- Dec 1, 2013
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Hello everyone, I have been looking around the forum and see that many people do not know how to properly install a graphics card. Weather it be securing it into the PCI-E slot, or the proper power connections. In this tutorial you will learn how to properly install a graphics card. Feel free to link this tutorial to anybody on the forum that has a question about installing a graphics card.
Throughout this build I will be calling the graphics card a GPU as well as graphics card. GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit, and is the little processor on the card itself however, most people including me will call the whole card, a GPU.
Ok, here is the card that we will be using for this guide, but remember for the installation of graphics cards, it's mostly universal.
■ The Gigabyte 770
Now, when you open the box of this you will find the following-
These cables will allow you to power your GPU even if your power supply is outdated. You will use them if you do not have 1x 8pin and 1x 6pin power connecters.
Most GPU's will come with these adapters. As well as a quick installation guide and a driver disk. Do not use the driver disk to install the GPU's drivers. You will want to get the most updated drivers from the GPU's website, i.e NVIDIA or AMD.
Before you install the GPU, remember that static discharge can effect your hardware, make sure you are grounded to the case as much as possible until the GPU is making contact with the case. You may even want to consider using an anti-static strap. It will keep you from shocking your part, for the most part you should be fine, stay away from carpet and pets though.
Now we will begin the installation of the graphics card itself. Before we start, we will want to find are power connecters(1x 8pin and 1x 6pin) also you will want to remove two expansion slot covers from your case so that you will be able to put the GPU into it's place.
The slot covers should look something like these-
Moving on. Now you will want to simply put the card into the PCI-E slot on your motherboard. Should look like this.
The pictures above show how the GPU should be secured to the motherboard as well as the case.
Now we move to power connections. The following pictures show what you need to have connected to your GPU to properly power it.
Make sure both cables are properly connected.
Once you have all of these steps completed, you are ready to connect your monitor and boot up the machine. You can use any of the Ports on the back of the GPU to connect a monitor to.
Once your machine is booted up, you may notice that the resolution is not what it should be, or that the image is not crisp. That is normal and fine. What you will want to do now is download the proper drivers. In my case I will be installing the NVIDIA drivers for my GPU, you can also install the NVIDIA drivers. If you have an AMD card, you can still get NVIDIA drivers, but you might want to also get AMD drivers so you can configure crossfire and other AMD "Extras". Go to the website and simply look for the download section, you should be able to easily fine the newest drivers.
Once you complete these steps, restart the computer and you should be all set to use your new graphics card.
I hope this guide can help people new to the PC building world, as well as people that just aren't sure about this part of building.
Throughout this build I will be calling the graphics card a GPU as well as graphics card. GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit, and is the little processor on the card itself however, most people including me will call the whole card, a GPU.
Ok, here is the card that we will be using for this guide, but remember for the installation of graphics cards, it's mostly universal.
■ The Gigabyte 770
Now, when you open the box of this you will find the following-
2x molex power cables to 1x 6 pin adapter
2x Molex power cables to 1x 8 pin adapter
These cables will allow you to power your GPU even if your power supply is outdated. You will use them if you do not have 1x 8pin and 1x 6pin power connecters.
Most GPU's will come with these adapters. As well as a quick installation guide and a driver disk. Do not use the driver disk to install the GPU's drivers. You will want to get the most updated drivers from the GPU's website, i.e NVIDIA or AMD.
Before you install the GPU, remember that static discharge can effect your hardware, make sure you are grounded to the case as much as possible until the GPU is making contact with the case. You may even want to consider using an anti-static strap. It will keep you from shocking your part, for the most part you should be fine, stay away from carpet and pets though.
Now we will begin the installation of the graphics card itself. Before we start, we will want to find are power connecters(1x 8pin and 1x 6pin) also you will want to remove two expansion slot covers from your case so that you will be able to put the GPU into it's place.
The slot covers should look something like these-
Moving on. Now you will want to simply put the card into the PCI-E slot on your motherboard. Should look like this.
The pictures above show how the GPU should be secured to the motherboard as well as the case.
Now we move to power connections. The following pictures show what you need to have connected to your GPU to properly power it.
Make sure both cables are properly connected.
Once you have all of these steps completed, you are ready to connect your monitor and boot up the machine. You can use any of the Ports on the back of the GPU to connect a monitor to.
Once your machine is booted up, you may notice that the resolution is not what it should be, or that the image is not crisp. That is normal and fine. What you will want to do now is download the proper drivers. In my case I will be installing the NVIDIA drivers for my GPU, you can also install the NVIDIA drivers. If you have an AMD card, you can still get NVIDIA drivers, but you might want to also get AMD drivers so you can configure crossfire and other AMD "Extras". Go to the website and simply look for the download section, you should be able to easily fine the newest drivers.
Once you complete these steps, restart the computer and you should be all set to use your new graphics card.
I hope this guide can help people new to the PC building world, as well as people that just aren't sure about this part of building.
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