The video/graphics cards (also known as graphics accelerator cards) used in desktop PCs and laptop/notebook PCs contain the electronics that deliver the picture/display to the computer's monitor or monitors. Monitors, because it is possible to connect many monitors to a desktop PC via multiple graphics cards.
If you want to know all about the graphics card/chip that is being used by your desktop or laptop PC, this free utility will meet all of the needs of most home users:
GPU-Z - "GPU-Z is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU." - http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
Here is an example of the graphics-card information that it provides for an ATI Radeon HD 5800 Series PCI Express (PCI-E) graphics card:
Most users only need to know the make/model, shown under Name (to be able to download its latest device drivers from the manufacturer's website), the Bus Interface (PCI, AGP, PCI Express) and the Memory Size (1024MB = 1GB in this example). Note that ATI is now called AMD, having been purchased by AMD, which means that AMD and NVIDIA are now the two major manufacturers of graphics chips.
Every graphics card or graphics chip integrated on a desktop or laptop PC's motherboard installs a display control panel when its device drivers are installed that adds to the display options provided by Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It will either be an independent control panel, usually added to the main Windows Control Panel, or be added to the Display Properties feature in Windows that is accessed from its main Control Panel.
For example, to access the graphics chip manufacturer's control panel in the laptop PC I'm using to write this, which has its graphics integrated on the motherboard instead of as a separate graphics card, I have to open Display in the Control Panel (Windows XP/Vista/7) or right-click an empty space on the Desktop and click Properties. In Windows 7 all you have to do is enter the work display in the Start => Search programs and files box to be presented with a link that opens it. With the Display Properties window on the screen, click the Settings tab to open it and then click the Advanced button. The image below is the window that I get. The top tab called Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile gives access to the laptop's integrated Intel 945GM graphics control panel, which allows me to change the colour-correction settings - brightness, contrast, gamma.
The image below shows how the Intel 945GM graphics chip appears in the Windows Device Manager. Both entries are required because they provide different functions. To uninstall the graphics adapter, both entries have to be uninstalled. A double click opens the window showing each entry's information and options. A right-click on each entry allows you to update the driver and disable or uninstall the graphics adapter. If you uninstall the graphics adapter, Windows reinstalls the device drivers the next time the computer starts up or is restarted. Just doing that fixes many graphics problems. Alternatively, you can download and install the latest drivers from the display-adapter manufacturer's website.
The control panel of a separate graphics card, now mostly installed in a PCI Express x16 slot on the motherboard, usually provides several more control settings and and sometimes even troubleshooting options. The image below shows the Catalyst Control Center for an ATI Radeon graphics card. A high-end graphics card has its own memory and fan to keep the main GPU chip cool, which a graphics chip integrated into the motherboard of a desktop or laptop PC does not usualy have, hence the options for memory-clock settings and fan control.
The number of graphics cards that can be connected to a PC depends on the number of graphics cards installed in it. The highest-end graphics cards currently available can support three monitors each that show an independent (different) display. Theoretically, an infinite number of monitors that are displaying the same display can be connected using distribution amplifier boxes to send the signal from the computer to each monitor.
There are now four graphics-display standards - VGA, DVI, HDMI (high-definition) and DisplayPort. The DVI standard can carry both analog VGA and digital DVI video. A single-link DVI cable can handle screen resolutions up to 1920X1200 pixels, but a dual-link cable is required for screen resolutions above that up to 2560x1600 pixels, which makes DVI the most complicated graphics standard by far. DVI can be converted to HDMI or DisplayPort (designed to replace the analog VGA and digital DVI standards).
Note that USB is not a graphics standard, but monitors that connect via a USB port are now available.
It is possible to buy a USB dock and an external USB graphics adapter to connect multiple monitors. Each USB graphics adapter is connected to the USB dock. Here are links to two short videos that illustrate the possibilities.
HP USB Graphics Adapter -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPpf2tbws0&feature=related
Using Multiple Monitors with The HP USB Dock & USB Graphics Adapters -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzEMhRoCl_U
Common Multi Monitor Questions -
http://www.displaylink.com/common_questions.php
Click here! to go to the information on the VGA and DVI graphics display standards on this page.
Eyefinity technology by AMD/ATI supports up to six monitors that can show a different display. AMD recommends using DisplayPort monitors, which are currently not very common and tend to be expensive. Fortunately, Sapphire has released a DisplayPort-to-DVI adapter, making it possible to run three DVI monitors from any Eyefinity graphics card.
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 Flex Eyefinity review - "In most respects, this Flex Eyefinity version of the 5770 is identical to the original. However, small changes to the video outputs on the back breathe new life into Eyefinity. Instead of two dual-link DVI outputs, Sapphire has provided one dual-link output, plus a single-link output and a HDMI output. This means you can connect three monitors to the card via DVI (using the bundled HDMI-to-DVI adaptor). The only downside being that two of those monitors can’t be above 1,920x1,200 due to the limitations on the single-link DVI, and in this case, the HDMI port. This won’t bother most people, as monitors with resolutions over 1,920x1,200 are prohibitively expensive, especially if you’re buying three." -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/1279774/...
Single-link and dual-link DVI : "With a single DVI link, the largest resolution possible at 60 Hz is 2.75 megapixels (including blanking interval). For practical purposes, this allows a maximum screen resolution at 60 Hz of 1,915 × 1,436 pixels (standard 4:3 ratio), 1,854 × 1,483 pixels (5:4 ratio), or 2,098 × 1,311 (widescreen 16:10 ratio). The DVI connector therefore has provisions for dual links, with the second link containing another set of red, green, and blue twisted pairs. When more bandwidth is required than is possible with a single link, the second link is enabled and alternate pixels may be transmitted on each link. This allows theoretically unlimited resolutions at unlimited speeds as long as the transmitter, cable, and display still meet the DVI specification at such extreme speeds. The DVI specification mandates a fixed single link maximum pixel clock frequency of 165 MHz, where all display modes that require less than this must use single link mode, and all those that require more must switch to dual link mode. When both links are in use, the pixel rate on both links must be the same speed, and that speed may exceed 165 MHz. The second link can also be used when more than 24 bits per pixel is required, in which case it carries the least significant bits. The data pairs carry binary data at ten times the pixel clock reference frequency, for a maximum data rate of 1.65 Gbit/s × 3 data pairs for a single DVI link." - Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface
Maximum number of monitors Win 7 Supports? -
http://superuser.com/questions/92728/maximum-number-of-monitors-win-7-supports
DisplayPort - http://www.displayport.org/
DisplayPort has been designed to replace analog VGA and digital DVI connectors in computer monitors and graphics cards and to replace internal digital LVDS links in computer monitor panels and TV panels.
In a desktop PC, a single graphic card is installed in an ISA, PCI, PCI-X (64-bit extended PCI), AGP, or PCI Express/PCI Express 2 (PCIe or PCI-E) slot on the computer's motherboard. The ISA standard is no longer used for graphics, but PCI and AGP graphics cards are still available. The latest graphics standard is PCI Express 2.0. PCI Express 3.0 is expected to arrive some time in late 2010 or early 2011.
PCI Express - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express
The images at the top of the page show the kind of video/graphics cards that are used in desktop PCs.
The image on the left above shows an ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express video/graphics card with its built-in heatsink and fan unit. The image on the right shows a low-end ATI Radeon HD 2400 PCI Express video/graphics card with a passive cooling unit, which has no fan, just radiators.
High-end graphics cards require fan cooling; only the lower-end cards can make do with passive cooling. A low-end graphics card with passive cooling, or a motherboard with an integrated graphics chip (which is often not even passively cooled), is all that is required by an office desktop PC that runs office applications and accesses the web via a broadband connection.
It is possible to buy graphics-card coolers for high-end graphics cards (used for playing the latest PC games or doing high-intensity graphics work) that can be used instead of the cooler that came with a graphics card. For instance, if you want to overclock a particular high-end card's GPU (graphics processing unit) and require a more powerful cooler.
Three Aftermarket Graphics Coolers On GeForce GTX 480 -
"Today we're testing three of the largest graphics card coolers available: Arctic Cooling's Accelero XTREME Plus, DeepCool's V6000, and Zalman's VF3000F. Can these products bring performance to the table commensurate with their large triple-slot size?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/accelero-xtreme-plus-v6000-vf3000,review-32041.html
NVIDIA and AMD are the two major manufacturers of graphics chips. ATI was purchased by the processor-manufacturer, AMD, which has now dropped the the ATI name for its own name. So, instead of being called an ATI Radeon, the graphics cards are called AMD Radeon. AMD and NVIDIA make their own graphics cards and also sell the chips to other graphics-card manufacturers, such as Sapphire.
Any graphics card that you want to buy or that is part of a desktop or laptop PC will have reviews online. Here is a good review article of an affordable and capable PCI Express graphics card:
ATI Radeon HD 5570 Review -
http://www.techspot.com/review/245-ati-radeon-hd-5570/
Here is a review of an AMD graphics card:
AMD Radeon HD 6870 review -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/1280635/amd-radeon-hd-6870
Here is a review of a Radeon graphics card made by Sapphire:
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 Flex Eyefinity review -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/1279774/...
You don't have to spend a fortune on a high-end PC-gaming graphics card that requires that the PC has a powerful power supply. - "Power usage is extremely low for the performance offered, and no auxiliary power connector is needed. And yet, the Radeon HD 5570 manages playable frame rates in every one of our game tests at 1680x1050 (and sometimes 1920x1200)." - Tom's Hardware.
The Sapphire Technology ATI Radeon HD 5450 650Mhz 512MB DDR3 PCI-Express DVI PCI Express graphics card, which was selling for under £40 in February 2010, has a passive cooling unit, 512MB of graphics memory and both digital DVI (white) and standard analog VGA (blue D-sub) connectors.
The chip(s) that power a graphics card are called a graphics processing unit (GPU). Currently, graphics cards with two GPUs are available. It is similar to having two processor cores in a dual-core processor. As with processor cores, which have now reached six cores (processing units) in a processor (hexa-core processors), more GPUs will no doubt be added to in future, just as installing more graphics cards on a single motherboard has become possible. At present, it is possible to use four graphics cards installed at once, using the PCI Express graphics standard.
Most desktop and laptop PCs have one video/graphics card, or a graphics chip integrated on the PC's motherboard or into the processor, which both Intel and AMD now provide on some of their processors, but it is possible to have four graphics cards installed on a desktop PC if the motherboard has four PCI Express x16 slots or even two PCI express x16 and two x8 PCI Express slots. Some graphics cards come with two graphics chips, so two such cards installed on the motherboard make four graphics chips. The MSI X58 Pro motherboard (Socket LGA 1366 for Intel Core i7 quad-core processors) has three PCI Express x16 slots for graphics card, so it is possible to run three compatible ATI/AMD Radeon graphics cards in a CrossFireX configuration on it.
In a laptop PC, the graphics chip is most commonly integrated into its motherboard or processor and uses system RAM memory, but, increasingly, high-end laptop PCs have separate video/graphics cards with their own graphics memory that can be removed and replaced or upgraded. If the graphics is integrated into the motherboard or processor, it cannot be upgraded (without upgrading the motherboard or processor to a superior graphics chip) unless there is an adapter slot inside the computer specifically for a graphics card upgrade, which most Lapps do not currently provide. However the laptop's motherboard can be replaced by its manufacturer (laptop motherboards cannot, at present, be purchased from computer shops).
All video/graphics cards have their own graphics RAM memory, which, on high-end cards has reached a massive 2GB. The PowerColor PCS HD4850 was the first graphics card with 2GB of memory, which is way over the top. The following article sheds some light on how much graphics memory is really required. The comments left by readers are worth reading.
How much graphics memory do you really need? -
http://techreport.com/articles.x/14230
Visit the Laptop/notebook PCs section of this site for more information on them.
Note well that you must fit an expansion card in its correct type of motherboard slot. Installing an expansion card in the wrong type of slot could make the expansion card or even the computer itself unusable unless the card or the motherboard is replaced. Always follow the golden rule with electronic components - Never force them to fit because they are designed to fit easily.
PC motherboards that incorporate features that are usually added by adapter cards fitted into their PCI, PCI-X/AGP/PCI Express slots, such as video, sound, and network cards, are becoming more desirable, because, as technology advances, integrated electronics can compete ever-more effectively with adapter cards.
Note that some motherboards have a PCI-X slot. PCI-X is the extended PCI standard, both of which have been replaced by the PCI Express standard. The 64-bit PCI-X bus slot has double the maximum throughput of PCI, at a maximum speed of 3Gbps. Most PCI-X cards are backwards compatible with PCI bus slots, which means that you can install a PCI-X card in a PCI slot provided that it has the correct voltage keying for the slot and that the area directly behind a PCI slot must have available space to accommodate the additional length of PCI-X cards.
However, if you want to play the latest PC games or use graphic-intensive applications, such as video-editing and computer-aided design (CAD) applications, you would always choose a desktop PC or laptop PC that has its own dedicated video/graphics card instead of integrated graphics. This is because integrated graphics on the motherboard or processor are still currently inadequate for such tasks. The following article deals with the prospects for integrated graphics:
Talking Heads: Motherboard Manager Edition, Q4'10, Part 1 -
"We've already talked to product managers representing the graphics industry. But what about the motherboard folks? We are back with ten more unidentified R&D insiders. The platform-oriented industry weighs in on Intel's, AMD's, and Nvidia's prospects." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sandy-bridge-fusion-nvidia-chipset,review-32025.html
Can Integrated Graphics Cut It For Gaming Or HTPC [Home Theatre PC]? -
"According to market data, integrated chipsets outnumber the number of discrete graphics cards sold each quarter. The obvious reason behind this phenomenon is that systems with graphics integrated into the chipset are less expensive than a separate graphics card. While these integrated platforms may help keep money in your wallet, these systems are generally underpowered compared to ones that have a dedicated graphics card..." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/integrated-graphics-gaming,review-29643.html
NForce 780a SLI Debuts Hybrid SLI -
"NVidia is challenging the notion that integrated graphics solutions have no place in performance systems, with new technology to make mainstream ..." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/nvidia-hybrid-sli,review-30789.html
The image below shows the slot arrangement on a typical motherboard.
A recent motherboard would have either an AGP slot or a PCI Express x16 slot. The AGP graphics standard is no longer used on most new motherboards, having been replaced by the PCI Express and PCI Express 2.0 standards. Some motherboards can have four PCI Express slots for graphics cards (x16 and x8 slots). The MSI X48 Platinum motherboard has four PCI Express x16 slots that can accommodate four graphics cards. PCI Express x1 slots are used for devices, such as some graphics cards, sound cards, and Ethernet network cards.
The following diagram shows the PCI Express x16 and x1 slots, and the two standard PCI slots on a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard.
The AGP graphics standard is outgoing technology that is no longer found in new PCs. However, at the time of reviewing this page (December, 2009), it was possible to buy an AGP graphics card that supports DirectX 10, which the the latest version that initially only worked with Windows Vista.
You can use the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to search for the term agp graphics cards. Here is the page of a website I found that provides AGP graphics cards in the UK:
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=448
The PCI graphics standard that uses standard PCI slots, preceded the AGP standard, yet it is still possible to buy a PCI graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0, which is supported by Windows 7, the latest versions of Windows. Therefore, if you have a fairly recent PC, such as the Dell Dimension 3000 from 2006, which has onboard graphics (a graphics chip on the motherboard and three PCI Express slots (no AGP or PCI Express slots), you can use Windows 7 if you obtain a PCI Express card that supports DirectX 9.0, such as this one:
ZOTAC 256MB GEF FX5200 PCI RET Graphic card -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOTAC-256MB-FX5200-Graphic-card/dp/B000VG4J64
Note that you can now also obtain DirectX 10 for Windows XP, which wasn't the case until recently; DirectX 10 could only be used with Windows Vista. Download pages can be found by using a search term such as windows xp directx 10 in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page). Here is a download page I found using it:
Download DirectX 10 for Windows XP from Alky Project -
http://www.technospot.net/blogs/...
An example of an affordable AGP card that supports DirectX 10 that can play the latest PC games is the Sapphire HD3850 graphics card that has 512MB of GDDR3 memory. Visit http://www.sapphiretech.com/uk/ to view the range of AGP cards - if they are still available. You can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to find local vendors.
PCI Express 1.x/PCI Express 2.0 are the current graphics standards. PCI Express 2.0 motherboard slots are backwards-compatible with PCI Express 1.x. PCI Express 2.0 graphics cards are compatible with PCI Express 1.1 motherboards, which means that they will run on them using the available bandwidth of PCI Express 1.1. Therefore, you should also be able to run a PCI Express 1.x graphics card on a PCI Express 2.0 motherboard.
Some motherboards have two PCI Express x16 slots for two graphics cards. Some motherboards have four PCI Express x16 slots for four graphics cards. Other motherboards have two x16 and two x8 slots. The x8 slots can accommodate graphics cards as well, making a total of four graphics cards.
The image below is of the MSI K9A2 Platinum (AMD Socket AM2+) motherboard, which has four PCI Express x16 slots for four graphics cards. They are the four long vertical light and darker blue slots. When the appropriate slot cover is removed from the back of the PC's case, a graphics card is inserted in the selected slot and screwed to the case so that its ports panel containing its connectors appears at the back of the case. The two shorter white slots are standard PCI-X slots.
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This motherboard supports the current PCI Express 2.0 standard, which is fully backwards compatible with PCI Express 1.0 graphics cards (a PCI Express 1.0 graphics card can be installed in a PCI Express 2.0 slot). It supports QuadFire (four-way CrossFire) and SAS (serial attached SCSI hard disk drives).
The graphics-rendering power required by a computer that is delivered by one or more video/graphics cards depends on how graphics-intensive the software it runs is. For the best rendition (display) of graphics, the latest PC games require as much graphics processing power as can be provided. The graphics cards used by professional graphics software developers and computer-aided designers can be purchased costing many thousands of pounds, but a high-end graphics card used in a PC typically costs between £250 and £400. PC games such as Doom 3 and Call of Duty 4 can be played with a graphics card costing around £100 or less, but only by lowering the screen resolution and the amount of graphical detail that is displayed.
Visit the PC Gaming pages on this site for more information on PC games and gaming computers.
Visit the Desktop PCs section of this site for information on how to buy, build, repair, fix, and protect the various types of desktop PCs.
The order of the evolution of video/graphics cards is ISA => PCI => AGP => PCI Express. The ISA standard is no longer used for graphics cards. PCI and AGP video cards are still available, but those standards are being replaced by the latest PCI Express standard. PCI Express 2.0 is the latest standard for expansion cards available on desktop and laptop computers. PCI Express 3.0 is expected to arrive some time in 2010.
The Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide -
"These days, there are so many graphics card models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different configurations. Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various desktop GPUs in the market as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete." - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=0
Visit the following pages of the same guide to view tables of all of the PCI, PCI-X, AGP, and PCI Express video/graphics cards made by AMD and nVidia, the two major manufacturers of graphics chips (that other graphics-card manufacturers use) and their own graphics cards. The lists go from the earliest to the latest graphics chips.
If you see a description of or come across a graphics card that has a X2 in its model name, it means that the card has two graphics processing units (GPUs), in effect making it two graphics cards in one. An example is the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2.
Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide - nVidia cards -
http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=3
Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide - ATI cards -
http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=1
Since most graphics cards use graphics chips made by nVidia or AMD, Wikipedia lists their specifications and the versions of DirectX and OpenGL that they support on these two pages:
Comparison of AMD Graphics Processing Units -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_Graphics_Processing_Units
Comparison of NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_NVIDIA_Graphics_Processing_Units
Does Chipset-to-GPU Matching Matter? - Should A Graphics Card Match The Chipset? -
"The benchmarks consistently show inconsistency between graphics and chipset performance, so brand matching of graphics cards to chipsets doesn't seem to matter at all. If you're not concerned about SLI or Crossfire [which, respectively, require specific nVidia or ATI motherboard chipsets] your card selection is as simple as picking the best card available for the money, while you can rest easy in the knowledge that mixing these imparts no performance penalty. This is great news for anyone who upgrades one part at a time..." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...review-2132.html
Choosing a PC's power supply
Choosing a power supply for your self-built desktop PC or an upgrade power supply that can run a new power-hungry graphics card is an important factor that can easily be underdone or overdone, depending on your computing needs. A PC-gaming computer requires much more power than an office computer. The following power calculators allow you to enter the components. When all of the components are entered, the calculator tells you the wattage you require, which allows you to choose a power supply that provides that wattage plus some overhead just in case all of the components are being used at the same time.
Enermax Power Supply Calculator - http://www.enermax.outervision.com/
Antec Power Supply Calculator - http://www.antec.outervision.com/
Note that the power-supply calculators take the power used by the motherboard itself into consideration.
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The safest way to upgrade RAM memory: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors
Paul Mullen, who was the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at Computer Shopper (UK) magazine - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."
The RAM memory section of this website provides information on how to use the Crucial Memory Advisor and the memory requirements of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The RAM memory problems section deals with memory problems in the form of questions and answers (Q&As).
UK Crucial Memory Advisor™ Tool
In 3 easy steps... find the right memory for your system.
GUARANTEED!
Select your manufacturer Acer Advent Apple ASUS Dell eMachines Fujitsu-Siemens Giga-Byte HP - Compaq IBM Intel Lenovo Medion MSI (Micro Star) Packard Bell Samsung Sony Toshiba More Manufacturers
US Crucial Memory Advisor™ Tool
In 3 easy steps... find the right memory for your computer or motherboard. GUARANTEED!
Select your manufacturer ABIT Acer Advent Apple ASUS Compaq Dell eMachines Fujitsu-Siemens Giga-Byte HP - Compaq IBM Intel Medion MSI (Micro Star) Packard Bell Sony Toshiba More Manufacturers
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Windows 7 can only start up in Safe Mode if the computer it is being installed on doesn't have a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0 or higher
Note well that Windows 7 requires a graphics/video card/chip that supports DirectX 9.0. For example, a Dell Dimension 3000 has an Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 built into the PC's motherboard, which only has three PCI slots (no AGP or PCI Express slots for an AGP or PCI Express graphics card.) The integrated graphics only supports DirectX 8.0, so when Windows 7 is installed it will only be able to start up in Safe Mode.
To find out which version of DirectX your computer is using, enter dxdiag in the Start => Run box (Windows XP) and the Start => Start Search box (Windows Vista). DirectX 9.0 is the highest Microsoft version that Windows XP can run. Third-party versions of DirectX 10 are available for Windows XP. You can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to find them. Only Windows Vista and Windows 7 can run DirectX 10.0 and DirectX 11.0.
This is what the Windows 7 compatibility report says about the graphics on a Dell Dimension 3000:
"Windows Aero Not capable Your current graphics adapter won't support the Windows Aero user interface. Contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if an upgrade is possible."
Dell used a cheapo DirectX 8.0 chip in this 2006 computer. That shows the weakness in the compatibility report. It should have said that the graphics chip only supports DirectX 8.0 and that Windows 7 cannot be used unless the graphics card can be upgraded to a DirectX 9.0 card.
Fortunately, PCI graphics cards, one of the oldest standards, that support DirectX 9.0 are still available. Here is a good example of one you can purchase in the UK:
ZOTAC 256MB GEF FX5200 PCI RET Graphic card -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZOTAC-256MB-FX5200-Graphic-card/dp/B000VG4J64
The purchaser reviews provide useful information.
This US webpage provides several suitable PCI graphics cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...
The confusing myriad of cables that computers use
The myriad of cables that are in use are often very confusing to the home computer user. The following link provides a slide show of the cables and information on what each cable is used for that should dispel most of the confusion.
A World of Cables, Unknotted [Slideshow of all the cables used with a computer] -
"You can spend weeks researching which TV or Blu-ray player to buy, and then you would still have to deal with the conundrum of the cables. Other format wars get resolved fairly quickly and definitively (Blu-ray over HD-DVD, VHS over Beta), but cable formats last, it would seem, forever." -
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/04/16/technology/personaltech/...
Here is another similar page that goes through every possible type of connector:
Pictorial guide to PC sockets and cables -
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/technology/workshops/articles/...
The most important consideration with regard to a video card of any standard is that it must be supported by the motherboard on which it is to be installed. The motherboard must have the correct slot for a particular video/graphics card.
The next most important consideration is that the PC's power supply must be up to powering a particular video card, or dual-card setup. Many video/graphics cards require an additional six-pin power connector to be connected to them from the power supply. Dual-card setups can easily require at least a 600W power supply that has a pair of auxiliary six-pin connectors. You can check http://www.amd.com/ (AMD CrossFire) and http://www.slizone.com/ (nVidia SLI) for certified components.
High-end AMD and nVidia graphics cards, especially dual-card setups, require plenty of power. Power consumption at or over 200 Watts are not unusual. In dual-card configurations built around SLI or Crossfire technologies, the graphics processing can add 500 watts or more to a system’s total power consumption. Not many standard, non-gaming PC's have a power supply unit (PSU) that is up to those kind of power demands, therefore always take the power supply into careful consideration if you plan to convert a standard PC into a gaming machine.
The performance boost that is provided by SLI or Crossfire setups varies from one game to the next. Support for these technologies has not been perfected, which still makes it possible to obtain better performance from a single high-end graphics card setup.
PSUs: More Important than You Think -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/psu-power-supply,review-2385.html
In August 2008, the AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 and the nVidia GeForce GTX 280 were the fastest graphics cards from AMD/ATI and nVidia respectively. Both cards are 270mm long, which is unusually long, so they may not fit in your PC's case. They also require one 8-pin and one 6-pin power connector from the power supply unit. If your PC's power supply cannot provide both connectors, you will need a power-supply upgrade. Therefore, you should research the size and power requirements before you buy a new graphics card.
Although they have their own heatsink and fan units, very large and long graphics cards, for example, those based on the Radeon HD 4870 X2 chips and the nVidia GeForce GTX 280 chip, can get very hot if the cooling in the case is inadequate, so you should have case fans installed in the front and the rear of the case - the front fan sucking air in and the back fan expelling it.
Click here! to go to relevant information on power supplies on this site.
A power-hungry video/graphics card, which will generate a lot of heat, can make a PC crash even if it has an adequate power supply. The cooling inside the case could be inadequate, causing the PC to overheat and crash. Adding more or replacing existing cooling fans in the case can rectify such a problem. The case might have additional fan-mounting points at the front or rear of the case. Some fans can be attached to the PC's motherboard, so, if you don't know where their connection points are located, consult the user manual for that make/model of board. If you don't have a copy, you should be able to download one in the PDF format from its manufacturer's website. If the existing case does not have any spare fan-mounting points, you may have to buy another case that provides adequate cooling options.
Another recent change in graphics technology is the introduction of DirectX 10. DirectX is the software standard that allows games developers to create games that will work on all of the PCs in the world. DirectX 9 was released in 2002, and most of the current games use it. DirectX 10 was released at the same time as Windows Vista (January, 2007). It adds some very impressive new effects that make games more realistic. It initially required a PC running Windows Vista, a DirectX 10 video/graphics card, and PC games that support DirectX 10.
Note that you can now also obtain DirectX 10 for Windows XP, which wasn't the case until recently; DirectX 10 could only be used with Windows Vista. Download pages can be found by using a search term such as windows xp directx 10 in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page). Here is a download page I found using it:
Download DirectX 10 for Windows XP from Alky Project -
http://www.technospot.net/blogs/...
DirectX 10 games will almost certainly come with DirectX 9 versions for up to two years from now.
****
The first ISA video/graphics cards had very little onboard graphics RAM memory, which was measured in kilobytes (KB) instead of megabytes (MB). Ten years ago, 1MB and 2MB video cards were high-end cards. After the standard progressed to the PCI bus, quickly followed by the AGP bus, the amount of RAM quickly increased to 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, and 512MB, where most AGP and PCI Express high-end cards are at present. It is possible to buy a graphics card with memory up to 1GB (1024MB), such as the 768MB of the Inno3D 8800GTX 768MB, but at the time of writing (September, 2007), such cards were rare.
In December 2007, desktop PCs with the 1GB version of the ATI Radeon HD2900XT graphics card were available. However, the card provides little in the way of a performance boost compared to the cheaper 512MB version of the card that has half the memory.
The amount of RAM memory that a video/graphics card has is usually of the utmost importance in determining its performance, because a graphics card uses its memory to store the information of the texture that games display. When the card's memory is used up, it has to make use of the PC's system RAM memory, which is slower than obtaining the textures directly from the graphics card's memory.
The image at the top of the page shows an ATI Radeon X1300 video card, which has three ports - from left to right, standard analog D-sub VGA, AVIVO (Video In, Video Out), and digital DVI.
****
How to install a video/graphics card in a PC's motherboard
Visit Page 2 of this article for information on how to install a graphics card (or dual cards) in a PC's motherboard. Information is also provided on how to identify the graphics card that is already installed. Use your browser's Back button to return to this point on this page.
A quick way of identifying a computer's graphics card is to make use of this free utility:
GPU-Z - "GPU-Z is a lightweight utility designed to give you all information about your video card and GPU." - http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
****
512MB video/graphics cards
In May 2005, the first 512MB PCI Express cards became available.
The Sapphire Radeon X800 XL is a PCI Express graphics card with 512MB of memory. You can read the details about it here - http://www.sapphiretech.com/ - or use the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) for vendor and information sites.
Recently, both nVidia and ATI/AMD have developed technology that makes it possible to install two video cards on a computer's motherboard.
1GB video/graphics cards
At the end of March 2006, ATI/AMD released the first graphics cards with 1GB (1024MB) of memory. For more information and news on these cards, use a search term such as 1GB + graphics + cards in the Google search box provided at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page).
Motherboards that can run dual video/graphics cards
Motherboards that can run two PCI Express video cards with graphics chips made by nVidia are available that run in SLI mode. ATI's response is dual-card technology called CrossFire. Some motherboards have become available that can run four graphic cards - as two sets of dual cards in both SLI and CrossFire modes. If you want to use one of these modes, you should check that your PC's motherboard supports it.
The following FAQ page answers many questions regarding these graphics technologies, including the question: Can you use SLI on a CrossFire board or can you use CrossFire on a SLI board? -
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/245454-33-crossfire-faqs
Click here! to go to information on nVidia's SLI dual-card technology on this page.
Click here! to go to information on ATI's CrossFire dual-card technology on this page.
Quad SLI: Motherboards that can run four video/graphics chips
Believe it or not, it has also become possible to buy a motherboard that can run four graphics chips linked in SLI mode.
Quad SLI uses two PCI Express x16 slots on such a motherboard that run two special nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 graphics cards. Each of the cards has two circuits that have their own graphics chip, memory, and cooling system that are connected by an internal SLI link.
If two of the special graphics cards are installed, several new modes of operation are available, including one in which each of the chips produces an alternative frame.
ATI's quad-chip QuadFire graphics system
QuadFire: CrossFire-on-a-Stick -
"To our knowledge, ATI never attempted to go for four. While CrossFire can support up to 32 devices I never thought we would see a consumer solution for more than two graphics processors under an ATI/AMD brand name. That was until today! We got a hold of a 'near-final' production model of Sapphire's X1950 Pro Dual that features two processors on a single printed circuit board (PCB) and connectors to connection to hook it up to another card for 'QuadFire'." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/crossfire-on-a-stick-uk,review-2135.html
Review: MSI K9A2 Platinum motherboard -
"This board provides support for AMD’s latest AM2+ processors as well as being fully backwards compatible with all AMD’s AM2 Athlon and Sempron CPUs. It’s also a first in that it supports Quadfire (four-way Crossfire) [four graphics cards] and SAS (serial attached SCSI). The board uses AMD’s latest AMD chipset, the 790FX, which supports 1,066/800/667/533MHz dual-channel DDR2 memory, while the four slots on the motherboard will take up to 8GB of RAM." -
http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/...review-msi-k9a2-platinum
Always remember that today's exceptional system costing an arm and a leg is tommorrow's standard system that is easily affordable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video/graphics cards reviewed and rated by Expert Reviews
To find vendors and other reviews for any of the video/graphics cards reviewed at the links provided below, you can enter the make and model (enclosed within double quotation marks) in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page).
Gigabyte GV-N220OC-1GI graphics card review -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/274729/gigabyte-gv-n220oc-1gi
Here is a current review of a graphics card that Expert Reviews had this to say about: "We've never seen a card this powerful at this price before [£200], and it should have a lengthy lifespan thanks to its DirectX 11 support. If you're an avid gamer, we can't recommend it highly enough, but everyone else should consider the more affordable HD 5770 and 5750 cards." -
Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB [manufacturer http://www.sapphiretech.com/ - £200] -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/reviews/272836/sapphire-radeon-hd-5850-1gb.html
Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 [manufacturer http://www.sapphiretech.com/ - £111]
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/272833/sapphire-radeon-hd-5750
To read the other available reviews, visit:
Expert Reviews - Video/Graphics card reviews:
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: February 2011 -
"Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great — that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget. So, if you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
THE LATEST GRAPHICS/VIDEO CARD ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
Connecting a PC to a high-definition TV - the facts and reviews of three set-top boxes
Connecting the digital home -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/6691917.stm
Set-top boxes put to the test -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/6690939.stm
Windows Vista and Windows 7: The Aero desktop
Note that the Aero Gass desktop is a feature of all of the versions of Windows 7 - the latest versions of Windows.
February 11, 2007. - Microsoft released the versions of Windows Vista for the home user on January 30, 2007. The major difference between the Home Basic and Home Premium versions of Windows Vista is that only the Home Premium version features the new Aero Glass desktop, which is a transparent 3D interface that allows users to stack and navigate through webpages and folders. Vista Ultimate also features the Aero desktop.
Windows Vista AERO Graphics -
http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/vista/vista_aero.htm
If you intend to upgrade to Vista, you should first check to make sure that your computer's hardware and software are supported.
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor -
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/.../upgradeadvisor.mspx
Graphics Hardware and Drivers for Windows Vista -
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/graphics-reqs.mspx
You should also read the page called Upgrade Paths from Previous Versions, for example, because it contains information such as the fact thet Windows XP Professional can only be upgraded using the Upgrade version to Vista Ultimate or Vista Business.
Click here! to go to the coverage on Windows Vista that is provided on this site.
720p vrs 1080p LCD and plasma HDTVs and 120Hz LCD TVs
For more information on these topics, visit this article on this site:
720p and 1080p HDTV: The differences in these high-definition (HD) standards and 120Hz LCD TVs
RECENT VIDEO/GRAPHICS CARD ARTICLES
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: February 2011 -
"Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great — that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget. So, if you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Five Overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti Cards, Compared -
"We gave the GeForce GTX 560 Ti a thorough evaluation at launch. But Nvidia was perhaps most excited about some of its partners were doing with GF114. And so, we set out to find customized boards. Our search lead to five factory-overclocked alternatives."
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Video Quality Tested: GeForce Vs. Radeon In HQV 2.0 -
"How do you set your graphics driver to get the highest-quality video playback? We scrutinize a wide variety of Radeon and GeForce cards to find the settings that deliver the highest HQV 2.0 results, and then break down the entire metric, test by test." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hqv-2-radeon-geforce,review-32108.html
AMD's Mobility Radeon HD 6970 In CrossFire On Eurocom's Panther -
"AMD’s Mobility Radeon HD 6970 in CrossFire mode forges ahead in mobile gaming with stunning “Full HD” 3D performance. But can it stand up to Nvidia’s high-end GeForce GTX 470M and 480M in SLI? Eurocom's 17.3” Panther 2.0 gives us its answer." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Radeon HD 6970 And 6950 Review: Is Cayman A Gator Or A Crock? - "Last month [November 2010], Nvidia launched its GeForce GTX 580, but we told you to hold off on buying it. A week ago, Nvidia launched GeForce GTX 570 and we again said "wait." AMD's Cayman was our impetus. Were Radeon HD 6970 and 6950 worth the wait?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Roundup: Four Radeon HD 6850 1 GB [Graphics] Cards Compared [December 2010] - "Improvements to performance, acoustics, and bundles can add big value once a reference graphics card is modified by third-party vendors. We compare four modified Radeon HD 6850 1 GB boards to find out which company's additions best suit your gaming needs." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Workstation Shootout: Nvidia Quadro 5000 Vs. ATI FirePro V8800 -
"Nvidia sure didn't waste any time introducing its Fermi architecture to the workstation space. Its Quadro 5000 is one of the first models to use the company's GF100 graphics processor. How does this card stack up against ATI’s flagship FirePro V8800?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Roundup: Nine GeForce GTX 460 1 GB Boards Benchmarked -
"Happy with Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460, we invited a dozen of the industry's top graphics companies to show off their unique interpretations of the card. Nine responded with what they feel are exceptional products. Can they get any better than reference? " -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-gtx-460-roundup-gf104,review-31981.html
PCI Express And SLI Scaling: How Many Lanes Do You Need? -
"Are the most elaborate platforms really required to host the fastest GPUs, or can you get away with P55's lane-splitting scheme? As Nvidia’s latest graphics processors push 3D performance to new heights, we examine the interfaces needed to support them." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/pcie-geforce-gtx-480-x16-x8-x4,review-31964.html
Multi-GPU Setups: The Basics Of CrossFire And SLI -
"Motherboards with multiple PCIe slots are becoming the norm these days, and the trend is being fueled by multi-GPU configurations. Configuring Nvidia's SLI and AMD's CrossFire technologies is easy, but how much more performance can you expect from them?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/amd-crossfire-nvidia-sli-multi-gpu,review-31963.html
PCI Express 3.0: On Motherboards By This Time Next Year? [August 3, 2010] -
"After an unfortunate series of untimely delays, the folks behind PCI Express 3.0 believe they've worked out the kinks that have kept next-generation connectivity from achieving backwards compatibility with PCIe 2.0. We take a look at the tech to come." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/pci-express-3.0-pci-sig,review-31962.html
Comparison: Factory-Overclocked Versus Reference Graphics -
"In order to [make] their products [stand] apart, third-party vendors take reference GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, and then make their own tweaks to layout, cooling, and performance. We're comparing a tuned-up card from MSI to AMD's reference Radeon HD 5870 to measure value." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Amazing SLI Scaling: Do Two GeForce GTX 460s Beat One GTX 480? -
"The GeForce GTX 460 has already proven itself an excellent value as a single card, but can two of them offer superior performance at similar cost to Nvidia’s flagship GTX 480? Let's just say that there's a good reason to buy an SLI-compatible motherboard." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Nvidia 3D Vision Surround: Is This The Future Of Gaming? -
"A little more than a year ago, we saw a renewed interest in stereoscopic gaming with Nvidia's 3D Vision technology. Today, the company is following up with 3D gaming across three displays. But has the 3D ecosystem improved since our last look at the tech?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
Nvidia GeForce GTX 465 1 GB Review: Zotac Puts Fermi On A Diet -
"We've already crowned Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480 the fastest (and most power-hungry) single-GPU card we've ever seen. Now the company is launching its GeForce GTX 465, based on the same massive GF100 GPU. Can such a complex part compete with AMD's value?" - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
AMD: 2D Performance Progress in Windows 7 With Catalyst 10.4 [Drivers]? -
"Not long ago, the 2D performance of newer ATI graphics cards left much to be desired in Windows 7. AMD acknowledged the problem and released new driver versions. We took a closer look at Catalyst 10.4 in order to let you know what has changed." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
The GeForce GTX 480 Update: 3-Way SLI, 3D Vision, And Noise -
"We reviewed Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480 one month ago. We're back today with three GTX 480s and two Radeon HD 5870s for SLI/CrossFire scaling analysis, case and motherboard recommendations to help you minimize noise, and an update on availability/pricing." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
AMD Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition: One Card, Six [LCD] Screens -
"Hot on the heels of Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480 and 470 cards, AMD is taking the wraps off of performance data for its Radeon HD 5870 2GB Eyefinity 6 Edition board, capable of six Mini DisplayPort outputs. We set up a 3x2 array of 22" LCDs and let loose." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-5870-eyefinity6,review-31850.html
Part 2: AMD's Eyefinity [Multi-screen] Technology Explained -
"In our last look at AMD's Eyefinity technology, we went inside the GPU to explain how the company enables up to six displays. Today, we're looking at the dongles, displays, and stands you'd likely consider in setting up a three- or six-display setup." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/amd-eyefinity-6-displayport,review-31863.html
GeForce GTX 480 And 470: From Fermi And GF100 To Actual Cards! -
"We've been waiting six months, but Nvidia is finally taking the wraps off of its GeForce GTX 480 and 470 graphics cards, centering on the GF100 GPU. We're looking at performance, power, and pricing, plus SLI scaling, tessellation, and DirectX 11 gaming." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-gtx-480,review-31846.html
Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 preview review -
"With its Radeon HD 5000-series graphics cards released months ago, ATI would seem to have the graphics card market sewn up. Nvidia hasn't been sitting idle though, and has been working on its own DirectX 11 card, code-named Fermi." -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/graphics-cards/277213/...
ATI Catalyst Drivers Updated/Optimized For Eyefinity/Mobility -
"We usually don’t spend much time covering individual driver updates. After all, with ATI launching a new Catalyst version each month and Nvidia peppering beta releases in between its qualified driver drops, covering new drivers is nearly an editorial position of its own." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/catalyst-eyefinity-radeon,review-31811.html
ATI Radeon HD 5570: Reasonable Gaming Performance For $80? : AMD's $80 DirectX 11 Card -
"AMD rounds out its DirectX 11-capable lineup with an entry-level gaming card sporting all of the Radeon HD 5000-series' value-adds. Does the Radeon HD 5570 represent the perfect combination of low-price, gaming performance, and features?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5570,review-31806.html
2D, Acceleration, And Windows: Aren't All Graphics Cards Equal? : Part 1: Laying A Theoretical Background -
"2D is something we take for granted when we're shopping for a new GPU. But if you do a lot of work on your desktop (and don't we all?), it bears a little more attention. We spent some time testing 2D performance and came up with some surprising results." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2d-windows-gdi,review-31795.html
DirectX - "Shows which versions of Windows support which versions of DirectX. Windows XP only supports up to version DirectX 9.0c. Windows Vista suports DirectX 10 and 11 and the unreleased Windows 7 [released 22/10/09] supports DirectX 11" -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX
Trick Out Your PC With Multiple Monitors -
"A video card, the right utilities, and an extra display or two can dramatically enhance the way you work, use multimedia apps, play games, or simply surf the Internet. Here's how to tweak your rig." -
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/reviews/...
How Much Power Does Your Graphics Card Need? : 3D Performance Requires The Most Electricity -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-radeon-power,review-31495.html
Enermax Power Supply Calculator -
Use it to work out how much power is required for a PS specification in order to be able to choosethe right power supply.
http://www.enermax.outervision.com/
PCI Express & CrossFire: Scaling Explored -
"Does your aging CrossFire-compatible motherboard have enough PCI Express bandwidth to make a second card worthwhile?" -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/crossfire-pci-express,review-31455.html
How To Overclock Your Graphics Card -
"Overclocking is more popular than ever. And since it’s so easy to boost the frequency of your Intel processor, it would be a shame not to. But CPUs aren’t the only components that can be overclocked. The GPUs on graphics cards can also be speeded up, and so can their memory. And since an affordable card only differs from more expensive ones in its clock speed, overclocking can be your key to some real savings." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/overclock-graphics-card,review-30739.html
BIOS Flash - Overclock Your Graphics Card in 5 Minutes -
"3D drivers and third-party utilities let you overclock your graphics card's GPU and memory. Its pixel shader clock speed can only be changed in card's BIOS, though. This makes the changes permanent and independent of the graphics driver..." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...review-29744.html
HDMI vs. Component - What's The Difference? - "Amid a global spectrum of high definition format battles, none is so misunderstood as the debate between HDMI and component video. Some videophiles expect HDMI to completely outpace the "vintage" analog format, while true experts in the field know there are distinct advantages and disadvantages to each format. This article will give you a better idea of the technologies that make up these video formats, and prove that the differences are not as lopsided as you may think..." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...review-29615.html
How Cool Are Thermalright's Graphics Card Coolers? -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thermalright-graphics-coolers,review-25355.html
Don't confuse PCI-X (or PCIx) with the PCI Express standard, because it stands for PCI Extended, which is a much improved extension of the PCI standard that is fully backwardly compatible with the previous versions of the PCI 2.x standard.
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) technology is now redundant. PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) video cards are still available new, but this will soon be redundant technology. Most computers in use still use AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) technology, because it has been in existence for so long, but the AGP video/graphics standard is currently being superseded by PCI Express technology.
The image at the top of the page shows an ATI Radeon X1300 PCI Express video card. The heatsink and fan unit covers the graphics chip - the graphics processing unit (GPU) - to keep it cool.
The GPU of video cards, and the processing chip on sound cards, have taken over most of the tasks of rendering graphics and sound reproduction from the processor (CPU), thereby allowing it to concentrate on running the rest of the system more efficiently.
A graphics chip can be an integral part of the motherboard, in which case, the motherboard will have one or more inbuilt video ports to which a monitor's cable is connected. More information is provided about these ports a little further down this page. If there is an AGP or PCI Express slot on a motherboard that also has an inbuilt AGP or PCI Express video chip, that chip can usually be disabled in the BIOS or by setting a jumper on the motherboard so that the AGP or PCI Express slot can be fitted with an AGP or PCI Express video card. If there is neither an entry in the BIOS or a jumper on the motherboard that disables the onboard video chip, then the process is automatic. You install the video card in its slot, attach the monitor to it, and it automatically becomes the primary video card.
An example of a motherboard with a built-in PCI Express chip (ATI RADEON XPRESS 200) is the MSI RS480M2-IL. Almost everything is configured automatically by the very limited BIOS, including the processor's speed, the RAM, and the video card.
Note that any new, cheap PCI or AGP or PCI Express video card will provide first-class 2D graphics of the kind that is used for office applications (word-processors, databases, etc.), and for digital photo editing, web design, and accounts. In tests, an expensive £300 3D video card with 256MB of RAM typically only provides 2% to 3% better performance in 2D mode than a cheap £30 video card with only 64MB of RAM.
External video connectors
Video cards come equipped with a variety of combinations of external connectors to support a range of monitors and uses. A DB-15 (D-sub VGA) connector is used for standard output to an analog monitor. An S-video output connector is used to connect devices such as TVs and VCRs to the card. A DVI-D (DVI Digital) connector is typically used to connect digital flat-panel LCD monitors. Some graphics cards come with a DVI-I connector to accommodate analog monitors.
High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
If you want to use a video/graphics card with a HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output that combines sound and video, you have to cable the digital S/PDIF surround-sound output from the sound card or motherboard into the graphics card to provide HDMI with both sound and picture so as to take advantage of its full capabilities. However, note that if you are only using a 2.1 stereo speakers for the sound output, you will only get two-channel simulated surround sound from them. A 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound speaker system is required for actual surround sound.
By July 2010, there was not yet an official standard for wireless HDMI, but some products have been made available that provide wireless 1080p video using an 802.11n wireless transmitter. An example of such a product is the Eminent iTrio EM7100 wireless home HDMI kit.
Eminent iTrio EM7100 Wireless HDMI sender review -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/gadgets/279100/...
HDMI - high-definition multimedia interface -
"Comprised of Hitachi, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Royal Philips Electronics, Silicon Image, Sony Corporation, Thomson and Toshiba Corporation, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) Founders have joined together to define a next-generation digital interface specification for consumer electronics products. HDMI is also supported by major motion picture producers, as well as satellite and cable companies." -
http://www.hdmi.org/
"The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an all-digital audio/video interface capable of transmitting uncompressed streams... It is a modern replacement for older analogue standards such as RF - coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video and VGA connector, and the consumer electronics replacement for older digital standards such as DVI (DVI-D & DVI-I). In the computer world, HDMI is already found on many peripherals and a few newer video cards, with adoption rapidly increasing." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI
Note that if you want to have HD audio over an HDMI connection, the motherboard chipset or the graphics card must support Protected Audio Path (PAP) that is used to enforce Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection on content. For example, your PC might have a motherboard that has an onboard graphics chip, such as the AMD 780G chipset that handles HDMI output, which was one of the first to support Blu-ray playback the is used for high-definition (HD) movies. However, that chipset does not support PAP, so you would have to install a graphics card in the PC that supports PAP, such as the Sapphire Radeon 5450 (price: around £40 in December 2010). It comes in two versions - half-height for installation in slimline cases and full-height - and is cooled by a passive heatsink, which doesn't have a fan. This will deliver HD audio to an external device, such as Onkyo 875 home cinema amplifier via an HDMI connection. To use a graphics card instead of onboard video, you should enter the PC's BIOS and disable any setting in it for onboard graphics. If there is no such setting there, disable the onboard display adapter (e.g., AMD 780G) under Display adapters in the Windows Device Manager. The graphics card will be identified by its make/model if its device drivers have been installed, so disable the second entry by right-clicking on it and selecting Disable.
HDMI/HDCP/PAP
If you see the term HDMI/HDCP, the HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, which is the digital rights management system associated with HDMI. Protected Audio Path (PAP) protects audio content. -
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDCP
Many LCD monitors now have extra video connections that allow them to be connected to a DVD player, games console or video camera, and some LCD monitors now provide an HDMI high-definition port and support HDCP that allows them to display the latest high-definition movies.
HDCP stands for High-bandwidth Digital Copy Protection, which is technology that allows the monitors that support it to authenticate themselves to high-definition video sources, such as a high-definition movie, thereby proving that they are an approved method of displaying the video rather than an illicit device that could be used to copy it. The movie studios have the option of restricting full high-definition playback to HDCP devices only. (A PC's video/graphics card can also be an HDCP device.) However, the movie studios are currently (July, 2007) not using that option, because most users don't have the HDCP-compliant hardware that supports it.
HDCP was developed by Intel. It encrypts the signal between the HD video source (the high-definition Blu-ray or HD DVD player/drive) and the display/monitor. Digital output from a Sky HD box, Blu-ray, or HD DVD player will not be dsiplayed if the DVI or HDMI input on the monitor isn't HDCP compatible. Windows Vista also has HDCP support as part of its digital-rights-management (DRM) software.
When the movie studios start marketing HDCP-protected movies, if you want to watch them through a Windows Vista computer, the PC's monitor and the video/graphics card will have to support HDCP.
How powerful must a PC be to play HD video?
June 14, 2007. - There are a large number of screen resolutions, video file formats, data tranfer rates, and file-compression methods to be taken into consideration when attempting to answer the question how powerful a PC needs to be in order to play HD (high definition) video. Since h.264-encoded HD DVD and Blu-ray movies are the hardest to play back smoothly, it seems sensible to say which PC specification would be required to play it, because, if a PC can play it, it can play anything less demanding.
You should aim for a PC with at least either of these two dual-core processors: a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or an 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2. The PC should also have a fairly recent PCI Express video/graphics card - an ATI Radeon X1000 series DirectX 9 card, or a nVidia GeForce 7000 or 8000 series DirectX 9 card. The graphics card should have at least 256MB of RAM memory. Visit the following site for a list of current and obsolete graphics cards.
The Desktop Graphics Card Comparison Guide -
"These days, there are so many graphics card models that it has become quite impossible to keep up with the different configurations. Therefore, we decided to compile this guide to provide an easy reference for those who are interested in comparing the specifications of the various desktop GPUs in the market as well as those already obsolescent or obsolete." - http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=88&pgno=0
You should be using the most recent version of DVD software, such as Cyberlink PowerDVD 6.5, or InterVideo WinDVD 7.5.
How to save power
Read these two articles if you're interested in finding out how to go about saving power with regard to using computers. The first article starts off by discussing "power requirement differences of idle and load system states, and how to save energy on an existing system by utilizing power saving options and paying attention to certain components." -
The Power Saving Guide -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/the-power-saving-guide-uk,review-2311.html
The Power Saving Guide, Part 2
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/the-power-saving-guide-uk,review-2318.html
Analog D-sub VGA and digital DVI connectors on video/graphics cards and monitors
The two graphics standards are VGA (outgoing, analog) and DVI (current, digital).
VGA (Video Graphics Array) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface
Most new fairly high-end video/graphics cards have three ports (connectors) - an analog D-sub VGA port (the one with the blue face in the image below) for an analog CRT monitor, a VIVO (the round video-in/video-out port in the image at the top of the page) that allows video to be captured for editing and then returned to an analog device such as a VHS recorder, and a DVI (Digital Video Interface) output port (the largest port with the white face in the image below) that connects to a DVI port on an LCD monitor.
Note that video cards that have a VIVO port do not provide hardware video encoding. Therefore, if you use it for the video capture and editing of analog video, you have to use video-editing software that makes use of the processor to do all of the work of digitising and compressing the video and saving it to the computer's hard disk drive. You therefore have to use a computer that has a fast processor. The video-editing software manufacturer's site should be able to provide you with information about the hardware that is required to make the best use of it. There is information on video-editing hardware and software on Page 2.
The image below is of VIVO cable for a video/graphics cards with 9-pin VIVO-out connector. It connects a 9-pin VIVO connector from a computer to 4-pin S-video In and Out port and RCA line In and Out connectors on a TV or video recorder. It does not convert a standard 4-pin S-video Out port from a computer into a VIVO port. The video/graphics card must have 9-pin VIVO connector to use this cable.
If a retail boxed video card only has a standard analog D-sub VGA port, it should come with DVI conversion cable that allows it to be attached to a DVI-only monitor.
Both DVI-to-VGA and VGA-to-DVI converters are available.
A DVI-to-VGA converter connects computers with digital DVI-D connectors to analog monitors or projectors with VGA connectors. In short, it converts digital DVI graphics to analog VGA monitors.
NTI DVI to VGA Converter - http://www.kvm-switches-online.com/dvi-vga.html
You can find vendors for DVI-to-VGA converters much cheaper than $282, indeed, for less than $10, but the VGA-to-DVI converters are very expensive, as can be seen on this page:
http://www.national-tech.com/catalog/dvitovgaconverters.htm
In many cases, it would be cheaper to buy a new monitor or graphics card with the required connector.
Video converters -
http://www.networktechinc.com/video-converters.html
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_ADC-converter.html
You can conduct your own search by entering the terms in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page).
Note that some LCD TFT monitors have both an analog D-sub VGA port and a DVI port, but some only have a VGA or a DVI port.
The two types of port are completely different electronically and in size, and so a different cable is used to connect the video card to the monitor.
Most new video cards offer an S-video out port that connects a television set to the computer as an additional display. If it is a boxed, retail product, the video card should come with all of the cables it has ports for, but an OEM card, supported by the vendor only, not the manufacturer, is usually sold without any cables. If the TV set has only a composite (a yellow phono-type input port), or a SCART port, the S-video signal from the video card can be converted by using a cheap adapter.
There is more information on this subject, plus images, further down this page.
Most video/graphics cards that have both DVI and VGA ports can run monitors from both of them at the same time.
The top image above shows an ATI Radeon graphics card that has a standard analog D-sub VGA port (left, small, blue), which is older technology, and a purely digital DVI-D port, which is the current digital technology. The image below it shows a close-up view of the ports panel of another graphics card. It has a standard(blue) analog D-sub VGA port and a DVI-I port, currently the most common type, which can produce both analog VGA and digital DVI signals. A DVI-I port has four pin holes to the left of the main body pin holes (three rows of eight) that carry the VGA signal. If you have a PC monitor that only has an analog VGA connector, you can connect the graphics card (with a DVI-I connector) and the monitor by using a cheap DVI-to-VGA cable that is often provided with a graphics card. The cable simply connects the four pins carrying the VGA signal to a DVI-I connector on the monitor.
If you are unsure whether or not a particular DVI or VGA connection is possible, you can use the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to conduct a search, such as this one: dvi-i on video card dvi-d on monitor, which produced the following link.
The following link to a computer forum discusses how to connect a monitor with a DVI-D port and a graphics card that has a DVI-I port.
DVI-D Monitor....DVI-I Computer: Will it work ? -
http://www.techimo.com/forum/graphics-cards-displays/...
Click here! to see a VGA-to-DVI-I cable. This cable connects a VGA port on a computer to a monitor with a DVI-I connector.
A DVI-D port on a graphics card (or integrated motherboard) is purely digital. If you want to connect one to a VGA monitor, you would have to use a digital-to-analog converter/adapter, which is an actual device that costs around £200 or more. You would have to choose between buying a new digital monitor or an expensive adapter.
Below are the magnified images of a standard analog D-sub VGA connector of a VGA port (left) and a DVI-D port (right). As you can see, the four pin holes required to carry a VGA signal are not present.
Most current high-end graphics cards have two DVI ports (no D-sub VGA port), which could be two DVI-D ports, or one DVI-D port and one DVI-I port. You can connect the card to two monitors that can then display different applications.
If the motherboard chipset supports the DVI/HDCP and the high-definition HDMI graphics standards, it is possible to use a DVI-to-HDMI adapter cable to convert a DVI signal to a high-definition HDMI input signal of a high-definition TV or monitor. Here is an extract from the manual of the Asrock K10N78FullHD-hSLI (AMD Socket AM2+) motherboard.
The new DisplayPort graphics standard
The DisplayPort graphics standard is being promoted as the successor to the DVI graphics standard. The bandwidth of the dual-link DVI standard (that uses a special dual-link cable) can barely handle screen resolutions of 2560x1600 pixels for large widescreen displays; using higher resolutions requires a reduction of the refresh rate. The HDMI standard has similar limitations, but this is not a problem yet because HD TVs are unlikely to go beyond using a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels for several years to come. The current DisplayPort 1.1 standard has similar limitations to dual-link DVI, but greater bandwidth is expected in 2008, going up to resolutions of 3840x2400 pixels. DisplayPort graphics cards drive LCD screens directly, so don't have to make use of the current electronics, which should make the displays slimmer and cheaper. It remains to be seen if the standard succeeds in replacing the DVI and HDMI graphics standards.
DisplayPort - FAQ - http://www.displayport.org/consumer/?q=content/faq
How to use two monitors with the same video card or two video cards
Read the Q&A on this site called Can I use the DVI and the VGA ports on my video card to run two monitors? to find out if doing that is possible with a particular video card. Use your browser's Back button to backtrack.
How to use multiple monitors in Windows Vista
Using multiple monitors in Windows XP is a plug-and play operation. You can install two or three video cards in the computer's PCI Express slots and then plug in three monitors, and XP recognises them almost every time. However, doing that in the Windows Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate versions, which support the Aero Glass feature, is not so easy. Click here! to go more information on this topic on this website.
Overclocking a video/graphics card
How To Overclock Your Graphics Card -
"Overclocking is more popular than ever. And since it’s so easy to boost the frequency of your Intel processor, it would be a shame not to. But CPUs aren’t the only components that can be overclocked. The GPUs on graphics cards can also be speeded up, and so can their memory. And since an affordable card only differs from more expensive ones in its clock speed, overclocking can be your key to some real savings." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/overclock-graphics-card,review-30739.html
BIOS Flash - Overclock Your Graphics Card in 5 Minutes -
"3D drivers and third-party utilities let you overclock your graphics card's GPU and memory. Its pixel shader clock speed can only be changed in card's BIOS, though. This makes the changes permanent and independent of the graphics driver..." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...review-29744.html
The image below shows an example of a graphics card with two DVI ports, which could be a DVI-D port and a DVI-I port, two DVI-D ports, or two DVI-I ports.
The following page of the review of a Gateway FX530XT computer, designed for PC gaming, shows the analog D-Sub VGA and the digital DVI connection ports on its 24" LCD widescreen monitor:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gateway-goes-gaming-uk,review-2077-5.html
If you require more information, visit the following page:
All About DVI - A Complete Guide to the Digital Video Interface -
http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html
The dual-link DVI interface and cable
Some LCD PC monitors, such as the 30" Hazro HZ30WS, has a native screen resolution of 2,560x1,600 that exceeds the capabilities of single-link DVI, which can manage screen resolutions up to 1,920x1,200. Most video/graphics cards can manage higher resolutions, such as 2,560x1,600, but a dual-link DVI cable has to be used instead of the single-link version.
A dual-link cable has a full complement of 24 pins in a 3x8 configuration. A single-link cable has two 9-pin blocks that omits the six pins in the centre of the connector.
The following illustrated article shows the pin-outs of both connectors.
Digital Visual Interface - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface
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VIDEO CARD DRIVERS
Apart from the drivers for notebook/laptop computers, driver development is now being exclusively handled by the manufacturer's of the graphics chips (ATI, nVidia, etc.) used in video cards, not by the manufacturers of the entire video/graphics cards (Gainward, Crucial, etc.). Nonetheless, regular visits to a graphics-card manufacturer's site is a good idea, because you could still download updates for utilities and tools, or download a newer version of the BIOS for the card.
The end of this section of this page deals with the video-card BIOS.
The drivers on the CD that comes with a new video card (or new computer) will probably already be out of date by the time you buy it. Therefore it's a good idea to download the latest drivers from the chipset manufacturer's site. Newer games tend to have problems with older drivers. The same is true for Microsoft's DirectX, which you should also keep up to date. Newer games often ship with the runtime installer of the current version of DirectX, which you run while online to install the latest version.
Here is a list of the most important graphics-card links to device drivers from Windows XP to Windows 7 (including Windows Vista):
ATI-based graphics cards -
http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx
Intel integrated graphics -
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/default.aspx?iid=HPAGE+header_support_download&
NVIDIA-based graphics cards -
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
S3-based graphics cards - http://www.s3graphics.com/
SIS integrated graphics - http://www.sis.com/download/agreement.php?url=/download/
XGI-based graphics - http://www.xgitech.com/sd/sd_download.asp
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LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK VIDEO/GRAPHICS CARD DEVICE DRIVERS
The following quotation comes from the ATI website (taken some time ago):
"You MUST use the drivers supplied with your laptop or notebook computer, or obtain a driver update from the manufacturer of your laptop or notebook computer."
That rule is no longer necessarily the case.
In other words, because the video chips used in laptop/notebook computers have an architecture that is customised to to a particular laptop/notebook computer manufacturer's monitor requirements, etc., as opposed to the standard architecture of the chips used in PCI and AGP video cards and motherboard video implementations, ATI does not update the drivers. To do so would be uneconomic for ATI (and the other video-chip manufacturers that supply the chips for laptops/notebooks), and therefore the computer manufacturer is the only source of updated drivers.
Obviously, if the laptop/notebook manufacturer does not update the drivers, then there is no other source for them. - This is clearly yet another factor to be borne in mind when purchasing a laptop/notebook computer, because updated drivers are often required in order to be able to install new versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, and updated versions of DirectX and OpenGL that are in turn required in order to run the latest games.
Using the Mobility Modder tool to adapt the standard ATI and Nvidia laptop graphics device drivers
With the Mobility Modder tool, you can use the standard ATI or Nvidia drivers on your laptop. Instructions on using the tool for ATI mobile graphics chips can be found at http://www.hardwareheaven.com/modtool.php. For Nvidia laptop graphics chips the page is http://www.hardwareheaven.com/nvmodtool.php.
Omega drivers
If you buy a non-brand-name laptop/notebook computer, advertised as a gaming machine, from a manufacturer that has the computers made cheaply in the Far East, which won't be creating updated drivers, you might not be able to play games that require updated drivers.
Many laptop/notebook computers use ATI video chips. If this is the case and updated drivers are not available from the manufacturer, you should be able to use the Omega drivers that are created by Angel Trinidad in his spare time. The drivers are based on the official ATI drivers, and are modified for gaming performance. Installers are provided that cover all of the ATI video chips, including the Mobility series. The drivers install easily and provide mobile and overclocking options.
They can be obtained from: http://www.omegadrivers.net/.
Read this Q&A on this site for more information on the problem:
I can't update the device drivers for my Tiny notebook/laptop computer.
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Note that installing the latest drivers for a device can sometimes cause problems, or even render the device or even the whole system unusable until a fix of some kind is applied.
If this is the case, in a Windows 9.x system, uninstall the device in Safe mode (Safe Mode in Windows XP/Vista) by pressing the F8 key at start-up to bring up the boot menu, and then choose it from the list. Open the Device Manager and remove the device, then allow Windows to reinstall the drivers, and, if necessary, install an earlier version.
Windows XP has a Roll Back Driver feature in the Device Manager that allows you to roll the system back to the state it was in before you installed a new driver file. You can also use its System Restore feature to roll the whole system back to a former state.
Visit the Recovering Windows XP page on this site for more information on both of those features.
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DirectX and OpenGL
DirectX is a kind of super software device driver. It is Microsoft's graphics software that is used by games developers in the creation of their games. The set of controls that are used to create the 3D effects in most modern games are defined by DirectX.
A standard software device driver usually just makes it possible for the programs or applications that use a hardware device, such as a video or sound card, to be able to do so. DirectX does that, but if the hardware is found to be lacking it can also emulate the missing hardware capabilities in its software. This feature is known as the program's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).
To make 3D video acceleration possible, developers of 3D software need a standard language in which the 3D output is programmed. Such a standard, or API (Advanced Programming Interface) determines which operations a graphics chip must support.
Currently, the dominant 3D standards are OpenGL and Microsoft's Direct3D, which is a component of DirectX. Most PC games are designed to use Direct3D, so when Microsoft releases a new version of DirectX, most of the new functions are soon incorporated into OpenGL.
DirectX and OpenGL are the 3D programming interfaces used by graphics cards to play most graphics-intensive games.
DirectX 10.0 and 11.0
Windows XP can only officially use DirectX 9.0c. However, if you search for xp directx 10 in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page), you can find third-party versions that work with Windows XP.
DirectX 10 is not backward compatible with previous versions, as is the case with the previous versions, which are backward compatible with previous versions. However, Directx 9 is emulated in DirectX 10, which means that it can run DirectX 9 games.
Direct X 11.0 arrived with Windows 7 on 22 October 2009. It is available for Windows Vista but not for Windows XP.
Visit this Q&A - Should I buy a DirectX 10 or a DirectX 11 video/graphics card?.
DirectX - "Shows which versions of Windows support which versions of DirectX. Windows XP only supports up to version DirectX 9.0c. Windows Vista suports DirectX 10 and 11 and the unreleased Windows 7 supports DirectX 11" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX
In order to play DirectX 10 games, a PC must have a graphics card that supports its technology, such as the nVidia GeForce 8800GTX card. For that matter, the graphics card must support a particular version of DirectX in order to be able to use it.
However, because of the large number of PC that have graphics cards that don't support DirectX 10, games designed to use it will come with a version of DirectX 9.0c that does play them.
Visit Miscosoft's website called Games for Windows for DirectX 10. -
http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/aboutgfw/Pages/directx10-a.aspx
DirectX 11 is part of Windows 7. It is available Windows Vista users, but not to Windows XP users. Games developers will soon be bringing out DirectX 11 games thick and fast.
List of games with DirectX 11 support -
"This is a list of released and unreleased games that support DirectX 11 for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Information regarding developer, publisher, date of release, and genre is provided where available.Note: The DirectX 11 runtime has been released with Windows 7 but as of March 2010, not many games support it." -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_DirectX_11_support
Microsoft DirectX 11 -
Provides information on the new features, such as Tessellation, Multi-Threading and DirectCompute. -
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/aboutGFW/pages/directx.aspx
DirectX 11: A look at what's coming -
http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2008/09/17/directx-11-a-look-at-what-s-coming/1
Windows 7, DirectX 11! -
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/windows_7_directx_11
Click here! to go directly to more information on DirectX in the Gaming section of of this website.
Should I buy a DirectX 10 or a DirectX 11 video/graphics card?
Question
I am building a new PC. I see that both nVidia and ATI have video/graphics cards that support DirectX 10, but currently only ATI have graphics cards that support DirectX 11.0, so I need to know if I should buy one or choose a cheaper DirectX 10.0 card?
Answer
DirectX 11.0 has become available with Windows 7. Windows 7/Direct3D 11 (DirectX 11) is supported on Windows 7 and Windows Vista only. Windows XP users cannot install DirectX 11.
"DirectX® 11, the next generation of graphics technology, arrives with Windows 7. This is great news for players as many of the newest Windows games will take full advantage of this technology to create more immersive and detailed worlds and experiences. Game developers will utilize new features to create rich worlds, realistic characters, and more fluid gameplay." -
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/aboutGFW/pages/directx.aspx
New graphics cards are always more expensive than the cards that have been available for a while.
Since there are currently very few PC games that support DirectX 11 (DX11), there is no need to rush into buying a graphics card that supports it. Moreover, most of the games that become available this year and next year will run on DirectX 10 (DX10) cards. Even most DirectX 11 games, such as Dirt 2, will also play on a DirectX 10 graphics card.
I would buy a cheaper DX10 card now for a new PC and then upgrade it to a DX11 card when games start becoming exclusively played with DX11 cards. When that happens DX10 cards will be cheaper than they are now.
Alternatively, if cost is not a hindrance, buy a DX11 card immediately. Since the time of writing this, DirectX 11 graphics cards have become available to take advantage of the release of DirectX 11, which is available for Windows Vista and Windows 7. This Wikipedia page provides the latest information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX.
DiRT 2 - One reason to buy a DirectX 11 compatible graphics card -
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=6319
ATI Radeon HD 5570: Reasonable Gaming Performance For $80? : AMD's $80 DirectX 11 Card - "AMD rounds out its DirectX 11-capable lineup with an entry-level gaming card sporting all of the Radeon HD 5000-series' value-adds. Does the Radeon HD 5570 represent the perfect combination of low-price, gaming performance, and features?" - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-hd-5570,review-31806.html
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: February 2011 -
"Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great — that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget. So, if you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money." - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/...
The video-card's BIOS setup program
All video cards - using ISA, PCI, AGP, and PCI Express motherboard slots - have a BIOS setup program that accesses a BIOS chip on the card in the same way as the system's BIOS setup program accesses the BIOS chip built into a computer's motherboard. Updates for the BIOS file can be made available for both the motherboard's system BIOS and the video card's BIOS from the motherboard manufacturer's and the video card manufacturer's sites respectively. Instructions on how to update the BIOS are usually also supplied. Often new features can be added by updating a video card's BIOS, because the manufacturer often uses the same video chip on high-end and low-end cards, and it's the BIOS that limits the low-end card. If that is the case, doing nothing more than updating the BIOS can make a low-end card function like its high-end relative. Updating a video card's BIOS can also sometimes solve problems that are otherwise insolvable.
But note that you cannot access the settings of the BIOS of a video card as you can access the settings of the motherboard's system BIOS by pressing the entry key(s) at start-up to run the BIOS setup program.
Advanced Guide: Flashing a Video Card BIOS -
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1633
You should be able to find other guides on this subject by entering a search phrase such as flashing + "video card" + bios (as is) in the Google search box provided at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page).
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Computer hardware troubleshooting flowcharts
As you can see from looking at any of the diagnostic charts made available from the following link, there are no photo-illustrations or explanations of basic computer functions. The intended audience is the hobbyist or technician who already has some experience of repairing computers.
If you can understand a particular flowchart, it would be a good idea to print them just in case you can't boot your computer and you need the information.
Video Card Diagnostics: http://www.fonerbooks.com/video.htm
There are other flowcharts covering the motherboard, disk drives, etc.
The power requirements of the power supply unit (PSU)
The maximum amperage delivered by the +12V rail of a power supply unit (PSU) is of particular importance with modern high-performance systems. The PSU unit itself always has the power details of its different rails printed on it. Visit Jeantech's site and look under the Products heading if you want to see what the technical specifications for several ATX12V 2.0 PSUs are.
Most motherboard manuals tell you what the amperage of the +12V rail has to be in order to power the motherboard properly.
For example, the manual for the MSI RS480M2-IL motherboard, which has an inbuilt video chip and therefore doesn't require a video card to be installed, says that the +12V rail must supply at least 18A (amps) of current. Many cheap off-the shelf PSUs provide only 15A or less of current on the +12V rail, and therefore can't be used with that motherboard if you want a stable system.
If you want to install a high-end video/graphics card the +12V rail would have to deliver between 20A and 30A. Therefore, you should always make sure that the PSU in a system can match the power requirements of a high-end video card before you buy or install it.
For example, it's the middle of June, 2005, and nVidia has just released its long-awaited 7800 GTX graphics chip. A single video/graphics card using the chip requires the minimum of a 400W PSU with a +12V rating of 26A, while the SLI, dual-card configuration, requires a 500W PSU with a +12V rating of 34A as the minimum. Most standard PSUs don't usually deliver either 26A or 34A on the +12V rail, so a special PSU is required to run both of those options.
Biostar GeForce 7800 GTX - Video cards using nVidia's GeForce 7800 GTX chip are currently the fastest of video cards - only slightly slower than two GeForce 6800 GT cards running in SLI mode. Two 7800 GTX cards running in SLI is possible, but is overkill for the games currently available.] - Five stars - £380 - Best Buy award - September 2005.
High-end PCI Express video/graphics cards have to be connected directly to the PSU. The following site shows examples of the PCI Express power connector. -
http://www.jeantech.com/
If a particular PSU doesn't have a PCI Express connector and one is required of it, it's possible to buy an adapter that is fitted to a standard power connector of the kind that fits to standard IDE ATA (non-SATA) disk drives.
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The PCI Express and PCI Express 2.0 standards for adapter cards
A new standard of PCI bus called PCI Express (abbreviated to PCIe and PCI-E) has replaced the PCI and AGP standards for adapter cards. Since it can be bridged to the PCI bus, it can be used to run the the same kind of adapter cards that are presently run on the standard PCI bus - and can also run the fastest PCI Express video cards.
Note that at the time of writing (May 2008), the PCI Express 2.0 standard is in the process of replacing its forerunner. It provides double the bandwidth for data transfers that the original standard delivers.
PCI Express 2.0 to double bandwidth -
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/16/pci_express_doubled/
PCI Express 2.0 Graphics Cards Tested -
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-2-0,1915.html
The image shown above is of an MSI K8N Diamond Plus Socket 939 motherboard with two x16 SLI PCI Express graphics slots for AMD Athlon 64 and 64 FX processors.
There are two standard PCI slots - the orange slot and the white slot of the same length next to it on the far top left side of the board. The PCI Express slots are two long x16 slots (the longest slots on the board) for two graphics cards in SLI mode, one yellow x4 slot and two short white x1 slots for other PCI Express devices, such as a sound card, joystick, dial-up modem, etc., which have not yet appeared on the market.
There is no AGP video slot for an AGP video card. The slots for RAM DIMM modules are the four horizontally aligned blue and teal slots in the bottom right corner of the board.
Because the present Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus has reached the limit of its safe clock rate and its data-transfer capacity, a new much faster kind of bus is required to keep up as much as possible with increasingly faster hardware.
The original PCI bus is a parallel data system that works in the same way as the ATA IDE system, which transfers data down a cable containing 40 conductors. The PCI Express bus is a serial system of the same kind as the other new systems - the USB/FireWire and Serial ATA (SATA) data-transfer systems.
The PCI Express bus improves performance by replacing the shared PCI bus with a point-to-point packet switched design similar to the kind used in switched networks. The data is transferred in packets, each one of which contains the address of its destination and is routed through point-to-point connections until it arrives.
The fundamental element of the PCI Express bus is a four-wire link between only two devices called a lane. The two pairs of wires carry single bits of data in each direction.
The smallest and slowest link is called an x1 link, which has a single lane and which transfers one bit of data at a time in either direction. An x2 link has two lanes and transfers two bits of data in each direction at a time, etc. The standard sizes of PCI Express links are x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, and x32, with the possibility of the future development of an x64 link. An x32 link has 32 lanes and so can transfer 32 bits of data in each direction at a time.
The PCI bus uses a clock signal transmitted between the devices at each end of a link, but the PCI Express bus operates at a data transfer rate of 250MB/s per lane, per direction, which is 500MB/s in both directions. That is substantially faster than the maximum clock rate of 66MHz of the PCI bus, which can transmit only a maximum of 66Mbit/s of data down each data wire. The parallel PCI bus has a maximum data-transfer bandwidth of 132MB/s, which is shared by all of the devices connected to the bus.
Note that there are eight bits in a byte of data, so a megabit (Mbit) is an eighth of a megabyte (MB).
Because each lane consists of four wires, the PCI Express bus can transfer data in both directions, which is known as full duplex. Sound cards that are full duplex allow the connection of a microphone and can send and receive sound data.
The PCI slots on a motherboard are of the same fixed size, but the slots of the PCI Express bus can vary in size.
A switch using similar technology to that used in a networking switch is built into a PCI Express motherboard. It acts like a network router by examining the data packets and then switching them to the correct link. (A network switch would switch incoming data to the correct internal IP address.)
The processor and RAM memory are connected to this central switch, which is called the root complex. The switch manages all processor and memory transfers and PCI Express links to the rest of the system, such as to the PCI and USB buses, which are linked to across special electronic bridges. There is no need for an AGP bus, because an x16 PCI Express video card is much faster than an 8x AGP video card.
The data is transmitted to the PCI Express bus by the motherboard's chipset in packets of varying sizes that match the link being used. It is then broken up and transferred down the lanes. The packets are then reassembled at the receiving end. As well as containing the address of their destination, the data packets can make use of built-in error correction technology so that if an error is detected the corrupt packet is discarded and resent. Although it works well, the technology involved in this process is extremely complex, and that is why it has taken so long to be developed.
Since the length of a PCI Express slot depends on the number of lanes it contains, an x16 slot is about the same length as a PCI slot, but x8, x4, x2, and x1 slots get progressively shorter as the number of lanes they contain diminishes.
Most PCI Express motherboards are of the kind shown above, usually having a single x16 slot for a video card, a single x1 and a single x4 slot for devices that don't require much bandwidth, such as an adapter card with the ports for a mouse and keyboard, or a joystick. Since most motherboards still have PCI slots, device manufacturers have yet to produce devices that use those two slots.
Note also that motherboards are now available that have two x16 PCI-E slots for two video cards that are linked together and use nVidia's Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology. Information on it is provided futher down this page.
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There are also x8 and x12 variants that are only likely to be seen on the motherboards used in servers that don't need a monitor because they are connected to the network that they serve. Dell sells its inexpensive PowerEdge servers that have two x8 PCI Express slots that are used for high-speed Input/Output (I/O) cards such as a RAID controller for an array of hard disk drives, or a gigabit Ethernet network interface card (NIC). Some people have bought these servers thinking in error that they can be used as cheap desktop computers by fitting a video card in one of the x8 PCI Express slots. Erroneous thinking, because all PCI-E video cards require a x16 slot. There are no x8 PCI-E video cards, and there is little or no likelihood that there ever will be.
Since each end of a PCI Express bus link can negotiate how many of the available lanes will be used to transmit data, an x1 adapter card can be plugged into any of the longer PCI Express slots. In short, an adapter card can be plugged into a slot of its own size or into a longer slot, but you obviously can't install an x16 card in a short x4 slot.
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Mini PCI Express is a connector designed for use in laptop and notebook computers. NewCard and ExpressCard is the PCI Express equivalent of PCMCIA cards.
The packet-switching technology of PCI Express makes it very flexible. For example, a Quality of Service (QoS) feature allows devices to negotiate a transfer priority. For example, a video stream could be granted priority over other types of data transfer and so should be able to display without any interference or glitches.
Fortunately, software compatibility with the original PCI bus has been maintained, so device drivers and operating systems don't have to be modified in order to work with the PCI Express bus. However, if the new features, such as QoS, are going to be used , the software using it has to be modified, which means that the developers will have to create upgrades, or provide updates for existing software.
It is well know that there is not much difference in the performance of 4x and 8x AGP video cards, but will there be any difference between AGP and PCI Express video cards? - Of course, but how much faster will the new cards be?
The power requirements of the power supply unit (PSU): the PCI Express power connector
If you want to install a high-end video/graphics card the +12V rail would have to deliver between 20A and 30A of current. Many PSUs deliver a maximum of under that. Therefore, you should always make sure that the PSU in a system can match the power requirements of a high-end video card before you buy or install it.
High-end PCI Express video/graphics cards have to be connected directly to the PSU. The following site shows examples of the PCI Express power connector. - http://www.jeantech.com/
If a particular PSU doesn't have a PCI Express connector and one is required of it, it's possible to buy an adapter that is fitted to a standard power connector of the kind that fits to standard IDE ATA (non-SATA) disk drives.
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PCI Express: nVidia's Scalable Link Interface (SLI) dual-video-card technology
There is a new PCI Express technology already available called Scalable Link Interface (SLI) that makes it possible to double performance by using two PCI Express video cards on a motherboard that supports the technology.
Motherboards that can run two PCI Express video cards with graphics chips made by nVidia are available that run in SLI mode. ATI's response is dual-card technology called CrossFire. At first, you had to buy a motherboard that supported either SLI or CrossFire, but motherboards, such as the Intel-based Socket 1156 Asus P7H57D-V EVO motherboard, support both technologies.
SLI-capable motherboards come with a special bridge that connects to the top of each of the cards to link them. Two PCI Express cards that use the 6600, 6600GT, 6800GT, and 6800Ultra and later chipsets made by nVidia are required.
When the technology first became available, two identical video cards that support SLI mode were required, but that is no longer the case.
nVidia's Version 80 driver has made it no longer necessary to have exactly the same video cards and firmware versions. SLI mode can also now be used without having to make use of an SLI bridge connector that is connected between the two cards.
It used to be a requirement that two ATI CrossFire graphics cards had to be linked by an external cable. However, its Catalyst 5.11 drivers - and later versions - eliminate the need for this, and also eliminate having to make use of a CrossFire Master card, but at the price of reduced performance.
If you want to find out how to install two video cards so that they run in SLI mode, download the illustrated user manual for the Socket 939 MS-7100 (aka K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI), or any other motherboard that supports SLI made by MSI.
An SLI motherboard has an option in Display Properties called Enable Multiple GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). To open Display Properties, right click with the mouse on a empty space on the Desktop, click Properties, click the Settings tab in Display Properties, click on the Advanced button, and then click on the Adapter tab, which can just have the name of the SLI video cards being used, such as GeForce 6600 GT, instead of being called Adapter.
Note that if you use two high-end video cards in SLI mode that require to be connected to the power supply unit (PSU) via a PCI Express power connector, you need a PSU with two such power connectors - one for each card. An excellent example is the Akasa PowerPlus 550W unit. You can enter the make and model in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to locate reviews and vendors, or visit http://www.akasa.com.tw/ to see and read about the latest products from that manufacturer.
A dual-core processor can draw up to 130W on its own, so you should find out which wattage of a power supply that will support running two high-end graphics cards. You may need a 700W or higher model. The manufacturer's website will provide the information and certified makes/models of power supply.
If you plan on using dual graphics cards that use either nVidia's SLI technology or ATI's CrossFire technology, make sure that your PC has a power supply that explicitly states in its specifications that it supports the dual-card technology that you want to install.
It is advisable to find out if a power supply has been certified for use in SLI systems by nVidia at http://www.nvidia.com/.
SLIZone - http://www.slizone.com/ - is devoted to every aspect of SLI. You should be able to find out anything about it that you need to know, including recommended motherboards, drivers, and power supplies.
If you're having problems in getting two cards to work together, read this Q&A on this site: I can't get two SLI or CrossFire video/graphics cards to work together in my computer.
For more information on this technology, visit http://www.nvidia.com/ and look under the Technologies heading.
SLI mode using only one video card
It's already possible to buy a single video card with two graphics processors that run in SLI mode on a specially adapted motherboard. Benchmark tests of the following video card and motherboard combination have produced very impressive results.
The Gigabyte 3D1 video card has two nVidia GeForce FX 6600GT graphics processors, each of which has its own 128MB of graphics memory. It can only run on the Gigabyte K8NXP-SLI motherboard, which uses just one x16 PCI Express slot that is divided into an eight-lane track for each of the graphics chips.
The Gigabyte 3D1 video card can also be installed in a conventional x16 PCI Express slot, but, as might have been expected, it only functions with about half the performance.
Visit http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/ for more information on these products, or make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page) to search for product reviews by using a search term such as: "gigabyte k8nxp-sli" + reviews (as is).
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ATI's CrossFire dual-graphics card technology
Video cards using ATI's CrossFire dual-graphics-card technology are now available.
Motherboards that can run two PCI Express video cards with graphics chips made by nVidia are available that run in SLI mode. ATI's response is dual-card technology called CrossFire.
At first, you had to buy a motherboard that supported either SLI or CrossFire, but motherboards, such as the Intel-based Socket 1156 Asus P7H57D-V EVO motherboard, support both technologies.
ATI links its dual-card setups by using an exernal cable to link the two cards together. However, its Catalyst 5.11 drivers - and later versions - eliminate the need for this - and having to make use of a CrossFire Master card - but at the price of reduced performance.
Note that some motherboards that support CrossFire still use a video link cable to connect the two graphics cards. An example is the Socket LGA1366 MSI MS-7522 motherboard for Intel's new Core i7 quad-core processors that first became available in November 2008. An image of the cable is shown below.
The CrossFire Video Link cable is required to connect the "golden fingers" on the top of the two graphics cards. Although two graphics cards are used, only the video outputs on the CrossFire Edition graphics card works, therefore the monitor must be connected to the CrossFire Edition graphics card.
The motherboard's user manual should have the installation instructions for graphics cards, memory, hard disk drives, etc., and a BIOS section that provides information on BIOS settings.
If you're having problems in getting two cards to work together, read this Q&A on this site: I can't get two SLI or CrossFire video/graphics cards to work together in my computer.
If you plan on using dual graphics cards that use either nVidia's SLI technology or ATI's CrossFire technology, make sure that your PC has a power supply that explicitly states in its specifications that it supports the dual-card technology that you want to install.
ATI has come up with a quad-chip graphics system. Read about it here:
QuadFire: CrossFire-on-a-Stick -
"To our knowledge, ATI never attempted to go for four. While CrossFire can support up to 32 devices I never thought we would see a consumer solution for more than two graphics processors under an ATI/AMD brand name. That was until today! We got a hold of a 'near-final' production model of Sapphire's X1950 Pro Dual that features two processors on a single printed circuit board (PCB) and connectors to connection to hook it up to another card for 'QuadFire'." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/crossfire-on-a-stick-uk,review-2135.html
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The Digital Video Interface - DVI
DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface.
With the standard analog connection interface still used with most video card/monitor combinations, a computer has to convert its native digital video output to the analog video output supported by an analog CRT or LCD monitor. With DVI, everything is digital. The output from the video card is supported directly by the monitor.
The quality and speed of DVI output is superior, because there is no digital-to-analog conversion process involved.
DVI supports higher resolutions (more screen pixels). It supports high-definition video, and a bandwidth of about 165MHz - about 165 million pixels per second. The DVI is also hotpluggable (although that capability has yet to be supported by the current versions of Windows), which means that you can plug in or unplug a DVI device while the computer is running. DVI is set to become the next major video standard, and, as such, will replace all of the current standards such as SVGA.
Note that a monitor needs to have a DVI input port in order to able to use a DVI connector on a video card, which, you should also note, not all video cards have.
If anyone is thinking about buying a new flat panel LCD monitor, it would be wise to purchase a model that supports both analog D-sub VGA and DVI connectors. Otherwise, you may find yourself having to upgrade your monitor when you upgrade a video card that only has a standard analog monitor connector to one that only has a DVI output port.
All About DVI - A Complete Guide to the Digital Video Interface -
http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html
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Accelerated Graphics Port: The AGP standard
Speed = frequency
Note that anything measured in Hz or MHz is measuring its frequency, not its speed - the term that is often used instead of frequency. In electronics, when the frequency is increased, the electronically generated wave pulse isn't actually going any faster - it always approaches the speed of light - it is just able to carry more data, because the wave is compressed as the frequency of the wave increases. There are more up and down cycles per metre, so the higher the frequency of a wave, the more data it can carry, in much the same way as compressed print can place more data on a page.
AGP modes
AGP 1x mode = 266MB/s (megabytes per second data transfer rate/bandwidth)
AGP 2x mode = 533MB/s
AGP 4x mode = 1.07GB/s (gigabytes per second. 1GB/s = 1024MB/s)
AGP 8x mode = 2.14GB/s
To be used, these modes of operation must be supported by the video card itself, and the AGP slot and BIOS of the motherboard.
AGP versus the new PCI Express standard
Theoretically, PCI Express video cards can provide twice the bandwidth made available by the AGP 8x architecture (up to 4 GB/s with an x16 PCI Express slot), which allows greater bandwidth for future games and video-rendering applications. Moreover, the PCI Express x16 graphics standard is capable of providing greater power to a video card than the AGP 8x standard.
However, the AGP standard is not dead yet. Read this article to find out why. -
February 1, 2007. - AGP Roundup Part 2 -
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2007/02/01/agp-platform-analysis_uk/
Make sure that the AGP slot on the motherboard supports at least AGP 4x or it will probably not be able to supply the correct voltage for the current gaming video cards. Only ATI Radeon and nVidia GeForce cards should be considered for gaming purposes. AGP 8x is the latest standard, but an 8x card will almost certainly work on a motherboard that supports only up to 4x, but if the motherboard only supports 2x it is unlikely to fit the motherboard, because AGP slots are keyed so that only the kind of AGP card that will run in a particular AGP slot can be inserted into it. Many recent motherboards that support 8x mode,also support 4x mode, but don't support the earlier 2x mode, so even if a 2x graphics accelerator, such as a nVidia TNT2 card, fits into such a motherboard's AGP slot, it won't work, and you probably won't be able to see anything on the screen at start-up.
AGP compatibility is discussed in the next item on this page.
Click here! to go to the links to video-card reviews on this page. Use your browser's Back button to return to this point.
Is your computer's video card and other hardware and software compatible with Windows Vista?
If you're planning to upgrade a computer already running Windows XP to Windows Vista, you should check to make sure that your computer's hardware and software are supported by Vista.
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor -
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/.../upgradeadvisor.mspx
A cut-down or tuned-up video card
Note that, as with cars, a suffix after the model number of a video card can indicate a cut-down or tuned-up version. In general, the suffixes LE (PNY GeForce FX 5700LE with a 5700LE chip made by nVidia ) or SE (Abit Radeon 9600SE with an 9600SE chip made by ATI) indicate a cut-down value version, while Pro or Ultra suffix indicate that a chip has been boosted.
A suffix to be wary of is XT. Video cards that use ATI chips use it to indicate a boosted product (Sapphire Radeon 9800XT), but on video card that has a chip made by nVidia it indicates a cut-down version (XFX GeForce FX 5900XT).
The amount of RAM memory on a video card determines the level of detail in a 3D scene it can store without sharing the system RAM installed on the motherboard. 128MB is currently an adequate amount, but 256MB cards are available, which are much larger in size. See the item called, Is there space in the case for an upgrade? a little further down this page.
If it uses AGP, you can find out which AGP standards are supported by your computer's motherboard by looking in the BIOS, or by consulting the motherboard's manual. See the three Motherboard pages on this site for more information on motherboards and their manuals.
Keep reading this article for more information on the AGP standards.
Linux device drivers
Note that if you want excellent Linux operating-system support, you should buy an nVidia video card. ATI does not produce Linux drivers of the same excellence. Click here! to go to the section on this page devoted to device drivers. Use your browser's Back button to return to this point.
Benchmark tests
If you want to run benchmark tests on the processor, RAM, video/graphics card, and hard disk drive, download PCMark04 from http://www.futuremark.com/.
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AGP compatibility
AGP Version Voltage Maximum Bandwidth/Transfer Speed
AGP 1.0 3.3 Volts 1x at 267MB/s, 2x at 533MB/s
AGP 2.0 1.5 Volts 1x at 267MB/s, 2x at 533MB/s, 4x at 1067MB/s
AGP 3.0 0.80 Volts 4x at 1067MB/s, 8x at 2133MB/s
The AGP 1.0, AGP 2.0, AGP 3.0, AGP Pro standards, and 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x video cards, and the different voltages they support, make AGP compatibility a somewhat confusing subject.
Read this Q&A on this site - The voltages used by the different kinds of AGP video cards. Use your browser's Back button to return here.
Visit these two pages for illustrated information on AGP compatibility:
http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html
http://www.ertyu.org/~steven_nikkel/agpcompatibility.html
If you have, say, a relatively elderly dual-voltage AGP 2x card the keys of which fit the AGP slot of a new motherboard that only supports, say, 8x cards, it won't damage the motherboard, but it also won't work.
Therefore, always check the motherboard's manual, which can usually be downloaded from its manufacturer's site, to find out what kind of video cards it supports before you try installing relatively elderly video cards.
If the motherboard only supports 8x video cards, then the BIOS won't support the lower speeds, because the BIOS is customised to support the motherboard's design features.
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Is there space in the case for an upgrade?
You must make sure that you have enough space around your motherboard's PCI Express slot(s) or AGP slot if you want to install some of today's gaming video cards, because they often have large cooling units that will make it impossible to use the PCI slot beside the graphics slot(s). Hard disk drives and filled DDR RAM DIMM slots can also get in the way. The nVidia GeForceFX 5900 range of cards in particular are very large. Also note that the 256MB versions of most cards are larger than the 128MB versions. If you are unsure if a particular card will fit in the space provided by you computer, it would be best to take the tower unit into the shop from which you are buying it and have it fitted there.
Go to Page 2 of this article for information on removing and installing a video/graphics card.
The warranty periods for other computer components such as video and sound cards, etc.
If you purchase computer components, such as a video card, sound card, modem, network card, power supply unit, etc., it is usually provided with a warranty that lasts only a year (twelve months).
Most video-card manufacturers provide a one-year or two-year warranty for their products, but it is worth noting that Asus, Leadtek, PNY, Gainward, and MSI provide excellent three-year warranties.
There are also some manufacturers of video/graphics cards, such as PNY, that offer an extended warranty on their cards if the buyer registers it on their websites.
Note that if a component such as a high-end video card dies within its warranty period, the manufacturer (or the vendor if it is an OEM card supported by the vendor instead of the manufacturer) can make you prove that you have taken adequate precautions to keep the computer's case cool before it honours the warranty. That probably means having to provide photogaphs of the inside of the case that show the case fans that have been installed. Therefore, you should obtain and read the warranty's terms and conditions before you make a purchase to find out what is involved in making a claim against it.
There are other exceptions, such as RAM memory modules, for which a manufacturer such as Crucial provides a lifetime warranty. That means that it is covered by the warranty as long as the purchaser uses the memory in a computer that supports it. That amounts to about five years, because new types of RAM is always being released, and the older modules won't be supported by new motherboards. However, note that generic (unbranded) memory modules are only covered by a twelve-month warranty period.
See the Warranties page on this site for more information on them.
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Low-profile video cards
Slimline ATX desktop and tower cases are far too confined to house standard full-sized PCI or AGP or PCI Express video cards, therefore video cards that are usually half the full-size height, called low-profile cards, have to be used.
Proprietary manufacturers such as HP, Compaq, Gateway, and Dell can use slimline cases. Examples of models that can use them are the Compaq DeskPro and the Dell Optiplex.
PCI/AGP/PCI Express video cards are made as low-profile cards, and they are usually not much more expensive that the full-sized version of the same model, but availability could be a problem, because, firstly, not all video-card manufacturers make low-profile cards, and, secondly, when available, they have the same names as their full-sized counterparts, and, if not purchased at a premium from HP, Compaq, Dell, etc., would therefore be difficult to locate. Moreover, as you might expect, low-profile cards are never as powerful as the full-sized models.
The technology provided by the latest video cards cannot currently fit on to low-profile cards, so instead of running a 256MB ATI Radeon 9800XT or nVidia FX 5900 card, the user with such a slimline case would only be able to use relatively under-powered low-profile cards such as a 128MB ATI Radeon 9200 or an nVidia GeForce FX 5200.
Moral of the story: avoid buying a computer housed in a slimline case.
See the Motherboard page on this site for information on the use of riser cards to accommodate adapter cards in slimline cases.
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PCI version 3 (PCI Extended - PCI-X/PCIx)
21 April 2004 - The PCI Special Interest Group announced the release of version 3.0 of PCI (the Peripheral Component Interconnect standard), known as PCI Extended (PCI-X) to distinguish it from the current PCI Express video/graphics standard that is covered further down this page.
If you see PCIe or PCI-E shown in the specification list of a computer or motherboard this stands for PCI Express.
Don't confuse PCI-X (or PCIx) with the PCI Express standard, because it stands for PCI Extended, which is an much improved extension of the PCI standard that is fully backwardly compatible with the previous versions of the PCI standard.
The new PCI standard migrates from supporting 5V to using 3.3V, which current PCI adapter cards use. However, PCI cards that are keyed to use both 5V and 3.3V continue to be supported.
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Internal and external TV tuner cards
Click here! to go to the information on this subject on Page 2 of the Video and Graphics section of the site.
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Cooling units, device drivers, and the video-card BIOS
If you purchase a retail (boxed) video card, it will come with all of the cables it has ports for, its software device drivers, and will also probably come with a heatsink and fan unit that cools the main video chip. This will not necessarily be the case with an OEM video card that is supported by the vendor but not the by the manufacturer. OEM video cards can be sold alone, without a cooling unit. If that is the case, you'll have to purchase the cooling unit separately. Remember that not all video cards require special cooling. Seek advice about cooling if you purchase an OEM video card that doesn't come with a cooling unit.
In any case, if the video card uses a chipset made by one of the major manufacturers, you will be able to download the latest driver file from the relevant website. Indeed, the chipset manufacturer's drivers are often superior to those provided by the manufacturers of video cards that incorporate those chipsets into their video cards.
You should upgrade the drivers as often as possible (especially if you upgrade any of the other graphics drivers used by your system) in order to keep them compatible. For instance, you might install the latest version of the DirectX gaming software, which might then conflict with the older drivers being used by your video card. Or you might update the AGP driver, made available from the computer's motherboard's site.
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Video cards featuring home movie video editing and connectivity to VCRs and camcorders
You can now purchase video cards that are very reasonably priced and which allow a user to edit movies, connect to video recorders (VCRs) and camcorders, and support DVD authoring and burning. If you want any of those feature, look for them in a particular card's specifications.
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Monitors
See the Monitor page on this site for information on CRT and LCD analog and digital (DVI) monitors.
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