How to guides to help you upgrade your Computer
The Graphics Card or Video Card as it is also known allows your Computer to display thousands of colours and images to your display. Some computers have a graphics card built-in to the motherboard this are usually low spec cards and normally use memory from your system (RAM) to run.
The most common reason for a graphics card upgrade is to allow users to run games faster and more smoothly or to add TV/DVI out to your system.
Steps to Install a Graphics Card:
Power down your PC and switch it off at the wall. Remove the screws holding the sides of the case on and carefully slide off both panels.
Wearing an anti-static wristband is preferable whenever working with sensitive electrical equipment. Keeping one hand on a metal part of the case will have the same effect, though you may need both hands when installing certain items of hardware.
If you are replacing an old card, you will need to remove it by loosening the screw holding the backing plate to the case and carefully sliding the card out of the slot. You may also have to undo a clip depending on the design of your motherboard.
Alternatively, you may need to remove the backing plate in front of the AGP or PCI-E slot. Simply remove the screw and slide the backing plate out of the case. For some graphics cards, you may need to remove two adjacent backing plates as the size of the heatsink and fan dictates that the card is double the height of an ordinary expansion card.
