How to Install a Graphics Card

Here's a quick and easy tutorial on how to install your graphics card into your computer.

Things to keep in mind before installing your graphics card:

• Be sure that your case has enough space to fit your graphics card
• Be sure that your monitor supports the ports on the video card (i.e. DVI, VGA, HDMI)
• Be sure that the power supply provides the right amount of power for your video card
• If your case has a panel covering the slot where the video card is placed, remove it. Some graphics cards take up two panels.
• Finally, be sure your case has adequate cooling fans

Step 1

Graphics cards are placed on the motherboard’s Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, or PCI-E. PCI-E’s are the only slot a video card can be placed. Some motherboards have small clips on the PCI-E slots which securely keeps the graphics card in place. If your motherboard has a clip, be sure it snaps in when installing the video card into the slot.



Step 2

Most graphics cards must be properly secured by a screw. The screw is located on the top of the side panel facing the back of your case. Once screwed, your video card is completely secured in your case.



Step 3

Some graphics cards require extra power. Most of these cards need one or two 6-pin and/or 8-pin power connectors. Without the extra power, video cards will not work properly. Place the power connectors in the plugs located on the top, sides, or rear of the graphics card.



Step 4

Monitors must be connected to the video card. Using graphics connectors such as VGA, DVI, or HDMI, connect the monitor to the graphics card. The plugs on the graphics card are located on the panel facing the rear of the case.



Step 5

Once your graphics card has been properly secured, properly powered, and properly connected to the monitor, turn on your machine. If no image appears on your monitor, check to be sure you have precisely followed the steps above. If still no image appears, check your monitor. If that doesn’t work, contact your graphics card manufacturer.

Sometimes, the BIOS in the motherboard could be selected on a different graphics source, such as internal graphics installed in the motherboard. If this is the case, you must hook up your monitor to the internal graphics port to select the PCI-E slot through the BIOS.



Step 6

If all goes well and an image appears on your monitor, find the drivers disk you received in your graphics card retail box. Put in the disk and install the graphics drivers. If there is no disk, try going to the manufacturer’s website. Find the drivers page, select your model, and then download the correct driver and install. Drivers can also be found on the chipset manufacturer’s website, such as NVIDA or AMD. Something to keep in mind: if there was previously another driver installed on the machine for another graphics card, uninstall it before installing the new drivers.



And that’s it!

Remember that without drivers, your video card won’t run correctly. Drivers are almost as important as the graphics cards themselves.

Also remember that some motherboards come with two or more PCI-E slots. If your graphics card supports SLI or Crossfire, you may be able to place multiple video cards in your machine. If correctly configured, the graphics cards will all work like one graphics card with a lot more performance. If you do go SLI or Crossfire, be sure to have a lot of cooling fans and a beefy power supply.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it is possible to connect multiple displays to most graphics cards.