Upgrade your PC with a new graphics card

Before installing a new graphics card, the software for the existing graphics card should be uninstalled. Also, in most cases, the old card should be physically removed from inside the PC. You can have several graphics cards installed in a PC to run multiple monitors but that is not our focus here. Click on the Start button and then on Control Panel. Click on Add/Remove Programs (XP) or, in Vista, click on Programs and then the Uninstall a Program link. The graphics driver will be listed by the manufacturer name. There are three key graphics manufacturers ­ ATI, Nvidia and Intel. Software is listed alphabetically, so ATI drivers will be at the top, but Intel and Nvidia will be further down. If a restart is required, follow the instructions. If Windows appears to load the drivers for the graphics card again, click Cancel.

Upgrading a graphics card involves opening up the PC to remove the old card and inserting a new one. But before buying any new hardware, it is important to determine whether the computer uses a PCI Express type of graphics card or the older AGP variety. The two are not interchangeable, so it’s important to buy the right kind of card. An AGP slot is normally brown and about 2in long (as in our picture). The more modern PCI Express slots are longer and look like the one in the picture for Step 3, although it may be black instead of red.

The computer’s power supply cable and open the case. We would advise using an anti-static wrist strap as static can damage computer components. Remove the old graphics card. Be careful not to force the card; many AGP cards are fixed in place with a retaining clip. Insert the new graphics card, following the instructions that came with the device. If more than one power plug is required, use plugs on separate wires from the power supply, not two plugs wired in series. Doing so may overload the power supply. Replace the case and switch the computer on.

Installation of driver software varies from card to card. For the best performance, download and install the latest drivers, either from the card manufacturer or direct from ATI or Nvidia. To be on the safe side, though, install the supplied drivers first, then upgrade to the latest driver as described in Steps 5 and 6. That way, Windows can always ‘roll back’ to the original driver if there is a problem. To do this, click on the Start button and then right-click on My Computer (just Computer in Vista), selecting Manage from the menu that appears. Click on Continue in the UAC window in Vista if it appears. Click on Device Manager and then on the plus next to Display Adapter. Right-click on the graphics card, select Properties and then the Driver tab. Click on Roll Back Driver.

Graphics hardware works best when used with the latest drivers. If you are using Vista, there is a chance the default driver installed during setup is not allowing the computer to utilise its full potential. Check the make and model number of the PC’s graphics hardware by going to Start, right-clicking on Computer and selecting Manage from the menu that appears. After clicking on Continue in the User Account Control (UAC) box, highlight Device Manager in the left-hand column of the Computer Management window that appears and then click the plus (+) sign next to where it says Display Adapters on the right. Make a note of the details.

To download and install the latest drivers from your graphics card, head to the relevant manufacturer’s website (http://ati.amd.com for ATI, www.nvidia.co.uk for Nvidia and www.intel.com for Intel). Look for the support or download section to find the latest software for your graphics. Then follow the displayed instructions.