Heres some tips on installation of Video Cards.Basically there are 3 types of cards
Intergrated:The video chipset is built into the motherboard.
AGP:Is an external card that you physicaly attach to the motherboard on a Proprietary AGP slot.
PCI:Is also attached to the motherboard and will only fit a PCI slot . Both AGP and PCI attach in the
same fashion as a 56k modem would.But they will only fit in the correct slots.
Your 1st step is to determine what kind of video card you need or can use.Your Motherboard manual
is your BIBLE in every aspect of HardWare for your system.If you dont have 1 download the file from the
Motherboard Manufacture site and study it.If i had an ASUS board i would go to
www.ASUS.com USA and find
the proper manual for my motherboard using iether a name(P4G8X Deluxe).If a name is not available
look for a model or serial number and research that way.If you have a Dell,Gateway,Sony system etc...
Searching there sites may be more helpfull to you.Reguardless of where you get the information
you need it to work in or around your computer.
Lets start with Intergrated Vide
lder Systems and newer premade systems such as Dell Utilize onboard Video.
Onboard video has come along way in todays computers.But does not compare to the quality and performance
of a PCI or AGP Video.Intergrated works fine and is stable but when you stress the video beyond its boundaries
your end result is slow video processing(how fast a picture can be displayed with correct pixel allighnment,
shading and lighting).So what you see in games,movies etc..Can give poor viewing results
Brings you back to the performance factor of your video card .
3D Rendering is very important even for a casual Computer user.With inergrated video you
dont have an extra device to attach to your Motherboard because its built into it so thats easy enough.
Instullation of Drivers for intergrated video is by far the easiest to do as well.Go to the Motherboard Manufacturer
Website and download the latest Video Drivers for the board.If your having problems or upgrading
your Drivers go to Control Panel select Add and Remove Programs. Uninstall the Software related to the card first.
Reboot if promted.Then Uninstall the Drivers reboot when promted .Do not let your operating System reinstall the Video
when you restart.Cancel the operation.I would then use Driver Cleaner 2 to remove any left over Video drivers
that may have been left behind (there will be some).Next find your Driver Executible that you download and click on it
to begin the Installation of your Video.Restart when promted make any needed adjustments in your Display Properties
Settings such as Resolution,Color quality etc...
Lets Discuss PCI Video Card Installation they`re a little more Complicated but not hard to understand.
Basicly the PCI is a huge Upgrade from Intergrated Video Adapters built into Motherboards.(NOTE)(If your Doing a
fresh Operating System Install you have to install the Onboard Video 1st).Theres a few Steps that have to
be Explored before you install a PCI Card . Boot into your BIOS by Restarting your Sytem press one of these key
combinations durring Start up ( Delet ,F1 ,F2 , Ctrl Esc , Alt Esc ,Hold Esc Key on Power up ).
You may have to research this to find the proper keystroke for your system.Once your in your bios look for an option
that will allow you to enable or disable Onboard Video.Usually found under Advance/Device Configuration/Primary VGA.
Basicly you want to disable onboard video and enable PCI video when the time comes.
If you dont see this option or its not available you will have to get online go to the Motherboard Manufacture Website
and Download a Flash Bios Utility that will enable this feature.You will have to research this for yourself
not all boards are the same but the basic steps are .
After you`ve determined your bios state and updated as nessesary lets install the PCI card .Simply Turning off your
system putting the card in and Hooking your Monitor Cable to the PCI card doesnt allways work.(Some systems will
auto detect but most will not display anything on your monitor.Leaving you stuck not knowing what to do).
Most systems require a series of steps.(NOTE)There are some differences between Operating Systems.This is the way i install
PCI cards and ive never had any problems.
1.Download the latest available Drivers From the Video Card Manufacture .
2.Turn off your system unplug the power supply.
3.Install the PCI Card (Dont switch your Monitor Cable over to the PCI Card)Reconect your power and Power Up the system.
Still using your Onboard Video.
4.When your operating system is booting up it will detect the new device and attempt to install it.Cancel this operation
After your fully booted up do the next step.
5.Insert your installation CD or Execute your Downloaded Driver file installer and install the Video Card.
When finsished and it prompts to Restart your system select cancel and restart later.
6.Shut Down your system unplug the Monitor cable from the onboard Video Adapter Plug it into your PCI Card.
7.Power up your system and boot directly into bios,Disable on board Video enable PCI VGA (if you have the Option).
Save the changes and boot into your operating system.
8.If the Operating Sytem attemts to reinstall your onboard video cancel that operation.
9.Go to Device Manager and check for Problemed Hardware in Other Devices or Display Adapters .
If you see the Onboard video still being recognized simply select Disable Device never use this device.
Thats the basics on PCI card Installation .Not very complicated but it does require steps to be followed.
AGP Video cards are the Premium cards of them all.They are able to run faster and do more of the Video Rendering.
Allowing your CPU(Computer Processing Unit)more bandwidth to actually run your applications.
End result is better overall System Performance and better Graphic Quality.If you are upgrading your
System with a newer video card then you need to uninstall the card you are currently using
first.I would follow these steps to achieve the best installation.
1.Go to Control Panel and look for Software that may have been installed along
with your current video card such as Hydro Vision-ATI/Nvidia Control Panel etc...Un-install
all of the sotware for the card first.Dont re-start if promted.
2.In Control Panel select un-install the Display Driver.Re-start when promted.
3.When you restart if your operating system Prompts to re-install the Video Card
Cancel that operation and continue.When your up and running use Driver Cleaner to or a equivalent utility to
remove any remaining drivers or files left behind from uninstalling .There will be some so
they need to be removed.Driver Cleaner utility does just that.BE CAREFULL not to remove any other files only
remove DATA for the video card .
4.Next shut down your system turn off or unplug the Power Supply.When working inside your computer first neutralize
any static that may be in your body by touching a ground source .I even spray my clothing/carpet area with Static Cling .
Wear a wrist grounding strap(buy 1 at Comp USA) and clip it on the metal frame part of the case.
5.Remove the retainer screw and Carefully remove the old Video Card from your system pull straight out .
You may find that laying the computer on its side is better for this procedure.
6.Install the new video card in the reverse manner carefully alighn the slot and firmly press into position.
when its fully seated put the retainer screw in and tighten snug then aproximately 1/4 turn to tighten.
7.Reconnect your cables and power up your system boot directlly into BIOS and make any needed changes such
as.AGP 4x or 8x . There may be some other settings to change you will need to study up on your MOBO
and change them accordingly to the specs of your system and video card.
8.Boot into your OS there are 2 ways to install the Video Card.You can Let your Operating System detect the new Device
Navigate it to the Drivers you want to use and Let the Operating Sytem install the Video Card Drivers
only.Then install any Software or Control Panels for the Video Card later.OR you can Cancel the Operating Systems
Prompts to install new Device and continue to fully boot using generic drivers.When your fully booted up.
IF your installation CD is fairly new you can use that to install your video Card entirely i often use the CD
because the Drivers are fairly new.Or you can use downloaded executibles that you have and install the video card
restart when prompted.
9.Its allways a good idea to use a benching program such as 3dmark 02se or equivalent and test your system.
If it can pass several tests chances are your pretty stable and ready to GAME
.
