How to install a video card?

[Jan de Boer]

I have watched movies on you tube. In there they replace one card with the other. But in the system here in the company I work, it seems to be on the motherboard. Is that possible?

Okay I am not really a computer freak that hobby's with computers at home. I am a good programmer, trust me, but in my free time I do other things. I do not touch the computer from the outside, let alone from the inside. In former companies there always was a computer system engineer doing these things for me. I have just started at a new, small company. I could ask a colleague but then I would me marked as a, I do not know what. And I am still in my probation period. (Or how would you call that in English?)

Yesterday the manager pushed a new video card in my hands, with a big smile, 'now your computer will be faster'. Expecting me to get a b*n*r and open my system myself directly. Sorry, I am such a numb!

[Jelle Klap]

Easiest thing in the world, really.
If it's a recent system, then it'll probably be a PCIe card, and most office system motherboards provide at most one PCIe x16 slot. There's only on way to put the card in that slot. Then you'll probably need to connect one or at most two molex connectors from the PSU to the video card to supply it with much needed juice. After that you can boot the system, and - if the card isn't passively cooled - the fan(s) on the video card should start whizzing. Then you just have to enter the system's UEFI or BIOS and disable onboard video. The OS should then boot en probably automatically detect the new card. All that remains then is to install the proper driver, which you may or may not have to download first, depending on whether or not the OS supports it out-of-the-box.

[Jan de Boer]

Thank Jelle. But what about my original question. I took a quick look inside the system this morning and it seems the present video output is on the motherboard or integrated, or whatever. I should just not take out the present video card, since there is none, and put the new one in the slide? Then the system automatically knows I am using an 'external' video card, and not the 'integrated' one on the motherboard or something? Or should there really already be a card present, and am I just blind?

Then when it comes to software, I am better capable. I can get that working. I am just a compete looser when I get anything physical in my hands. If you want things demolished, give Jan a screwdriver!! Tuesday I for example implemented extra memory, but I did not push it in the slot correctly, so it did not work. It was not 'deep enough in the slot'. I did see that in the Operating System, so then I already asked somebody else to help me, and he did it for me. Pfff, and now this video card.

[Jelle Klap]

Jan de Boer wrote:Thank Jelle. But what about my original question. I took a quick look inside the system this morning and it seems the present video output is on the motherboard or integrated, or whatever. I should just not take out the present video card, since there is none, and put the new one in the slide? Then the system automatically knows I am using an 'external' video card, and not the 'integrated' one on the motherboard or something? Or should there really already be a card present, and am I just blind?

Then when it comes to software, I am better capable. I can get that working. I am just a compete looser when I get anything physical in my hands. If you want things demolished, give Jan a screwdriver!! Tuesday I for example implemented extra memory, but I did not push it in the slot correctly, so it did not work. It was not 'deep enough in the slot'. I did see that in the Operating System, so then I already asked somebody else to help me, and he did it for me. Pfff, and now this video card.

No, onbaord video is pretty common, especially in office PCs, so there probably isn't a video card already present in any of the expansion slots. Nothing has to be physically removed from the system in that case. Like I said, just install the new video card. then boot the system and check if it powers up correctly, then enter the BIOS / UEFI and disable onbaord video there. The system should then recognize and use the installed card after a reboot.

[Jan de Boer]

Thanks. I got it working. I had some problems though. First the wide of the system was that small I had to remove the normal VGA connection (this was like the card is build). Then I had no cable for the new kind of connection. (And I am ashamed that I do not even know the name of that kind of connection.) With that new modern cable monitor one worked directly, but with real big icons. I installed some drivers on the CD that was in the package. Then Monitor one worked like normal again. Then I had to ask which kind of key to use to get into the bios. It was F10. Then my colleague told what to change in the bios, he was standing there anyway. Then it worked.

I do not think it was a piece of cake. Actually cold sweat breaks out when I have to do things like this, especially at my job, especially when I am new. I just do not even touch the computer in my free time, and I do other things. Hence about installing hardware I know even less than a normal user. But it's just like this that the system engineer does it at my job mostly. And at home, just because I am already working with computers 40 hours a week, I just, well, do not like to use computers in my free time. I guess I am a weirdo..

[Martin Vashko]

Jan de Boer wrote:And I am ashamed that I do not even know the name of that kind of connection.

Well, it could be DisplayPort, HDMI or DVI, to name just the most common ones. Had I bought shares in a cable-making company a few years ago, I'd be secured for my retirement....

[Jan de Boer]

It was DVI apparently. Thank you Martin.