How to Choose the Right PC Video Card
- 1). Check for the appropriate connection. PCI was the first bus available on a motherboard but now is used mostly for wireless adapters rather than video cards. AGP brought in eight times the performance over the PCI bus and has become a rarity among modern motherboards. PCI express is the fastest and latest slot in PCs on the market today. Open up your computer and look for one of these slots on the motherboard. (The words AGP, PCI, or PCI Express usually are located next to the slot.)
- 2). Buy your level of graphics card based on your budget and overall use.Your choices involve one of the following: high end ($350+) for graphic design or film editing; performance- based ($200 to 350) for playing graphically-intense video games; mid-range use ($100 to $200) for HD movies and medium quality settings in games; or entry-level video cards ($50 to $100) used for the graphic users interface in Windows and 2D or light 3D games.
- 3). Check your system configuration. Go to System properties from the Control Panel in Windows. Look for the amount of RAM, processor speed, Direct X version and which version of Windows you are running.
- 4). Check for the type of connection to your monitor or television. DVI (higher quality digital connection), VGA (standard LCD connection), S-Video (for hooking up to an older television) or HDMI (allows both audio and video in one connection) are the most common form factors.