How to Update Laptop Graphics Card

Laptop graphics cards show stunning displays, such as 3D.

Laptops play video and render graphics as well as some of the most powerful desktop computers. A laptop's impressive display is partly achieved with a graphics card, also called a video card or display adapter. Realistic PC games and high-definition videos use resources from the card, such as memory, to show these brilliant displays on the screen. Graphics cards need a type of software called drivers to integrate the hardware with the PC. If your graphics card is having problems, an update to the drivers might resolve the problem.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" button or the Windows orb logo at the bottom of the desktop to show the Start Menu. Type "device manager" in the "Search" box at the bottom of the menu. Press the "Enter" key on the keyboard to open the "Device Manager" utility.

2. Click the "+" sign next to the "Display Adapters" category to expand it.

3. Double-click on the icon that represents the laptop's graphics card to open another dialog box. The icon usually resembles a PC monitor with a miniature video card to the side of the monitor.

4. Click on the tab labeled "Driver" to bring it to the front of the dialog box.

5. Click on the "Update Driver" button. Follow the instructions to download and install the update to the laptop's graphics card until you see a message that the process is complete.

References

• Microsoft: Windows 7, Update a Driver for Hardware That Isn't Working Properly
• Smart Computing: Video Card Maintenance
• Tech FAQ: Top Bits, Video Card
• PC Stats: Beginner's Guide, Flashing a Video Card BIOS

Resources

• Microsoft: Windows 7, Ways to Improve Display Quality
• Microsoft: Windows 7, Fixing Game Performance Problems
• Computer Hope: Troubleshooting a Bad Video Card