video card!
You go, you buy a video card and you plug it in? Right?
Well, not exactly. In the past few years we've seen about 5 different slot configurations for video cards. There was PCI, then AGP, then PCI Express and then the different KINDS of PCI Express. It can get very confusing.
It's important to know what type of slots you have on your motherboard before you run out and invest in a new card.
Video Cards are usually at the top of the board of slots and they usually are a little different configuration.
Sometimes, the manufacturer will print on the motherboard what type of slot it is. Most of the time, they won't. You can write down the numbers from the motherboard and google them, which will likely help in determining what type of slot interfaces you have. Or you can google your Computer Make/Model to find the configuration information.
Next, you want to make sure you are getting the right amount of Video Memory. This is what allows games to swap graphics quickly, so the more memory you have, the better a game will load. 256MB is a passable amount today, but 512 MB cards are popular, and 1 GB cards are now becoming more accepted. A gig? Of video memory?
Games today require more and more. And games lead the innovation. Someday, normal programs will demand more video memory too, as the customer demands more and more innovation. Sure, it might be overkill for now, but someday, you'll like the extra kick.
So, you think you have the correct card, you plug it in and...nothing happens.
Well, your computer likely is configured to use the onboard video. In order to change that, you might have to go into your BIOS and change it. What's that? That's the splash screen you see when you boot up. There may be some kind of software setting you have to make to say "Don't use the onboard video, use the card I just put in."
Once you do that, you still aren't done.
The card, even when it starts displaying the video of your operating system, might need drivers to really display the video as it was intended. That means finding the drivers or loading them from the CD that the card came with. Don't have the CD? They are almost always available online, and you already know, from my previous article, how to find a driver. It might be hard to go online using a less than optimal video setup, but it's almost always just inconvenient to navigate the pages at a low resolution.
Newer video cards have big fans on them to disperse heat. Having lots of room for air flow is something to consider as well. If you have a very small form factor desktop, that means that there aren't many slots, everything is squished together, and upgrading components will be hard. This is why I almost always recommend the larger tower style desktop machines. They aren't as pretty, but they are very easy to tweak.
If you have the video card in, and it seems to be working, but occasionally will flake out, it's likely an air flow problem. One way to handle this is to remove the cover off of one side. It's low tech, it's not pretty, but it works.
Another way is to upgrade your fans. That's a task for another day.
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