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Lesson 4- Video card component - explains what a video card is with definitions of features

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In lesson 4 we'll explain what a video card is with definitions of features to look for when shopping for a video card and how much you can expect to pay.

Overview

The video card is responsible for creating all that you see on your computer monitor. Up until about 6 years ago, video cards were advancing in the acceleration and quality of 2 dimensional images. Since that time, video cards have reached a point where they are all equal in their ability to show 2D images and no further acceleration is possible.

Video card development now focuses on 3 dimensional acceleration and 3D image quality, 3D games and 3D modeling software, for instance.

Direct X is the system that 3D acceleration is based on. The latest version, Direct X11 which comes with Windows 7 and be installed on Windows Vista, provides the best image quality and fastest 3D graphics available. Direct X 9 is supported by the lower end video cards in Windows XP. For the best 3D performance, look for Direct X 11 support in your video card.

The amount of memory a video card has plays a big role in the speed and quality of 3D graphics. Look for a card with at least 1GB of memory.

Interface

The video card will attach through a PCI Express 2.0 16x slot on the motherboard . Make sure the video card you buy supports PCI Express 2.0 16x. There is an older standard of PCI Express called just PCI Express 16x. Make sure you see the 2.0 on the product details of the video card before you buy. PCI Express 3.0 cards and motherboards will be released later in 2011 to provide greater bandwidth for future video cards and other addon cards.To watch all of our complete video lessons with full written instructions you will need to purchase a login for the site. Buy Now..


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Comments  

 
0 # SpaceBoy 2010-04-25 15:55
im bying a new video-card for my Computer but it says:
ProcessorCPU Clock Speed380 MHz

and my bios says CPU Clock Speed 200MHz
will it work in my computer?
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0 # admin2 2010-04-25 19:20
On AMD systems in the BIOS there is a setting for CPU Clock Speed and the default is 200MHz. This is actually the reference clock setting. The reference clock is then multiplied by a number (16 for example) to give you the actual CPU frequency. 200x16 is 3200 or 3.2GHz. Now the video card mentioning 380MHz, that is probably the speed of the graphics processor on the video card. If that is the case it will probably working with your system but you need to find more information. The most important things to look at when buying a video card are the slot type, PCI Express 2.0 16x which is the standard right now and the amount of power the video card needs. Your motherboard needs to have a PCI Express 2.0 16x slot and you have to check your power supply to make sure it has enough power to support the video card.
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0 # ???? 2010-05-31 11:49
What is the meaning or used of FX in video cards?? ex. FX9800
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0 # admin2 2010-06-01 01:47
FX is just part of the model name. It's just branding.
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0 # Chocolately Chi 2011-01-23 11:15
I recently purchased a motherboard that had 2 PCI Express x16 slots. However, it says one runs at x16 mode and one at x4 mode. How is the x4 different? Will it affect trying to Crossfire? And can I change it to run at x16 mode?
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