Video adapters or accelerators as they used to be called, convert the raw data from your PC into image data and stores it in its video memory. The adapter then translates the contents in the memory into video signals which are then driven to the monitor.
As you’ve probably guessed – video graphics cards are a critical part of viewer experience and more memory it boasts of, more graphics you can display on your computer! One of the industries that hugely benefit from improvements in video card technology is the “Gaming” industry. With companies like NVIDIA producing high performance video accelerators such as the GeForce GTX series, game developers can delve deep into the realm of 3D imagery and memory hogging graphics for their gaming solutions.Just like the RAM, video card comes in different types. Single data rate (SDR) & Double data rate (DDR) with the latter being faster and better.
Diagnosing video graphics cards problems:
| My computer is ON, but there is no display? |
| Start with the basics, check the cabling to your monitor and see if it’s plugged in properly and the power output is right. Try adjusting the monitor’s brightness control. See if the video card is properly fitted in its slot. Inspect if there is a resource conflict between the video adapter and other hardware. |
| I see patches of the screen stick to my desktop when I minimize my browser window. |
| These are called “Artifacts” or patches that are left behind on your screen even when all the windows are minimized. Try reinstalling/updating your video driver in this case. |
| Video quality is degraded & some colors are missing on screen. |
| Check the connector pins to see if they are bent or broken. This problem is also known to be caused by computer viruses. So, make sure you keep your system clean using a good anti-virus/firewall software like Symantec Norton Internet Security. |
Testing your display – Check out the testing utilities on offer from diplaymate
