Part 3. The Video Card
The video card or GPU (graphics processing
unit) as it's also known is used for displaying
everything on your screen. It is also responsible for
playing your movies and games. You may or may not have
a video card installed in your computer as some
computers come with what they call "on board graphics".
This simply means the GPU is integrated into the
motherboard. This setup is ok if you're not a heavy
gamer as most on board video cards have limited
capabilities but is perfectly fine for everything
else.
It's easy to see what type of card you have installed just by looking at the rear of your PC. On the back will be some inputs for USB devices plus your keyboard and mouse. These inputs are connected directly to the motherboard. If your monitor cable is plugged in there then you have on board graphics. If the cable is plugged into a separate video card it will be lower down the back of the tower.
HD 1080p video cards
Most video cards now are full HD with outputs to connect directly to any HDTV. Connecting your video card to your TV will enable you to play games and watch HD movies from the computer. Watching movies this way is not as conventional as putting a DVD or Blu-Ray into a player but it's great for watching downloaded content.
PC gaming
For gaming there are hundreds of different video cards available all with different features and price tags to match and the industry is fierce with 2 major players Nvidia (team green) and ATI (team red) battling it out to be the best. Both companies produce outstanding products and are mostly aimed at gamers.
The new breed of video cards are very powerful and possess their own processor and memory. For hardcore gamers there is the option of SLI or Crossfire which are both different technologies from Nvidia and ATI respectively but equals to the same purpose, to use more than one card in a single computer.
SLI & Crossfire
To enable SLI or Crossfire requires a special
motherboard that has two slots one for each card. This
in theory will double the performance in gaming but in
practice it doesn't quite work that way because most
games are not properly programmed to utilise the power
of more than one card. The technology is advancing
though, games are getting better and the results prove
that in some cases SLI or Crossfire really is
powerful.
The cost of PC gaming
The downside to PC gaming is that it's expensive and technology grows old quickly. To be able to play the latest games with all the bells and whistles requires regular hardware upgrades and deep pockets. Nearly every new game released requires more power than before and video card manufacturers are playing catch-up to keep up with game developers.
If you don't mind playing games with low settings then budget video cards will do fine. If however you have to play games with maximum settings (as most of us do) but can't afford it you can either fork out for the latest and greatest or, stay one step behind new technology and save a small fortune.
Low cost high end gaming
Playing last year's games with last year's technology is a perfect way to enjoy your gaming with maximum details at minimum cost. Every year video card manufacturers release new technology and replace existing cards with new ones. When they do this the cards being replaced dramatically drop in price and when they do you need to snap one up quick because allot of people do this and they sell fast!
This is by far the best option for saving money but it requires allot of patience to be able to wait but in the end the wait is well woth it :)