Which Video Card do I need?

By Sr. Editor Lonny Paul on November 2nd, 2006

Help! Not sure which Video Card to buy? You aren’t alone! We have received several questions regarding how to tell one from the other and present this guide to choosing the right video card for your system.

I have a dell computer with an Intel processor, which is currently running the video off of the build-in video card. I want to upgrade for better graphics, but don’t know if it is PCI or AGP. How do I tell the difference? Thanks.

-Aaron

There are three basic types of video cards: PCI, AGP and PCIe. Let’s explore them:

Before you buy your video card, please
make sure the card you’ve selected is compatible with your motherboard.
Following are some simple guidelines for selecting the video card that
fits your motherboard.

1- Identify the Slot on your Motherboard.
There are currently 3 kinds of video cards on the market. PCI, AGP and
PCI-Express. PCI is the oldest video card on the market, and compatible
with many motherboards built before 2004. AGP is the most widely used
video card, but will soon be eclipsed in popularity by the PCI-Express.
PCI-Express is the next-generation video card. It will soon be the video
card standard for the future. If your motherboard was manufactured prior
to 2004, it is likely it accommodates either AGP or PCI.

The easiest way to identity the slots,
is to look at the Keys (notches), as slot color may vary. See Images Below

2- Identifying your Video Card.
Take a look at the Keys and Images below

Thanks to Aaron for his submission. If you are looking to upgrade the video on your system, ensure to check out TigerDirect for the latest, greatest and best values on Video Cards!

Categories: Hardware, InBox, Video Cards
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2 Responses to “Which Video Card do I need?”

Rich on Nov 28th, 2006 at 2:37 am

Good information except there is more information needed about the AGP standard being that there are three; AGP1.0, 1/2x, AGP2.0, 1/2/4x, and AGP3.0, 4/8x. Try these links below for more information and compatibilty issues:
http://www.answers.com/topic/accelerated-graphics-port
http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html
Rich on Nov 29th, 2006 at 12:47 am

Aaron, good information but being that video is one of the biggest upgrades and that there are 3 AGP standards we might want to expound on AGP. I have provided some links on this topic for those of you who may be having upgrade issues or those thinking about upgrading:
http://www.answers.com/topic/accelerated-graphics-port
http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html