Video Cards

Video cards (sometimes called graphics cards or display adapters) convert digital data into text and pictures that humans can see and interpret.

Integrated Video Cards

Inexpensive and mid-priced computers often come with integrated video cards, which are built into the computer's motherboard (the main circuit board inside the computer) and often share the system's main memory.

Integrated video cards can reduce the cost of a computer. They usually are adequate for applications that are not video-intensive, such as word processing and other office applications, email, and some low-pressure games and graphic applications.

If a integrated video card fails, then there is no way to repair it except to replace the motherboard. Some motherboards, however, have a slot that can be used to add a separate video card if the integrated card fails (or if you simply decide you want a more powerful card).

Video Expansion Cards

Higher-end computers usually have separate video cards that insert into an expansion slot on the motherboard. These cards can be replaced with an upgraded card if the user desires or if the original card fails. They also have their own video memory onboard, which means that the system memory does not have to be shared with the video processor. Most better video cards use the AGP interface, but there are also very good PCI video cards available.

The two most popular video card makers are nVidia and ATi, but there are others, as well.

How Good a Video Card do I Need?

That depends on what you do with your computer. Here are some general guidelines:

• If all you do with your computer is use office applications (like word processors), surf the Internet, and send email, then you probably can get by with an inexpensive video card (or integrated video) with 32 MB of video RAM.

• If you occasionally play games or manipulate still digital images (such as simple editing of snapshots that you take with a digital camera), then you can probably get by with a decent-quality video card with 64 MB of video RAM, but 128 MB would be better.

• If you watch movies on your computer, play heavy-duty games, edit digital video, do a lot of digital photography, or use CAD/CAM applications, then don't settle for less than a 128 MB video card. For heavy-duty gaming or digital video editing, you may even want to consider getting a card with 256 MB or more of onboard video memory.

Finally, some video cards have special features that you may want or need. These include special inputs and outputs for TV, HDTV, or DVI (needed for video editing), onboard hardware DVD players, or built-in television tuners that allow you to use your PC as a TV.