During operation of the computer, a not-so-pleasant situation may arise when it does not cope with the duties assigned to it. Most of these cases are connected with the PC graphics system, and this raises the logical question: “How to install a video card on a computer?”. Replacing this particular component allows you to postpone its modernization by 2-3 years and can significantly increase productivity.
At the initial stage, you need to determine the type of installed graphics accelerator and its connector on the motherboard. The first parameter allows you to determine the circle of potential candidates for the purchase. For example, a GeForse 210 video adapter with 1 gigabyte of internal memory is installed. So, you need to select a more productive device. By analogy, you can choose GeForse 660 with 2 gigabytes of memory.
The next step is to determine the connector on the motherboard. If an AGP, PCI or ISA connector is installed, then a modular upgrade will not work, and the question of how to install a video card on a computer will be irrelevant. Computer systems of this class cannot be upgraded. Components for them have long been discontinued. In such a situation, it is easier to replace the entire system unit. If the PCI-Express connector is used, then a modular replacement is possible, and the performance gain will be quite noticeable.
After we have decided on the type of installed graphics accelerator, and our connector on the system board allows you to perform upgrades, you must select and buy a new video card. It is not necessary to turn your attention to the most expensive video cards, since their price is astronomical, and the performance gain will not be noticeable at all. It is recommended to pay attention to the average price range, which ranges from 100 USD to 300 USD. These are good video cards, the resources of which are not enough for a not quite modern PC.
The installation process is as follows. Immediately everything should be switched off - both the system unit and the monitor. Next, you need to disconnect all the wires, before writing on paper what is connected and where. Then the PC case must be put on the side from which the connectors of the motherboard are located. Then, the bolts that secure the top cover of the computer are unscrewed. After which it is removed and access to the "insides" of the electronic computer is opened. The video card is installed perpendicular to the motherboard, and its external connector for connecting the monitor protrudes from the back of the case. Then you need to turn off the external power of the graphics accelerator, if any. At the next stage, the fixing screw is screwed out, which connects the board and the case. Next, you need to unlock the board by opening the key in the connector on the system board (if any). Then the accelerator is carefully removed.
The process of installing a new video adapter is in the reverse order. Before you install the video card on your computer, you need to clean everything, especially the connector for installing this component of the computer. Carefully installs a new item in a prepared location on the system board. In this case, the lock should work. Then the fixing screw is screwed. The strength of the installation is checked. Then, if necessary, additional power is supplied to the graphics accelerator. If there is no such connector in the power supply unit, then you must additionally purchase an adapter, having previously verified the power supply capacity with the total indicator of the entire PC. If the computer after modernization consumes more power than the source produces, then it must also be replaced. Then the rest of the PC is assembled, the wires are connected. Then power is supplied, and if everything is done correctly, the computer will start to boot. After the download is complete, driver installation may be required. Then the PC is ready to work.
Before you install the video card on a computer, you need to make sure of your abilities and decide whether you can do this work yourself. If there is even a shadow of doubt, then it is better to take the system unit to a service center and pay for the replacement of a component. And if you have confidence - you can safely get down to business!