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Today’s PC games are so convincing that you can get sucked in, totally immersed in a new and exciting virtual world. At least, that’s what gaming can be like if you have a decent graphics card If not, it’s more like watching a dodgy slideshow.
An old or underpowered graphics card means you won’t be able to run games at the high resolutions they’re designed for, with all the optional graphical effects and enhancements that their makers have worked so hard to build in. Game worlds that seemed astonishing in the publicity pictures will look blocky and basic on your monitor. Even worse for your enjoyment of the gameplay, your PC may freeze at just the wrong moment, or the action on your monitor may be so slow that you can’t respond in time to the actions of your opponents.
It doesn’t have to be like this. Here we show you how to choose the right graphics card for your PC and wallet.
CHECKING COMPATIBILITY
There are two types of graphics card currently on sale: those that fit into an AGP slot and those made for the new PCI Express slot. Your motherboard will have one or the other, but PCI Express only appeared in 2004, so many of us have AGP. If you’re unsure what slot your motherboard has, check your motherboard or system manual or look on the website of the board’s manufacturer. Different flavours of the AGP standard exist. AGP 1.0 cards, which first appeared in 1996, used a signal voltage of 3.3V. AGP 2.0 was launched in 1998, running at 1.5 volts. In 2002 the final AGP 3.0 standard was finalised, using a 0.8V signal.
Check your motherboard manual to find out what type of AGP slot it has. If it’s AGP 3.0 you should be able to install any new AGP card without problems. If it’s AGP 2.0 or older, it won’t support 0.8V signalling, so you’re limited to graphics cards whose system requirements allow either AGP 2.0 or 1.5V.
AGP cards also run at different speeds. The first cards, referred to as 1x, could move data between their graphics processor and the rest of the system at a speed of 266 megabytes per second (MB/s). This is referred to as the interface’s bandwidth. Later 2x cards had a bandwidth of 533MB/s, 4x cards offered 1.04 gigabytes per second, and the latest 8x cards have a bandwidth of 2.1GB/s.
If your intended graphics card’s system requirements only specify an 8x AGP slot, with no mention of the AGP version number or voltage, you have to assume it requires AGP 3.0. If your motherboard has a PCI Express graphics slot, there are fewer things to check. Make sure that the power supply in your PC will support your card – today’s powerful graphics cards often need 17 amps or more on the 12 volt line of the power supply. Your PSU’s rating will be printed on its side.
Some motherboards can accommodate two PCI-E graphics cards at once, which greatly increases your PC’s 3D performance. There are two dual graphics cards standards: SLI for Nvidia-based cards and CrossFire for ATi-based cards. If your motherboard doesn’t support the kind of card you want, it may be worth considering a motherboard upgrade.
BUYING YOUR GRAPHICS CARD
Once you’ve worked out what cards are compatible with your motherboard, choosing a graphics card boils down to assessing performance and features. The best way to judge performance is to read the monthly reviews in Computer Shopper magazine, which measure performance using 3D benchmarks as well as some of the most demanding games.
If you’re an ambitious upgrader, you may want to choose a card that can be overclocked for extra performance. Some cards have simple ‘turbo’ overclocking switches in their driver software, while others can be manually overclocked by altering specific settings. You’ll need to make sure your PC is properly cooled if you plan to overclock your card. If you’re buying a powerful graphics card, bear in mind that it will have a large fan that may be quite noisy. When planning to overclock a graphics card, many of the same issues apply as when overclocking your PC’s main processor.
You also need to decide whether you want your new graphics card to have VIVO or TV-out functions. VIVO stands for video in, video out. As the name suggests, cards with VIVO can output graphics signals to conventional TV sets and other analogue video devices, and can also be used as capture devices to get footage from analogue camcorders or VCRs onto your PC. Cards with TV-out can only output video – allowing you to play games on your big-screen TV, for example – not import it.
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Copyright © Misco, A trading division of Systemax Europe Ltd 2008. E&OE
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