Pci Card
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Installing a Graphics card is a daunting task to the average computer user. Most of whom are only doing so because of Windows Vista or their child wants to play the latest and greatest games. This article will help the average user as well as the hardcore gamer who has installed a graphics card in the past.
Our first step is to define the types of VIDEO cards(the more common term for Graphics card) available and which is best suited for you. Their are three varieties: PCI, AGP, and PCI-E. Of the three PCI-E is what you want to go for because the other two are quickly fading into obscurity. The difference among these cards is performance, power requirements, and what type of motherboard you own.
PCI cards will be compatible with all current PC motherboards but their performance is horrible. Don’t expect to play games with these. And if you are upgrading to Vista you should also try to avoid these. They are most common in retail stores at inflated prices. The only Vista capable card that I’m aware of that is PCI is the PCI Radeon X1300 from ATI. I would advise on upgrading your computer rather than using a PCI video card. A lot of the newer Intel motherboards have better integrated graphics support than a PCI card can provide.
AGP stands for Accelerated Graphics Port. AGP is NOT compatible with all current PC motherboards! Your motherboard must have an AGP slot. It’s a short brown slot above the PCI slots closer to the northbridge typically. If installing an AGP card you may also need to upgrade your power supply. AGP is dying out but you can still get some quality cards as of this writing. The ATI X1950XT Radeon or the Nvidia 7600GT are the best of breed. The latest AGP cards supports HD video playback. And there are rumors that Nvidia will release a DirectX 10 compatible AGP card.
PCI-E is short for (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) and is the latest in video card technology. Buyer beware when buying a motherboard there are several types of PCI-E slots: PCI-Ex1 PCI-Ex4 and PCI-Ex16. Make sure you are aware of this before purchasing any hardware. The cards you want will make use of the PCI-Ex16 slot. Almost all PCI-E cards support HD video playback. They are the only type of video card that currently supports Microsoft’s Direct-X 10. Which is very important to PC gamers. The last issue is POWER. PCI-E and AGP cards consume lots of POWER. So you will need to pick up a higher wattage PSU(power supply unit) at least 400-500
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