Skip to Content
PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition
book

PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

by Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
June 2002
Beginner to intermediate
816 pages
32h 59m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from PC Hardware in a Nutshell, Second Edition

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.

Warning

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.

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

AirBnbBlueOriginElectronic ArtsHomeDepotNasdaqRakutenTata Consultancy Services

QuotationMarkO’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
QuotationMarkI wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
QuotationMarkI’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
QuotationMarkI'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Mark W.
Embedded Software Engineer

You might also like

PC Hardware Annoyances

PC Hardware Annoyances

Stephen J. Bigelow
PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

PC Hardware in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Repairing and Upgrading Your PC

Repairing and Upgrading Your PC

Robert Bruce Thompson, Barbara Fritchman Thompson

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596003536Catalog PageErrata