Before cameras, if you wanted a picture, you hired a painter. The video cards in today's computers are the modern equivalent; they are electronic painters inside your laptop or desktop. That factory-installed computer hardware is good enough for ordinary applications, but with high-definition video games and TV episodes downloadable to your computer monitors, many people want better video cards. Exactly which video card will meet your needs depends on your computer and applications. This video card buying guide will help you figure out how to buy a video card that will meet your needs.
Computer monitors (and regular TV pictures) run about 30 frames per second (fps), while high-end video games and HDTVs require up to 60 fps to really look the way they should. Since the CPU has to run your entire desktop computer or laptop computer, processing over one million pixels 30 or 60 times per second is more than the average motherboard can handle. Video cards add that extra computing boost to the CPU using four principal components:
The monitor connections will vary, depending on the target device:
The video card will have other components, such as a heat sink, which are fairly standard from card to card and assist in its general operation. Some video cards are "dual-head," meaning the card will support two monitors used side by side. If your motherboard has two video card slots, that computer should be able to support up to four computer monitors.
First, check out your existing motherboard. If your computer needs are consumer electronics oriented--family photos, Web surfing, word processing, etc.--a factory-installed motherboard with "integrated graphics" (a basic graphics card built into the motherboard) is good enough. If you're a professional or you want high-end graphics, like those in the new video games, buy your new motherboard and new multi-media card at the same time so you're sure they work together properly.
Second, check the specifications. The short answer is the better video card (usually meaning the more expensive video card) has more memory and a faster processor. Specifically, buyers should look at several benchmarks.
Finally, check your budget and spend what you must to get what you need. Remember, there's a big difference between discount computer hardware and cheap computer hardware.
Expansion card: An expansion card is any card that isn't factory installed. Sound and video cards, additional memory, any upgrades qualify as expansion cards. Video cards plug-n-play directly into the motherboard and utilize two technologies which are not interchangeable. Many motherboards have slots for both card technologies:
Advanced Graphics Port: The earliest AGP video cards, called AGP 1x, included a parallel bus with a data exchange rate of 266MB per second; the newest AGP 8x cards exchange at 2.1GB/sec. Older AGP slots are rated for 1.5 volts, newer slots for 3.3 volts. While still an excellent choice, the AGP video card is the older, lower-end technology that may be entirely replaced in a few years.
Peripheral Component Interconnect: PCI was originally an alternative to AGP, a direct connection between memory and connected devices (meaning video cards aren't the only cards using this technology). Today, they are replacing AGP for many users. The newest incarnation is PCI-Express. A serial bus with 250MB/sec per lane (each lane being like a single parallel bus), PCI-E cards have effective data exchange rates up to 8GB/sec.
Your video card should require no maintenance. If it does, take it to a computer repair service; it's not a do-it-yourself project.
What is "overclocking"?
The clock speed on a video card can be reset manually. Set the clock to a higher speed and you can improve your graphic card performance. You will also void the warranty and you may overheat your CPU, which will shorten your card's service life. You should leave the factory setting intact.
What about better sound to match better video?
Sound is processed on a separate part of the motherboard or a separate expansion card. If you've installed a new motherboard and video card, make it a triple play and pick up a new and improved sound card. You'll get better, more theater-like, sound from your computer with a new audio processor (which may also benefit from a new pair of computer speakers).
Put it all on disk.
Now that you can really enjoy movies and other video with your computer, get more video! Hard drives (internal or external) give you plenty of space--up to 1TB (that's 1,000,000 MB!). You'll have plenty of room for all your home movies, audio soundbites and whatever else you'd like to watch, and you'll find them at Overstock.com's so-low-they're-hard-to-believe prices.
Build your own.
Online shopping at the computer store allows you to custom-build your computer from the ground up. Start with a barebones system; add a video card, sound card, memory and speakers, a keyboard, software and a monitor. You can get exactly what you want and save money. It's a match made in, well, Overstock.com.
