FAQ
Please Note, the following information is to be used as a reference only.
Question: How do I choose a video card?
Answer: If you're looking to play the latest greatest games on your computer, the video card will be the most important part. If you want nothing more than to play a few rounds of solitaire, buy the cheapest video card you can find.
There are two different video card connection types - AGP and PCI EXPRESS. You will have to determine which type of video card your computer is compatible with. Older computers use an AGP slot while many new computers will take advantage of a PCI EXPRESS slot. Usually the quickest way to find out which type of video card you need is to open your computer and take a look at the slot on the motherboard. Near the lower left corner of your computer tower you will notice a group of slots. Some with cards plugged into them, and some empty. Look at the topmost slot. This is the slot that the video card plugs into.
Once you determine the type of slot you have, you'll need to decide how much money you want to spend on the video card. We like ATI cards, and recommend their Radeon 9800 PRO for the gamer on a budget. If you want a video card with more power, you'll want to get into the Radeon X series. They range in model numbers from 300 up as newer ones come out. Usually, the higher the number, the better the video card. You should buy a video card with a minimum of 128 MB of memory. If you plan on playing the newest games you should go with a 256 MB video card. NVIDIA also makes some great video cards. If youve got a few grand burning a hole in your pocket you should look into SLI. Its very expensive, but it provides the most powerful graphics. SLI requires a special motherboard with two PCI EXPRESS slots. It uses two video cards (one in each slot) and divides the work across the two cards giving you nearly double the power of a single graphics card.
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