2/27/2020 What is a Video Card?

Video card
Updated: 11/16/2019 by Computer Hope

Alternatively known as a display adapter, graphics

card, video adapter, video board, or video
controller, a video card is an expansion card that
connects to a computer motherboard. It is used to
create a picture on a display; without a video card, you
would not be able to see this page. More plainly, it's a
piece of hardware inside your computer that processes
images and video, some of the tasks normally handled
by the CPU. Video cards are used by gamers in place
of integrated graphics due to their extra processing
power and video ram.

A visual overview of a computer video card

Below are two visual examples of what a video card may look like inside of a computer. First is a picture
of an older model AGP video card with multiple types of connections and components on it. Second is
an example of a more modern PCI Express video card that you would use with today's gaming
computers.

Tip: Some motherboards may also use an onboard video card, which means the video card is not a
separate expansion card like those shown below.

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Video card ports

The pictures above also help illustrate the types of video ports that are used with video cards. For more
information about any of these ports, click on the links below.

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2/27/2020 What is a Video Card?

DVI

HDMI

S-Video

VGA
In the past, VGA or SVGA was the most popular connection used with computer monitors. Today, most
flat panel displays utilize DVI or HDMI connectors.

Video card expansion slots (connections)

A video card expansion slot is where the card connects to the motherboard. In the picture above, the
video card is inserted into the AGP expansion slot on the computer motherboard. Over the development
of computers, there have been several types of expansion slots used for video cards. Today, the most
common expansion slot for video cards is PCIe, which replaced AGP, which replaced PCI, which
replaced ISA.

Tip: Some OEM computers and motherboards may have a video card onboard or integrated into the
motherboard.

Can I install more than one video card?

Yes. Both AMD Radeon (utilizing CrossFire) and NVIDIA GeForce (utilizing SLI) cards are capable of
running two or more video cards together.

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