Set Up A New Graphics Card

When getting a used system or upgrading an existing computer thing that most people think about high on the list is great graphics. Video & graphical content is the core of the computing & entertainment experience. Before you start you need to find out what type of expansion slot your PC has inside of it for video. The first slot next to the power supply is usually the PCI Express (Peripheral Part Interconnect Express) expansion slot. It will be visibly different from the other expansion slots (usually PCI). You will need to remove the side of the computer to access the expansion slots & confirm that the video is in slot. Next you need to select a used video card to buy. There is a lot of on the market & various connections (like PCI-Express or PCI) which can be confusing. For most PCs the video will be a version of PCI-Express. It ought to be noted that PCI slots are not cross-compatible with PCI-Express. When selecting a used video card there is a lot of things you ought to think about beyond the best cost:

GPU (graphics processing unit) or not? GPUs are computer chips on the video card itself.
Memory size - the bigger the memory the better the graphics
Memory speed - DDR3 (double information rate) is time the speed of DDR2
Outside ports - HDMI will send sound & video while DVI/VGA are the standards for monitors
Expansion slot size (some desktops have half height slots due to design)

By the time you have the video card it is a matter of opening the desktop case to access the expansion slots & replacing the card in the first slot along along together along with your new purchase. Installation is simple even for the novice as the manufacturer provides detailed instructions.

Don't be surprised if your system will need additional updates.

When you start-up your system it ought to auto identify the graphics card & try to find the driver. In Windows this may or may not identify your new video card but don't be concerned. time the system is booted you can go in & fix the video driver by selecting [Start->Control Panel->System->Hardware->Device Manager] will pull up a listing of all the drivers. Select the [Display Adapters] & right-click the item listed. On this menu select [Update Driver] & follow the Hardware Update Wizard. After everything is complete you can right-click on your desktop & pick a video resolution or access the vendor's control panel (like ATI or NVIDIA) to set the display.