http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1531-2009-build-your-own-pc-components-video-card
Overview:
In this lesson we’ll explain what a video card is with definitions of features to look for when shopping for a video card and how much you can expect to pay. Whether your are building your first gaming PC yourself, a budget computer, or just interested in learning what goes into a computer these lessons will help you get there.
The video card is responsible for creating all that you see on your computer monitor. Up until about 4 years ago, video cards were advancing in the acceleration and quality of 2 dimensional images. Since that time, video cards have reached a point where they are all equal in their ability to show 2D images and no further acceleration is possible.
Video card development now focuses on 3 dimensional acceleration and 3D image quality, 3D games and 3D modeling software, for instance.
Direct X is the system that 3D acceleration is based on. The latest version, DirectX 10.1, which only comes with Windows Vista, provides the best image quality and fastest 3D graphics available. DirectX 9 is supported by the lower end video cards in Windows XP. For the best 3D performance, look for DirectX 10.1 support in your video card.
The amount of memory a video card has plays a big role in the speed and quality of 3D graphics. Look for a card with at least 512 MB of memory.
This lesson is part of a comprehensive series of lessons created by Home PC Builder that will guide you through the process of building your computer (from the selection internal and external components through installation and setup).
You can purchase all 28 lessons in the course and save 46%.
http://www.mindbites.com/series/25-2009-build-your-own-pc-components-install-setup
For a DVD of this full series, please refer to https://www.homepcbuilder.com.
The other lessons in this Internal Component series are:
Pt 1/10: Hard Drives – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1528
Pt 2/10: DVD/Blu-Ray – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1515
Pt 3/10: Memory/RAM – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1513
Pt 4/10: Video Card – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1531
Pt 5/10: Sound Card – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1532
Pt 6/10: Modem, Ethernet, Wireless – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1504
Pt 7/10: Processor/CPU – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1516
Pt 8/10: Motherboard – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1517
Pt 9/10: Case & PSU – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1527
Pt 10/10: Cooling – http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/1544
You can buy all 10 internal component lessons as a series and save 30% http://www.mindbites.com/series/21-2009-build-your-own-pc-internal-components
This video card component lesson covers
Interface:
PCI Express 2.0 16x and PCI Express 16x are covered
Pricing:
$40 to $600- the videos breaks down the different price levels and recommends which level to choose depending on your specific needs
Crossfire and SLI:
Put 2, 3 or 4 video cards in your computer to improve graphics performance
Explains the features and options of both standards
Outputs: How you connect your monitor or your TV to the computer
S Video
Component
DVI
HDMI
All options are covered
The video ends with a summary of features and specifications to look for when buying.
In the installation lessons well go over how to install the video card into your computer.(www.mindbites.com/lessons/1540)
The supplemental file below contains the complete written information from the video and is available to download after you buy.
Duration : 0:2:20
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