15.3 Installing a Video Adapter
Physically installing most video
cards is very straightforward. Simply choose an available expansion
slot (PCI or AGP, as appropriate), seat the video card, and connect
the monitor. Nearly all video cards are standalone devices, with the
obsolete 3dfx Voodoo 1 and Voodoo 2 as notable
exceptions. The Voodoo 1 and 2 are 3D-only video cards. Because they
do not provide 2D functions, you must also have a standard video card
installed in the system in which you install the Voodoo. The Voodoo
serves as a kind of "3D
coprocessor," relieving your standard video card of
3D processing duties, but using it for 2D functions.
 |
Many video adapters now come with
heatsinks on the graphics chipset.
Some whose chipsets run at very high speeds go further, adding a fan
to the heatsink. If your adapter has a fan, make sure to connect
power to that fan before you use the adapter. We received mail from a
reader who didn't realize that connecting the fan
was mandatory, and so overheated and damaged his expensive new video
adapter.
|
|
|
