No computer can do without a video card. This component is necessary for converting internal digital signals into a human-readable image on a monitor screen. Physically, a video card, sometimes also called a discrete video adapter, is a PCB board with logic circuits and electronic components placed on it. There are built-in varieties that are part of a processor or other chip on the motherboard.
In order for the computer to perform its functions, it is necessary to install drivers for the devices that make up it. A driver is a small program that instructs the operating system to interact with a specific device. An analogy can be given: the component is a car, and the driver is the driver that controls it. Without a driver, the car will not go anywhere. Sometimes you have to update the driver for the video card and other components. Thanks to this, the computer works optimally. The need to update the driver on the video card arises if, for some reason, the old one ceases to suit the user. This seems rather unobvious, so let's take a closer look.
Let us imagine the most common situation: the Windows operating system is installed on the computer, the video card driver has been installed from the corresponding disk for a long time, and the user never wondered “how to update the video card driver?”, Since games and movies work, the desktop and pages on the Internet are displayed correctly.
Not everyone knows that after the start of sales of any model of a video adapter (as well as a network or sound card), the developer continues to further improve the software for it, new drivers are released monthly. With the advent of new models, the released driver is optimized specifically for them, but the old ones are not forgotten. Why would a manufacturer pay for the work of programmers, often releasing drivers and pushing the user to learn how to update the video driver on their own?
The answer is simple: competition makes you strive to make your sold and selling devices better. This is purely market relations. By updating the driver, the user gets the acceleration of computer games without the need to buy a new expensive video adapter; more efficient mechanisms for optimizing energy consumption; correct work with several adapters; Support for accelerating new video standards. Obviously, everyone should understand how to update the video card driver. This is especially true for game lovers, although other users should not ignore this feature. In rare cases, the performance is still slightly reduced, so after the update you need to check the changes in your favorite game.
The best way to update is to go to the video adapter chip developer website and download a new driver. Currently, there are three such developers: ATI (AMD), nVidia, and Intel. In general, we can assume that the rest of the many companies just collect video cards from ready-made components and sell them under their own name.
The manufacturer’s website always indicates how to update the video card driver. Usually you need to specify the type of operating system and the generation of the video adapter. Data on the adapter is indicated in one of the brochures instructions supplied with the computer, and for a laptop on the sticker on the case (for example, GeForce 8400M). The update volume is often more than 100 MB, so users with a slow connection or pay for traffic need to keep this in mind. After downloading the driver, it should be installed, following the instructions, and restart the computer.