Question and Answers

JamesD What does a video card do? - JamesD What's the difference between having one and not having one? Good one vs. a bad on?
Best Answer: A video card is hardware inside your computer that processes the computer's visual output. Things such as the picture you see on your screen are probably produced by a video card. (Please Note: The first post is wrong, my XP desktop's video card is not working properly, but I can still see the picture on my screen). Games that are in 3D (They probably use DirectX to process their image) require a video card to supply you with the stunning 3D images. You can function without them using OpenGL (It's software on your computer rather then hardware), but I highly recommend having one. ATI and Nivida are good graphics card companies, but get ready, graphics cards are cheap! - FlashCreations
If you don't have video card your computers video is "onboard". It means the video is handled by the mother board in your PC, and not by a separate dedicated card. Onboard video has to share your system's main memory, while video cards have their own. You'll have much better performance with a video card. The only advantage of having onboard video is that it's cheaper. - G Note
You only need a video card if you want to have picture on your screen! - Safe Mode

Best Answers are selected by the person who asked the question or other Yahoo! users. Find out more at Yahoo! Answers.

Enter a keyword below to find questions and answers from real people.

Want to ask a question? Go to Yahoo! Answers

Product Categories

Computers Home Office Wi-Fi & Networking Phones & PDAs Cameras & Camcorders TV & Home Theater Portable Audio

Question and Answer content at Yahoo! Tech is written by Yahoo! users at Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any Yahoo! Answers content. For more information, read the Full Disclaimer.

Opinions expressed by the Advisors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! receives no compensation from any manufacturer or distributor nor does it compensate any Advisor for the coverage of any product or service in any Advisor's content.