Will I have problems replacing a video card?

[Edmond Kinnard]

I'm new here and I'm not particularly great with computers. I'm getting ready to buy a new PC, and I'll want to play games on it; I'm pretty sure I'll want to buy a new card. The one I'm looking at has a video card already built into the motherboard. My friend tells me that computers used to have a problem with installing a new card IF the computer didn't originally have a video card installed independently of the motherboard. He said that the computer would sometimes "forget" if you rebooted. Is this still a problem or has this little bug been corrected. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, in advance.

[mark87]

Wrong section.

You're friend doesn't know what he's talking about, as long as the motherboard has an AGP/PCI/PCI-e socket you'll be able to upgrade. Chances are if your motherboard is more than a year old you won't have PCI-e and AGP cards are getting really expensive.

EDIT - Just realised you're buying new so it should have PCI-e. What mobo is it?

All you gotta do is turn off the integrated graphics in the BIOS and it'll find your new card no problem.

[JamieR]

My friend tells me that computers used to have a problem with installing a new card IF the computer didn't originally have a video card installed independently of the motherboard. He said that the computer would sometimes "forget" if you rebooted. Is this still a problem or has this little bug been corrected. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, in advance.

Even though this is the wrong section -

I don't quite get what you mean. If the motherboard doesn't have an onboard video card and you install an AGP or PCI-e one then the motherboards BIOS will output video via that card....if you swap the cards then it will still do the same. If you have onboard graphics and you install an AGP card then you can set what device to use...I believe newer motherboards have an auto select feature where when you install an AGP card it'll use it automatically.