Video card are also referred to as Graphic accelerators and graphic cards. It is also some time called as video adapter and display adapter. It is an important internal chip of a computer as it helps the users to obtain graphical presentation of the data he is working on. It also helps in watching movies, playing games and other tasks which include visual intervention. Most work which includes videos flash etc may be almost impossible to accomplish if graphic card does not exist in computer system. Hence, it is a crucial component which should be selected carefully. This rest of the article will throw some light in things you should consider while buying a video card.
Type of card: One of the crucial and decisive factors that should be considered is the type of card that will suit your motherboard. It is essential to determine which video card will suit your system when it comes to upgrading or installing a new graphic card in your system. Remember that when you upgrade your video card, make sure that you buy the next best version of your existing graphic card. You cannot skip a level and get the third level advanced graphic card as it may not be compatible with your system. In order to get information on how to determine the configuration of your card you can check our Determine Existing Video Card/ Graphic Card on Your Computer. You should also make sure that you buy a compatible video card for your system.
Connection types: There are three standard different types of connectivity option which can help you connect your graphic adapter to your system. Compatibility factor also comes into consideration in this phenomenon.
PCI-E: PCI-E can be considered as an extension card interface which is also referred to as PCI-Express. This interface is used to link extension cards such as Video Card with the system motherboard. PCI-E was introduced as a successor of PCI, AGP and PCI-X standard interface. The PCI-E was introduced in July 2002 and is the newest technology connection bus used nowadays. This interface is available in different formats name X1, X2, X4, X8, X16 as well as X32. You should have relevant port on the motherboard to connect through PCI-E cable.
AGP: AGP is the abbreviated form of Accelerated Graphics Port, which an interface which was used with Intel Pentium II computer for connecting graphic cards. This standard of interface was introduced in 1997. It is a 32 bit cable which is capable of working with highly advanced video cards. Unlike sharing PCI bus, APG has dedicated route between processor and slot.
PCI: PCI is the abbreviation of Peripheral Component Interconnect which was introduced in the year 1992 by Intel. It was designed to work with 32 or 64 bit bus. It is said that PCI allows data transfer rate of up to 132 MB per second at clock speed of 33 Megahertz. However, it is said that instead of PCE slot AGP slot shall be used. In any case you should determine whether the interface you are adopting is compatible with your system.
Power Supply: Video cards nowadays are built on advanced technology due to which they require high power. Hence, while buying a graphic card you should determine whether you power supply will provide sufficient power to the video card. Most contemporary video cards may require 500 W or even more. If you learn that you power supply will not meet the requirement then you can either upgrade your power supply or go for a lower version of graphic cards. To determine the configuration of your power supply you can check the label on your PSU or SMPS. Sometimes the model number may also contain the wattage of the device.
Memory: A crucial factor that should be kept in mind while purchasing a video card is the video memory that the card offers. Similar to system memory, these graphic cards also holds some memory space. The more is the memory of your card the better is the performance and quality of video. A computer should have a video card with minimum 256 MB of video space.
Ports: Most of the latest graphic cards have DVI ports. However, there are fair chances that you may come across cards which enjoy both DVI as well as VGA connectivity option. If you have a card with VGA connectivity, then by using a DVI to VGA converter one can accomplish the task.
Chipset: Chipset is another important factor that serves as a decisive factor to determine which video card will suit you the best. You may come across numerous graphic card brands but there are only two major chipset manufacturing companies namely Nvidia and ATI. Both companies offer competent chipset to suit your graphic card and their competency may differ extensively. Hence, even before you buy a video card you should check which chipset performs optimally and based on that buy a compatible video card for better performance.
Size of the card: Computer chassis or computer cabinets are available in different sizes and shapes. Hence, in order to make your graphic card snugly fit into the cabinet you should consider the size factor. Due to advanced features and enhanced competency the size of video cards have increased therefore it is essential ensure that your cabinet offers sufficient space to accommodate graphic card. You will have to physically look into the computer and check whether the graphic card will fit into the computer chassis.
Cost: Cost is another significant consideration which should be kept on mind while you buy your video card. Inevitably, the price range of video cards may vary according to various factors such as manufacturer, technology used etc; however, a conventional video with considerable feature will cost you between $100 and $500.
Warranty: Similar to other factors warranty also plays an important role when it comes to buying video cards. This proves to be helpful when your device is corrupt or suffers from any technical malfunction. Under such scenarios if your graphic cards in under warranty then you have to option of getting it repaired by experts from the company itself, without having to pay any amount of money.
Support: Also try to find out information on customer support facilities offered by the company. This will help in case there is are any small issues which can be solved over the phone by following simple troubleshooting steps. This is will eradicate the need of physically sending the device to the company and waiting for a long to receive it back. While you consider asking about customer support you need to make sure that they proffer 24 x7 customer support facilities.
