Video Cards Part 2: All you ever wanted to know about video card© Michael Christopher Brinton
Jun 3, 1997
Buying a 2D Video Card
Whether or not you decide to buy a 2D only, or a 2D/3D card, the 2D component in the video card is important because it is used the most. The first thing to consider when looking at 2D capabilities, is you current monitor. The reason that your monitor plays a factor in your decision is because depending on the monitor size, it affects the resolution in which you can display. Here is a basic guide to monitor resolutions, but they can vary between different monitors.
| Monitor Size | Display Resolution | *Only available on higher-end monitors. |
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| 14'' | 640x480 | 800x600 |
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| 15'' | 640x480 | 800x600 | 1024x780* |
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| 17'' | 640x480 | 800x600 | 1024x780 | 1280x1024* |
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| 19'' | 640x480 | 800x600 | 1024x780 | 1280x1024 |
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| 21'' | Up to 1600x1200, 1600x1280, or higher |
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Why does this matter? Because many cards offer many colors at high resolutions, which is nice if you have a 17'' or bigger monitor which can display the higher resolutions. However, if you have a 14'' or 15'' monitor you are paying extra money for something that you won't use.
Video RAM
Video RAM makes the difference in versions of a card. Most come with two or four megabytes of RAM. With more RAM on a video card, more colors can be displayed at higher resolutions and refresh rates. There are still a few cards with the option for one megabyte, but I wouldn't recommend getting one unless you are stretched for money, because on your current card you probably already have one-megabyte of RAM. The decision usually falls between two and four-megabytes. For most video cards, this is about a $20-120 difference in price.
You should base your decision on the video resolutions that are available to you for your monitor. Generally you will want four-megabytes (or more), if you have a 17'' or bigger monitor. If you have a 15'' or smaller two-megabytes should work just fine. Of course, the RAM is not the whole story. Some video cards that have powerful processing chips, will run 1024x780 resolution just great on two-megabytes. When buying you should study the cards individually and look at what colors they can display at each resolutions. (Beware, many advertisements say, "Can display at 1280x1024 and up to 16.7 million colors" This does not always mean that the card can display 1280x1024 at 16.7 million colors. It could just display 640x480 at 16.7 million colors and 1280x1024 at 16 or 256 colors.)
Refresh Rates
When looking into video cards, you might see statistics of refresh rates, but what do they mean? The refresh rate refers to how fast the electric beam of the monitor can move to one side and then back. This can be important to an extent. Your eye can see approximately 72hz, so anything above that looks just fine. A little below 72hz the video might appear to flicker slightly. If you are using a computer for extended periods of time with a low refresh rate, you may experience headaches and eyestrain. Therefore, if a video card advertises 1280x1024 resolution but with only a 60hz refresh rate, it may not be as good as it seems. Overall, you will want to aim for refresh rates 75hz and above.
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