Plus, they don’t offer the same level of performance as an internal card. They do require an extra power outlet and a high-speed connection to your PC. Some come equipped with a graphics card already some are empty enclosures for plugging in whatever card you want. They have their own power supply and a way plugging into a PC (usually via USB 3.0 or USB-C). These are basically external boxes into which you can plug a PCI-E graphics card. If you can’t upgrade your motherboard, power supply, or case to work with the specific graphics card you want, or you’re using a laptop and you want more power than is available, you also have the option of using an external graphics card enclosure. If your monitor doesn’t use any of those, adapter cables are cheap and plentiful. This usually isn’t a big deal-most new cards come with at least one DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI connection. Of course, you’ll need a monitor that can actually accept the video output of your new card. Make Sure You Can Connect a Card to Your Monitor If you’ve already got another type of card plugged in next to the slot you’ll use for your graphics card, you’ll need to take that space limitation into account. The other thing to keep in mind is that a lot of the higher powered graphics cards are wide enough that they take up the space of two slots. If you only have an x8-speed slot, that’ll work too, though performance on the most intense games might be a little limited. The important part is that you need a full-sized slot and not one that’s designed for smaller x1, x2, or x4 cards. RELATED: Why Are the PCI Express Ports on My Motherboard Different Sizes? x16, x8, x4, and x1 ExplainedĪlmost all modern graphics cards require a PCI-E x16 slot, and almost all motherboards that feature any full-sized PCI-E slots at all will have one. This standardized slot gives high-speed access to your PC’s processor and RAM, and its position on the board allows easy access to the rear of the case, letting you plug one or more monitors directly into the card itself.

Today’s graphics cards all use the PCI-E standard for plugging into your computer’s motherboard.

Make Sure Your Motherboard Has the Right Kind of Slot

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