Smart Computing Article - Video Cards

November 2000 • Vol.8 Issue 11 Page(s) 46-50 in print issue Add To My Personal Library Most peripherals on your PC are important in a practical sort of way, but few are as crucial as a graphics card. Why? Try connecting your monitor to your Zip drive. You'll see 1,024 x 768 pixels of nothing. No graphics card means no graphics, which makes your computer about as useful as a VCR with no play button. You can get by without a CD-RW (compact disc-rewriteable) drive if you need to. You probably don't need 128MB (megabytes) of RAM (random-access memory), but you will need a good graphics card. Fortunately, graphics cards are easy to install, and there are several from which to choose. That's good, because you want to make sure you buy a graphics card that's right for you. One size does not fit all. If you don't put some thought into what kind of graphics card you should buy, you could end up with one that won't provide the power you want, or you could end up with a graphics card that has far more power than you'll ever need, and you will have spent a couple of hundred bucks more than you needed to. Take some time to consider what kind of computer user you are. If you love computer games, you'll obviously want a powerful graphics card that can handle the graphics-rich titles that have become so popular. If you play games occasionally and primarily use your computer to run office programs, scan photos, or surf the Internet, you won't need the latest and greatest graphics card. You can find one that accelerates your 2-D applications at a much lower price than the 3-D powerhouses. If the only game you play on your computer is the Windows version