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How to Buy a Video Card For Your PC

All PCs come with the ability to display basic graphics. But to play the latest games with full graphic effects as well as use dual monitor displays as well as high-end digitial displays, you often need to purchase an "add-on" video card, also known as a graphics accelerator card. There are many different types of video cards available. Here is how to find the best one for you.

1. Decide what you want as well as need to do with the video card. Video cards range broadly in price from as much as $550 for the latest as well as greatest to $30 for an entry-level card. To choose the right one, you need to know how you want to use it. Do you want to play all the very latest games at maximum resolution as well as full visual effects? If so, you will need to purchase a high-end card, usually $250 or higher. If you just need to display your PC screen on two monitors or drive a high-end DVI monitor or TV, you can purchase a lower-end card.
2. Know what type of slot you will be using. Video cards can plug into three different types of slots on your mother-board. In order of highest performance, the slot types are PCI Express, AGP, or PCI at the low end. If your PC is more than 2 years old, it may only have a PCI slot. Most PCs today have AGP slots. AGP cards are usually $10-$20 dollars cheaper than PCI equivalents as well as perform 2-4 times faster. If you bought your PC recently, it may have the newer, faster PCI Express slot.
3. Choose a chip br as well as (the two most most popular being either ATI or NVidia). These companies make the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) that is on the graphics card. Typically, these companies make the GPU while another company will make the rest of the graphics card (memory, fan, VGA/DVI connectors). There are two leading companies that make the graphics chips that go into video cards. For many years, NVidia was the leader in this space. In the past two years, ATI chips as well as drivers have caught up with NVidia in terms of performance for the price. But for the most part NVidia is an excellent choice, with solid drivers as well as good support. You can find reviews as well as descriptions of the leading chips as well as video cards available in all the major PC magazines online as well as in print. You can also go to manufacturer's websites, such as the one for Diamond Multimedia, for more information on the available video cards.
4. Choose a manufacturer. Many video cards are available from multiple manufacturers. Some examples are Diamond Multimedia, PNY, as well as ATI themselves. Different manufacturers offer different levels of warranty as well as customer support as well as different game bundles depending on the product. Many cards go on sale from time-to-time, especially at back-to-school as well as holiday time so be sure to shop for the best deal.
5. Choose a way to purchase the video card. You can either buy it from a retail store (Circuit City, Best Buy) or through an online store (such as newegg.com or pricewatch.com). Retail stores tend to mark up the graphics cards substantially! You can save a significant amount of money if you purchase online. If you choose a retail outlet, wait for the aforementioned markdowns as well as sales. As always, you can compare prices for most retail stores online.
6. Install the video card as well as enjoy your new accelerated graphics capability!

• Be sure to choose a graphics card that matches the slot type you have in your PC. Before you buy, check out your system specification or documentation to see whether your slot types are PCI, AGP, PCI Express, or a combination.
• When installing the graphics card, be sure to unplug the power supply! Removing or installing computer components while the computer has power (even though the computer may be shut down) can damange the computer, rendering the motherboard or other components useless.

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Added: Thu Feb 02 2006

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