All you need to know about purchasing a graphic card for your PC or laptop

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You have always been into playing video games and have become competitive at it, probably spending far too much time at it. However, you love your hobby, which doesn’t cost you too much money and keeps you out of any mischief some friends have got into.

Handily you were put in touch with someone who could offer you some work from home in IT skills that you have improved upon purely by teaching yourself. This income is most welcome as you are ready to purchase a new graphics processor, otherwise known as a GPU. You decide that to advance your experience you will choose an MSI graphic card.

What is a graphic card?

A graphic card generates images from a laptop or PC and sends them to a screen or monitor. The size and quality will affect the output and determine how great the visual experience that gamers will enjoy. It is a more important component than the CPU, central processing unit.

While most consumer desktops and laptops come with a GPU, the addition of a high quality graphic card will enhance the imagery and enjoyment for games when choosing the right product, with most models allowing for the inclusion of the extra graphic card. 

It works by the CPU sending information to the card, which decides how exactly to use its pixels to create the perfect image. A cable transmits the information calculated by the card to the monitor. It can make calculations that a computer would find too arduous to handle.

The graphic card carries out its task through using 4 main computer components, with a motherboard initially collecting the data and power. The GPU then decides what to do with each pixel prior to the video memory or VRAM holding the information of each pixel before it temporarily stores the finished image. From there it is sent to the monitor where the final image is seen. 

How to buy the right graphics card for you

Ensure that your CPU is also up to scratch otherwise it will not be able to cope with an advanced graphic card. A monitor resolution is another important factor for similar reasons. It needs to match your choice and be compatible with your GPU and can it keep up with the refresh rate?

Ensure that your laptop or desktop has enough space and memory to cope with your new graphic card along with the required power. A visit to a museum of imagery and technology might be a nice way to reflect on the advancement in recent years.

Ask the experts

As ever, a great way to confirm that you are purchasing the correct graphic card is to read product reviews, ask in store experts and speak to fellow gamers who have experience. Always consider your other components before buying something that your system cannot cope with.

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