Computers and Technology

Every gamer wants a high performance system. However, building one can be wildly costly. As the graphics card often dictates the in-game performance of your computer, a high-end GPU is considered a must for a serious gamer. The most powerful graphics cards can put a serious dent in your wallet and also become obsolete after several months.

However, with the emergence of multi-GPU technology, a user can combine multiple cards to achieve better performance. This means you can purchase less expensive graphics cards for use with your gaming PC. As your needs increase, you can purchase another card to take some of the load off of your current hardware. This will give you an increase in performance that was previously only available on a prohibitively expensive graphics card.

Nvidia’s SLI and ATI’s CrossFire technologies offer multiple card support. If you are interested in put together a machine based on this strategy, you should be careful to get the correct parts. If you want multi-GPU support, you will need a motherboard that supports it. Most newer gaming motherboards will offer this. Also, you will need a beastly power supply to pump out the electricity needed to run multiple cards. These SLI-ready power supplies are not necessarily expensive. However, you just don’t want to have to buy a new power supply when you purchase a new card.

If you use this strategy to build your gaming PC, you can purchase decent graphics cards that are a few months behind the newest releases. These are much cheaper cards. However, the addition of future cards will give you a similar boost in performance to one of the newest, pricey cards. You can save up money for extra cards as you go without having to throw out old parts.

Be careful that you plan your purchases around the limitations of multi-GPU technology. For example, an Nvidia SLI rig will require you to use multiple cards of the same chip set. If you plan on using a GeForce 9800 GT, for example, you will need to purchase the same card when you add a second. ATI’s CrossFire technology allows you to use different cards from the same series. These aren’t unreasonable limitations, but you don’t want to accidentally purchase a card that won’t work with your setup.

If you play massively multiplayer online games, such as World of Warcraft and other popular MMOPRGs you might want to weigh using one powerful card instead. These games tend to be very processor intensive, and there are frequently support issues for multi-GPU setups. However, for other games that really work your graphics card, multiple cards can vastly improve your performance.

High end graphics really show the incredible power of the desktop PC. Gaming does not require the huge budgets of the past. If you choose a smart build, you can get smooth frame rates on the latest games at a reasonable price. Multi-GPU technology allows you to upgrade your machine on your terms.

As a nationwide computer repair service company, Geek Choice is dedicated to helping gamers keep their systems in excelent condition. If you are ready to deal with your slow computer or choppy graphics, consider a consultation with the techs at Geek Choice.

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When most people consider doing an upgrade to their existing PC buying a new graphics cards often seems the way to go but there are some considerations you need to take into account.

How Old Is Your Games Collection

One of the first things that you’ll need to do is a take a close look at what you use your computer for and at the collection of games that you’ve got. Do you have an older collection of games or are you looking to buy the latest releases?

If the majority are older titles then you simply will not need a high end high memory card and will be better suited with a budget card especially in an older system. One thing to be on the lookout for is the power of your CPU as this may cause issues. Do your homework before purchasing. Getting the latest upgrade when you’ve got an older chip in your computer will be a waste since the two won’t be compatible.

Does Your Motherboard Support The Card Type?

You need to keep in mind as well these cards are not universal. That means not all of the ones you buy will be compatible with your system.

The type of card you need for a newer motherboard will vary compared to an older motherboard so you need to choose the right one, the different types are; AGP – Pci, and Pci-e

Is There Enough Memory In Your Computer?

Quite often upgrading a graphics card will also mean a Ram upgrade too!

Graphic Cards have their own GPU which is another name for a processing unit. With a faster GPU it has lots of memory, and if your computer only has a pretty small amount of onboard memory then you are bound to have issues as there will be insufficient memory to allocate to your system hardware and the card will either not install or your pc will become vary slow.

Is Your Power Supply Good Enough?

Bigger cards draw more power from your computer so you need to take this into account as well, earlier power supplies tended to be much smaller and may only be around 300w or there abouts, so depending on if you have already added additional hardware to your system, this may lead to excessive power drain which can cause system instability. Also take note thatmany a majority of the newer cards may need an alterantive direct power connection so open your case and make sure that a spare connector is not only available, but is also long enough to reach the card.

Is My Case Suitable?

This is one aspect that is often totally forgotten about but some cases will be quite small or the motherboard configuration may be such that a newer card will simply not fit!

Typically newer cards are much longer and much deeper than older less powerful cards. With newer cards working a lot harder they tend to generate a lot more heat so onboard cooling has been increase. This tends to lead to a thicker card as well so you may need to move other Pci cards to accommodate a larger graphics card.

A graphics card upgrade is worthwhile but does need some planning, but if you are after the ultimate gaming experience and your computer is over 3-4 years old you may be better off just buying a new one.

For computer help visit the Dorchester Laptop Repairs website.

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