Dedicated video cards provide better performance than integrated cards.
Video cards are responsible for creating the graphics you see on the computer screen. A top-of-the-line graphics card will have little functionality if the drivers for it are not installed. It helps to know which driver you have before attempting to upgrade. Driver information is found in more than one place and is retrieved without opening the computer case.
Instructions
Device Manager
1. Right-click the desktop and click either "Personalize" or "Properties," depending on the operating system.
2. Click "Advanced," then "Adapter." Alternatively, Vista and Windows 7 users look beneath "See also" and choose "Display."
3. Click "Change Display Settings," then "Advanced Settings," unless you're on the Adapter tab and the graphics card and version is listed. Look beneath "Adapter Type" to see the type of card you have.
4. Click "Properties" and go to the "Driver" tab. The driver date and driver version is shown near the top of the dialog box.
Registry Editor
5. Click "Start" and type "Regedit.exe" to open the registry editor.
6. Click the plus signs to expand "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\hardware\DeviceMap\Video."
7. Double-click "Device\Video0." The value shown is the location in the registry that contains video driver information. For example, if it says "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services", you would look for whatever word comes after "Services." Write down the entire value.
8. Go back to the first registry folder "Computer" and click to expand the folders corresponding with the ones discovered in Step 3.
9. Double-click "InstalledDisplayDrivers" to see the current graphics driver.
Tags: graphics card