A slow computer may mean that you are using an old or slow CPU, but when you start having trouble playing newer games or your screen starts having issues, it may be your graphics card that needs some upgrading or replacing.
Graphics cards come in many different shapes, sizes, styles, and brands. The first main distinction is whether or not you have integrated or discrete graphics. Integrated graphics are graphics that are on the CPU itself. These are relatively weak when compared to discrete graphics which are cards that are attached to the motherboard. Integrated graphics will work well for your basic internet/email computer (and in AMDs APU case, some low-level gaming), but if you want to do any mid-level gaming or video / tv watching, youll need a discrete graphics card.
The prices range from fifty dollars for the low level cards to over five hundred dollars for the high-end card used for cutting edge games. Knowing what exactly you need the graphics card for will help narrow down which one to purchase. Watching tv and dvd or blu-ray playback will have a different set of requirements than if you want to use it for some light gaming or if you need a card that will let you have the highest settings in the most graphically taxing games.
Another consideration is size and noise. When fixing up a home theater pc, noise level and size will be critical as many of the cases are smaller and it is important to avoid noise that will detract from the view experience. If you are planning on playing games and having a nice sound system, the higher end cards with a bit more noise will not be as bad a choice.
Lastly, when trying to determine what graphics card to get for games, make sure that you double check the requirements on some of your favorite games and check out the requirements for some of the new games being released. That way, when you get that new graphics card installed in your system, you wont have to worry about your games not playing.
