How to Install a Video Card / Computer Video Graphic Card Install Guide

How to install a video card
Installing a graphics card / video card is generally straight forward if you stick to a few basic rules when installing.

To begin with you’ll need
Phillips screwdriver
Medium flat bladed screwdriver
Compatible video card with drivers disk
Firstly make sure your properly earthed and discharged of all static electricity.

Make sure the computer is unplugged from the mains power.

Most computers these days are soft boot and still have a current running through the motherboard even when it’s switched off. Failure to do this may result in damage to your graphics card or even computer.

Next we need to remove the cover from the computer.

Once this is done decide which slot the video card will go into. If you are upgrading a PCI or AGP video card , remove the screw holding the card in and remove it. now fit the new card.

Remove it from it’s protective packaging and try to handle only by the edges.When removing or fitting video cards try to be careful, putting too much pressure on a card can damage it or worse still the motherboard.

how to install a video card article


The card should fit securely, the silver or gold connector on the bottom of the card, may just be visible when fitted.

Now replace the screw that was removed from the old video card.

If your computer has an onboard computer video graphic card. Remove the blanking plate next to the corresponding slot you wish to use, now fit the card. Sometimes blanking plates can be a problems to remove, use the flat bladed screwdriver to break the connection between the blanking plate and the main part of the case.

Now we have to disable the onboard video card. There are two ways this may need to be done. The first which is more popular on older machines is to look for a jumper on the motherboard that will say something like “ Enable / Disable video “ just set this to disable. If your computer has no jumper for the video card this will be a setting in the BIOS.

Once the video card is fitted replace the case

how to install a video card article

“ If your computer has a built in video card “

Make sure the monitor is still plugged into the onboard video , not the new video card Power on your system and go into the BIOS this can normally be accessed by hitting the “ Delete “ or “ F2 “ key on boot up .

If it’s not one of these keys your computer will tell you the key to enter setup when it normally boots up.

You may have to hunt around a little in here , but you will find a setting to enable / disable the onboard video, disable the video , save changes and power off the computer.

Now for all types of video card , plug the monitors cable into the new video card and power on. Initially the screen image may look larger and not have so many colours. This is just due to windows using a standard video mode called VGA as it does not have the drivers for the new card installed as yet.

Once the computer has booted up it will find your new graphics card and will either install the drivers itself from its extensive driver library or will ask you for the drivers CD.

Generally even if windows does find the driver itself it’s still worth installing the ones from the CD , the chances are they will be more current.

how to install a video card article

Better still it’s worth going to the video card manufacturers website and downloading the latest, especially if the card is new on the market this is when frequent drivers updates are released.

Hopefully now your video card will be installed and your ready to play the latest and greatest games.

how to install a video card article

If you find that a video card makes a game crash check on the games manufacturers website to see if it’s compatible with the card, a lot of manufacturers do release patches when this occurs.

If your looking for a graphics card, read our " what to look for in a good graphics card article "

Computer-adviser for how to install a video card , what’s real in a computer video graphic card , avoid the hype , graphics cards that support 3d acceleration , video graphic card help site

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