How do you know if a new video card will work OK in Vista? Does it need to be DirectX 10 compatible?

Question

To keep things cheap, I may buy my new computer with just shared memory but an open slot so I can find a decent yet cheap video card. First, I was wondering how hard it'd be to install a new card. Also, how do I know that the new card will be OK in Vista? Is it better to get a more souped up older card or a lower end but newer card? Also, what amount of video RAM do you recommend for Vista? i won't be gaming on it, but I do want to watch movies and do some graphics design stuff. Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

ALL nvidia based graphic cards from the FX up to the 8 series are Vista compatable.

As of ATI cards im unsure, im not a fan of them.

Answer 2

All cards in the Geforce 7 or 8 series, or the Radeon x1000 or HD 2000 series will be Vista compatible, and most should say so on the box. You can also check out the manufacturers website for the listings.



Video RAM isn't as important as retailers will lead you to believe. A faster card with 256 MB of RAM will always outperform a lower end card with 512 MB. That being said, for movies and graphics design, 256 will always be more than enough.



Though you don't need DX10 compatible, if you are buying a new card, it doesn't hurt to have one. My recommendation would be to get something like the Geforce 8500 GT or the 8600 GT. They have amazing video decoding capability and will give a superior picture quality when compared with cards in the previous generation. You can usually find those cards for around $100 for the 8500 GT or $150 for the 8600 GT around the newegg.com website. They aren't that great in games, though they'll perform fine at lower resolutions, but if you don't care about games anyway, then those cards are the ones to consider.

Answer 3

The video card will say "Vista Ready" on the product box. I bought a eVga nVidia GeForce 7600GS PCI Express x16, and it's Vista ready. If you want to play the new games that come out supporting Vista, then you'd want a vid card that supports Direct 10X. It really depends on what you're going to use the computer for. If it's gaming, then go out and get some good memory and a good vid card. If you're just doing business and checking email, you don't need to go and get the best there is out there.