Planning to Buy a new graphics card for your PC?

If you want more PC performance so you can play the latest games at high resolutions and maximum quality, you will need a decent graphics card. But how do you know if your new card will fit inside your PC's case and how do you know if it will be compatible with your existing set up.

Many PCs rely on 'integrated graphics' which are either a chip on the motherboard or one built into the CPU itself. Other computers have a ‘dedicated graphics card', which plugs into an expansion slot on your PC's motherboard.

You can usually tell which type of 'graphics' your PC uses by the location of the graphics connector port you use to plug in your monitor. If it is located in among the other ports, such as USB and Ethernet, then it’s 'integrated graphics'. If the port is separate to the others, and there’s more than one port, such as a pair of DVI outputs, HDMI or DisplayPort, it’s likely to be a 'dedicated graphics card'.

To fit a new 'dedicated graphics card' you’ll need both a PCI Express expansion slot and a corresponding slot in the PC's case, with a removable back plate where the connections will sit.

Next Month: Making sure your new Graphic Card fits your PC