Depending on how old your computer is and how good your graphics are, you may have one of several types of video card. Video cards are categorized by how they plug into the motherboard, which can be through one of three slot “types.” These are:

* PCI
* AGP
* PCI Express (PCIe)

PCI: The Old School

Created over fifteen years ago in 1993, PCI, or Peripheral Component Interconnect, was a general 32-pin computer bus used to attach any hardware, be it the video card, the sound card, extra USB ports, or any other add-on. With a peak data transfer rate of 533 MB/s, PCI cards are rarely, if ever, in use any more. Most graphics cards these days are PCIe, or if they’re a little bit older, AGP. PCI graphics cards are generally at least ten years old at least, which is ancient in terms of computers, though some companies continue to make them for special users whose computers only have PCI slots.

AGP: The Next Step

AGP, or Accelerated Graphics Port, began to overtake PCI in the end of the 90s’ and early 2000s, reaching its apex in 2004-2005, when they gradually began to get phased out in favor of PCI Express. This port tends to be longer than a PCI port, and is a dark brown, black or maroon color on the motherboard in comparison to the typically gray PCI slots. AGP was more efficient than PCI for a number of reasons: 1) AGP has a direct, dedicated connection to the processor, 2) AGP reads RAM directly from the computer. and 3) AGP offers a much faster data transfer rate. Cards with AGP do have downsides, namely that only one AGP card can be used per computer, and that they weren’t backwards-compatible with PCI slots. Gradually, computer engineers figured out how to make PCI slots more efficient, and the PCIe was born.

PCIe: Where We’re At

The PCI Express computer bus looks nothing like PCI, but it uses the same software as the original. Most graphics cards nowadays are PCIe, and if you’re looking to be able to play the top games, a PCIe graphics card is essential. At present, PCIe version 3.0 is still in development, but it is expected to hold a bit rate of 8 Gigatransfers per second, effectively doubling the speed of the graphics cards we have today. Gamers will be ecstatic, as gaming seems to be a constant race between the graphics hardware managers and the whiz-bang software crews. Once PCIe 3.0 comes out in Q2 2010, expect to see some amazing new games in the year to come.

Potential Graphics Card Connections

* HDMI – High Definition Multimedia Interface. If you want to connect a game console or Blu-ray player to your computer monitor, you need to plug into this thin, vaguely rectangular slot. Only the most recent cards have this.
* DVI – Digital Visual Interface. This blocky 24-pin slot is typically white, and if you want to send video from your monitor to another visual tool such as a flat-panel TV or a projector, you string a cable from DVI to DVI.
* 15-Pin VGA – This is the standard plug for connecting your monitor to your computer. Blue, fifteen pins, and you screw the little bolts into place.
* S-Video – Also known as VIVO (video in / video out), this plug lets you connect directly to video cameras, DVD players, and standard televisions.