techguy
Sunday, March 9th, 2008, 11:47 PM
This tip expands on my comments regarding onboard video. Most new computers have onboard video that is suitable for most users. The current chip will support Vista’s Aero Desktop and older games. I recommend a separate video card if you like to play the latest 3D games. Because onboard video uses part of your system RAM, it is a good idea to have at least 1GB of RAM (2 GB+ with Vista).
What if you have a system from 3 or 4 years ago and your onboard video is not meeting your current needs? It is possible to disable the onboard video an install a separate video card. Video cards that are compatible with older systems should be relatively inexpensive. The first thing you need to do is see what type of expansion slot your system has available. Video cards can be installed in 2 types of expansion slots, AGP or PCI Express. PCI Express is the current standard and you will have many choices. If your system only has an AGP slot, many online stores still have a good selection of good video cards to chose from.
Things to keep in mind:
AGP slots were available in several speeds over the years. If you have a 4x or 8x slot you can upgrade. AGP 8x cards are backward compatible with 4x slots. If you only have a 2x slot, it may be time to find a new computer. AGP 2x is not compatible with the newer cards and AGP 2x cards will be expensive or difficult to find.
Try to find a card that has at least 128 MB of memory and supports DirectX 9.0c. Older cards will work but most games and Vista will look best with this type of card.
You will need to disable the onboard video and set the memory size of the newly installed card in the system’s BIOS before your new card will work. Do not change any other settings while in the BIOS. Your system will not work if other settings are changed.
:siterock: :yay:
What if you have a system from 3 or 4 years ago and your onboard video is not meeting your current needs? It is possible to disable the onboard video an install a separate video card. Video cards that are compatible with older systems should be relatively inexpensive. The first thing you need to do is see what type of expansion slot your system has available. Video cards can be installed in 2 types of expansion slots, AGP or PCI Express. PCI Express is the current standard and you will have many choices. If your system only has an AGP slot, many online stores still have a good selection of good video cards to chose from.
Things to keep in mind:
AGP slots were available in several speeds over the years. If you have a 4x or 8x slot you can upgrade. AGP 8x cards are backward compatible with 4x slots. If you only have a 2x slot, it may be time to find a new computer. AGP 2x is not compatible with the newer cards and AGP 2x cards will be expensive or difficult to find.
Try to find a card that has at least 128 MB of memory and supports DirectX 9.0c. Older cards will work but most games and Vista will look best with this type of card.
You will need to disable the onboard video and set the memory size of the newly installed card in the system’s BIOS before your new card will work. Do not change any other settings while in the BIOS. Your system will not work if other settings are changed.
:siterock: :yay: