Video Cards - "Eyes" of Your Computer

Computers have always used some sort of video card or display adapter ever since the personal computer was invented. There were plenty of computers before that didn't use screens (imagine that!), but these were used mainly for calculations and diagnostics. When you think about these old computers, think about the old "Super Computer" that was really big and had buttons on it - something you would see in an old horror-type film or some sort, maybe Frankenstein.

But, enough about the past, lets talk video cards! For generations now, video cards have been one of the most important parts of any computer system. Without one, your computer will still run, but you won't have a picture on your screen since you wouldn't be able to plug your monitor into your computer. For those that don't know, when you plug your monitor into the back of your computer, it goes directly into the video card or video display port. From here, the computer processors everything you "see" through your video card and it gets sent up to your monitor where you interact with the computer, whether it's a game, word processor, internet browser or email.

What's the difference between a video card and a video display adapter? Nothing! They're technically the same thing, but may look differently. A video card is something that you can actually pull out of your computer and hold in your hands physically whereas a video display adapter may be built into your motherboard (another computer component) and you can physically pull it off or hold it. Usually a video card is much more powerful than a video adapter (also called a display adapter). A video card has it's own GPU, which is basically a CPU (also known as a processor). Your video card also has its own RAM (also known as memory) built right on it, much like your motherboard has RAM slots and you put RAM into them. However, video card RAM is different as it can not be removed, replaced or upgraded on a video card but you have to upgrade the entire card.

Many gamers are highly concerned about video cards because they're so important to their games. Without a very fast and powerful video card, you might see "delays" in your game, which some people refer to as "lag" but in reality it is the inability of your video card to display frames as fast as it should. But it's okay, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with your video card, it just means it's not powerful enough to handle the graphics of your game. The "lag" you experience is actually a low "frame rate". When a game is played on your screen, it displays in "frames" which you, the user, interact with. To find out exactly what frames are and why they're important, check out this article on "What is FPS? [http://www.videocardemporium.com/FPS.php]", it'll give you a brief understanding of what it stands for and what it is.

The more graphically intense a game is, the harder it is for a video card to display since it has to finely tune all the details, physics (if any), textures, colors and a million other things that are being sent to your monitor. Chances are, if your game is running slow, a video card upgrade could definitely help you out! With as cheap as video cards are getting today, it's really a good idea to get a new card regardless. A lot of new video cards come with new technology to help your computer run better all around and not just in games. They help refresh images on a screen more quickly and even have the technology to display HD images from movies. Who doesn't like to see their movie displayed in top notch quality? With some video cards as low as under $100, it's an easy upgrade to give you a whole new visual performance on your computer.

If you're feeling like you need a new video card or an upgrade, I'd highly recommend checking out Video Card Emporium for some of the cheapest video cards you can find. They sell a bunch of value cards that are great additions to any computer, whether it's for gaming or just an overall upgrade, a cheap video card doesn't mean it's bad! It may simply be slightly outdated or a value model. Much like how cars have different models, such as standard or luxury, so do video cards!

In conclusion, give your eyes something better to look at! See clean, crisp, vivid color displayed on your screen with a brand new cheap video card [http://www.videocardemporium.com] and give your eyes a break. Who knows, it might even save you some eye strain!

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The Price Of Graphics Cards For PC Gamers

So there has been a ton of success for games made on the PC, not necessarily, the quantity of games shipped, but the quality of the games development. PC gamers are the new connoisseur of gaming, standards have to be met to please the most hardcore of gamer on the PC. The expectancy of graphics, gameplay, controls and overall feeling of the game must present itself as a true landmark over its home console counterparts, and effectively use whatever hardware a gamer has on his PC. The line has been stretched so thin between a casual PC player like a "bejewler" from a hardcore PC Vet playing all the newest first person shooters. Are PC games better than console games? and is worth all the money shoveling in order to get a worthy computer?

PC games better? Well it is all an opinion, but, PC gamers like myself value something in the mouse and keyboard as uncomfortable people might find the controls. And a lot of people like to think they get what they pay for, which in this instant I full heartedly believe. Computer hardware for gaming can get very expensive and, although, games are only 50 bucks (ten dollars cheaper than Xbox 360), the graphics card, ram upgrade and whatever else you need is an arm and toe out of your paycheck. The newest FPS Crysis is a modern gem that everyone is raving about because it gets the closest to looking as real as possible. But most people can't play this game on their store bought Dell, they will need a graphics card that cost around 300.00 500.00 dollars. The Nvidia 8800GTX will do quite nicely, this graphics card has 512MB of ram and will make Crysis and Gears of War run better than imaginable, but is it worth the price?

I've come to find that the price is well worth it, the computer is my console and I wouldn't have it any other way. Forking out the extra money for the uprising of great games is something I want to do, and personally I find it outweighing the other gaming options more than 2 fold.

So you might feel the same way as I do, and you need to get some upgrades on your computer. Well like I said if you have a fairly good processor in your computer than you need to upgrade to 2 gigs of Ram and get a graphics card with at least 256 MB, which varies with what you want to play. And there are cheaper graphics cards out there for less than 200.00 dollars, you just need to know where to look (scroll down for the link to look at games and what graphics cards they need). Other options to look at are buying a new gaming computer, check out the Area-51 7500 if you want a Desktop, or the Area-51® m5550 if you want a laptop. They both are made by the best company for gaming computers: Alienware, and will only cost you a little over 1000.00 dollars. And give you best monitors, speakers, hardware and more for playing PC games.

If you want more information about graphics cards and specific graphics cards for whatever PC game you want to play than check out the site I write articles for YourGamerCard.com

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