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It's basically just a matter of "take the old one out, put the new one in, install the drivers if necessary."
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Make sure the power supply can handle it, too.
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^Yes, if your computer doesn't have enough power to run the card, the computer might, in the worst case, not start up at all or, in the best case, simply not allow you to run a game.
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Your power supply's powerness is usually marked on its side. You might wanna take a look at it before you buy anything. You can also find out your old card's model via System Information, Google its power draw and compare that to whatever new one you're interested in.
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Make sure your computer has the slots to support it. There's PCI, AVG, and PCI-E type slots. PCI-E is the best, AVG is better then PCI. If your computer is old it might not have PCI-E slots, which would mean you'd need to get a whole new motherboard if you got a PCI-E card.
In addition, make sure you check your power supply. 300w is basic, so if you want a good card you may or may not need to get your PSU to 400w or 500w.
There are A LOT of cards out there by the way. Always look at the reviews for your card, if its cheap, it could be underpowered...or very noisy.
edited 30th Mar '11 9:14:13 PM by CommandoDude
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Unless your motherboard or power supply has been replaced (which I very much doubt,) just read your computer's manual, it'll say what kind of slots it has and how much electricity the power supply is good for among many other helpful things, often including hands-on step-by-step instructions for all upgrades. If you don't have the manual, go to the manufacturer's site and I guarantee you'll find it in PDF format.
If your PSU is too wimpy to supply the video card you really want, you can even upgrade that ($20-$200 depending.)
^^ You mean AGP. Also, there's different speeds of each slot, though they're usually backward compatible.
If the PC in question is old enough to have AGP slots, then unless it's built specifically to play older PC games that don't like modern hardware, there's no point upgrading anything. Time for a whole new PC with a multi-core CPU and a PCIe x16 slot.
Anyway, as for the PSU, you want a quality one; I'd say at least 600W, though the amperage on the rails (especially +12V) is far more important.
edited 31st Mar '11 11:07:43 AM by NamelessFragger
Basically, I need a new graphics card and I've never even opened up my computer. So what do I need to know? Can I install it without any help?
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