Q&A for How to Change a Graphics Card

Return to Full Article

Coming soon

Add New Question

Question

Is graphics card same as video card?

Matt Ham
Computer Repair Specialist
Matt Ham is a Computer Repair Specialist and the CEO and President of Computer Repair Doctor. With over a decade of experience, Matt specializes in Mac, PC, iPhone, iPad, and Smartphone repairs and upgrades. Matt holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University. Matt has expanded Computer Repair Doctor to seven different locations. He is also a Co-Owner of Repair Life, a full-scale marketing agency specializing in driving both online and offline leads to cell phone and computer repair shops and device retailers.

Matt Ham

Computer Repair Specialist

Expert Answer

A graphics card is also called a video card, and generates graphics for the computer. You will need a a graphics card if you want to do more advanced gaming, more advanced graphics simulations on your machine.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 3
Question

How do I change a graphics card with a Linux based machine?

Community Answer

That's easy! Just go open your computer, find the PCI slot and insert the card.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 17 Helpful 15
Question

Do you install the new drivers before or after changing the graphics card?

Ryan 200509

Community Answer

After! Installing the drivers before installing the graphics card can cause issues.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 8 Helpful 27
Question

Do I have to get a new power cable to connect the graphics card or is there one in the computer I can use?

Community Answer

It depends. If the computer is already assembled and you're upgrading the GPU, you shouldn't need a new power cable (but you might if you threw out the one that came with the power supply). If you're building a computer from scratch, the power supply will have all the cables you need (but you should check which ones it has and which ones you need).

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 4
Question

Do I need to uninstall the old graphics card drivers after I install the new one?

Community Answer

Most likely, yes. Otherwise conflicts may occur. In fact, you should do this before new drivers are installed.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 3
Question

My computer goes into a black screen when I uninstall my old graphics card. Why does that happen?

Community Answer

It happens because there's nothing telling the display what to do.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 30 Helpful 13
Question

Can I use the same cables for my 970 and 960?

Community Answer

Yes, the two use the same cables.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 10 Helpful 5
Question

Can I use all the same stuff from my 1050 on a 1050 ti?

Community Answer

Yes, you can! There were no significant changes, only VRAM and the processing power, but the driver is the same and the i/o nearly the same if not the same.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3
Question

Will the same cables from a GTX 750 work with an Asus GTX 970?

Ryan 200509

Community Answer

Most likely not. From my experience, I've never seen a GTX 750 with a cable. Unless you are using SLI, the chance is very minimal.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 7 Helpful 2
Question

How do I change my Intel driver to Nvidia?

Community Answer

Intel does not make graphics cards, and therefore doesn't make graphics drivers, so you only have to install drivers using instructions in the article.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 7 Helpful 2
Question

Do I need to reinstall drivers if changing a graphics card?

Community Answer

Yes. If your new card has a different chipset manufacturer, like AMD or NVIDIA, you will need to uninstall previous drivers as well as installing new ones.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
Question

Is it safe to remove and reinsert a graphics card multiple times?

Community Answer

No, it is not safe to remove and install a graphics card a lot of times. This can damage the PCI-E slots. But if the graphics card needs to be taken out and installed again, make sure to do it slowly so the motherboard does not get damaged.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0
Question

How do I know if I can upgrade my graphics card?

Community Answer

Here are two reasons how you can know if you should switch graphics card: 1. Check the specifications of your power supply to the graphics card. The graphics card watts should be lower than the amount of watts the power supply has, so the graphics card can work, since it is connected to the power supply. The power supply needs to use more watts from the motherboard, etc. So, if you buy a graphics card that has 200 wattage, I would recommend a power supply with 500 watts. 2. Check how big the space inside the PC is to see if you are able to fit a graphics card that is large, since most graphics cards now are very big.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0