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Step 1
Check your motherboard to see if your computer supports AGP or PCI Express card slots. Newer computers will feature PCI Express card slots, but if you have an older computer, you will need to get a graphics board that supports the older AGP interface.
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Step 2
Look at the power supply inside your computer to see what wattage the power supply is producing. You will need at least 350W for a budget graphics board and at least 500W for a dual graphics board. You may want to consider replacing the power supply if you need more power to run a more powerful graphics board.
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Step 3
Find the graphics board at an electronics store or online that matches the type of card slot your computer has and will run on the power outputted by your power supply. Take a look at the other features the graphic board offers.
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Step 4
Choose a mid-range priced graphics board if you are going to use the computer for normal day-to-day tasks and play the occasional game.
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Step 5
Buy a graphics board that supports DirectX 10 and has at least 512MB of RAM if you are a serious gamer and want to play the popular current games.
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Step 6
Purchase a graphics board that has video-in and audio-in ports if you are going to record and edit digital video. If you don't plan on using this feature, buy a cheaper graphics board without it to save you some money.
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Step 7
Be sure to buy a graphics board that implements HDCP if you want to use the graphics card to watch Blu-ray or HD DVDs.
