Things To Do Before Buy a New Graphic Card

 Graphics or video cards are of the most important elements of any computer. For example, graphics cards with more dedicated video RAM permit games & applications to run faster & more effectively. Some games & programs have maximum video requirements, so it is vital to know what type of graphics card you need before you buy new application or attempt an upgrade.

Determine What Type of Graphics Card You Have

1. In Windows, click "Start" on the lower left side of the desktop toolbar, then click "Run."

2. Type "dxdiag" in the command box, omitting the quotes. Click "OK."

3. Click the "Display" tab after the DirectX dialog window opens.

4. Locate your graphics card in the "Device" section. The name, type & amount of video memory the card has will be listed.

Determine What Type of Graphics Card You Need

1. Know what you will be using the computer for. Do you play lots of games? Do you edit video or audio? Is your PC used mostly for office applications & browsing the Net? Definite tasks like video editing need more powerful graphics cards.

2. Select the maximum video requirements for the most resource intensive programs you use. Most process requirements will be listed on the packaging that the application came in. A graphics card that has 256 MB of dedicated memory will be for most basic systems.

3. Set a cost range. Prices for video cards range from under $30 to over $500. More pricey graphics cards will be able to render video much faster & will have additional features like FireWire. That being said, don't spend over is necessary to meet your computing needs.

4. Using the information you obtained regarding your existing video card, select the expansion slot type you need. Most graphics cards are AGP, although some lower-end PCI cards are still obtainable. Refer to your owner's manual if necessary.

5. Select the video outputs you need. Graphics cards come equipped with DVI, VGA or S-Video outputs. For example, most newer LCD monitors use a DVI output. Older CRT monitors use a standard VGA output. In case you plan to make use of multiple monitors, select a card with multiple outputs.