The video card, otherwise known as the graphics card, will be the PC factor that enables your computer monitor to produce graphics onscreen. It can significantly get a new speed from which your machine can run graphics-intensive applications.
If you run a lot of animated applications at the same time over a computer designed with a low-performance graphics card, the applications will end up choppy and render poor display quality. This is because your graphics card is difficult in handling its workload. Eventually, you will burn out your video card. If you want to use demanding graphics-rich software or have fun playing the latest 3D games, you need to replace your graphics card using a higher-end one.
Like other vital computer components, selecting graphics cards is restricted by what your motherboard supports. Old motherboards have only one Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot, which could only accept AGP video cards. Modern motherboards may have a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) slot which allows the application of greater modern PCIe video cards. When replacing your graphics card, look for out which type of card your motherboard supports. Otherwise, your replacement video card will not be suitable for your motherboard and you may struggle to utilize it.
For the avid PC gamer, you could as well replace your motherboard should you only sport an AGP slot. AGP video cards are not as fast as PCI Express video cards and you may experience poor frame rates when you are playing a top action game and surrounded by many enemies and non-player characters.
In addition to being attentive to the card that you need, also take into account how big is the recording card. If your computer case is jammed with other computers, you are going to have trouble fitting a big video card within the case.
Considering that high-end video cards are pricey, don’t bother having a video card upgrade should you do not need it. The built-in card inside your computer motherboard is powerful enough to operate office applications, surf the Net, play movies, and do all the other things that the average computer user does.
