A+ Certification Guide Chapter 7 Video
Chapter 7 Objectives Video (Graphics) Cards Types and Installation: Describe the different types of video cards, including PCI, AGP, and PCIe, and the methods of cooling video cards. Understand video card installation and driver setups. Display Types: Describe CRTs, LCDs, and data projectors. Install a Video Card Video Connector Types: Describe VGA, DVI, and HDMI. Configure Resolution and Refresh Rate Troubleshooting Displays and Video Cards: Show how to use OSD and the advanced display properties. Describe how to clean display and clean/maintain airflow.
Video (Graphics) Card Types In order of appearance on the market: On Board: Found on most motherboards Generally low quality but some high-end available on better motherboards PCI: Legacy AGP: Pentium II Pentium IV PCI Express (PCIe): Multicore machines
Video RAM Why have video RAM? Video RAM is on the video graphics card. Review: Motherboard RAM What is it used for? Memory addresses Allocated by CPU/ memory management system. CPU generally takes data directly from RAM. Video display is memory-intensive: CPU sends raw data to video card. RAM on video card allows processing to occur before sending it to display. Conclusion: Video RAM is a buffer between the RAM data and the display-ready data.
Video Card Cooling GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): CPU for graphics cards Can overheat without provision for cooling Cooling provided by Passive heat sinks: No moving parts Active cooling: Powered fans mounted on GPU Cooling devices need to be kept clean of dust. Air flow around GPU should be unrestricted.
Display Types CRT monitors: Mostly on older systems. Dot pitch determines quality of resolution. LCD monitors (liquid crystal display): Quality of dot pitch catching up to CRT. Refresh rate expressed in milliseconds. Can use either analog (VGA) or digital (DVI) inputs. LED LCD with LED source light Plasma used in TVs that double as PC monitors Data projectors: Can be either LCD or DLP (digital light projection).
LCD Projector Image Processing
Installing a Video Card 1. Configuring the BIOS for the video card being installed: AGP settings. Set Primary Graphics Adapter. Graphics aperture use default. 2. Physically installing the video card: System off; ESD protection employed. Remove old video card/cable if necessary. 3. Installing drivers for the video card: Initial setup is done by PnP. Advanced setup usually requires driver installation.
Installing Video Card
Video Connector Types VGA: 15-pin female port connector 15-pin cable male ends DVI: DVI-I analog and digital DVI-D digital-only HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface): Supports 1080p HDTV Specialized cable and connector Supports both video and audio data Component RBG (Red/Blue/Green) S-Video Composite
Video Connectors
DVI to VGA Converters
Installing a Monitor Match up appropriate cable: DVI or VGA Choose refresh rate: See manufacturer s instructions. Connect the cable: Be careful not to damage male pins. Display properties sheet and select settings. Go to Advanced Dialog for further adjustments: May need to install driver
Display Settings Resolution (pixel dimensions): Horizontal width in pixels by vertical height in pixels. Example: XGA is 1024 wide x 768 high. Can be modified in display settings. Color quality: Measured in bits/results in amount of colors. 16 bits provides 65,386 colors. 32 bits provides 4.3 billion colors. Refresh rates: Low refresh can produce flickering images on-screen. 70Hz or higher is best on CRT. LCD screens do not flicker. 60Hz is adequate.
Windows XP Display Properties
Advanced Display Adjustments Advanced Display Properties for Troubleshooting enables you to Adjust text size with the DPI setting. Adjust refresh rate to reduce flicker. Click the Driver tab to update driver. Use hardware acceleration selection to adjust mouse/pointer settings. Use Full Screen 3D to lighten the screen for 3D games.
Windows 7 Display Properties
Troubleshooting Displays and Video Cards OSD (OnScreen Display): Activate by pushing the adjustment buttons on the monitor/display. Adjustments: Horizontal picture size Horizontal picture centering Vertical picture size Vertical picture centering Contrast Brightness
Situations Requiring OSD Adjustments
CRTs: LCDs: Troubleshooting Video Hardware Degaussing removes distortion around edges. Flickering caused by bad/loose cable. Wavy lines caused by electromagnetic noise. Poor picture quality may be helped by Improved resolution. Change to a more correct refresh rate. If no picture, reselect the source vga, hdmi, dvi. Colored dots on an LCD projector indicate a need for internal cleaning of LCD panels. Picture size is misaligned. Change resolution.
Preventative Maintenance for Displays Do not block ventilation holes. Use antistatic cleaners to clean screens and other surfaces. Do not spray cleaners directly onto screens or enclosures. Use thumbscrews at end of cable connectors to secure cables. Blow dust off video card when case is opened. Allow for as much airflow space as possible around video card.
What Have You Learned? What is refresh rate? How do you change the resolution? What is OSD? What is VRAM? How would you resolve a problem with an LCD projector in which the picture on the screen is not capturing all the picture on the PC? What are the preventative maintenance concerns regarding the monitor that a technician should pay attention to when servicing a computer?
Chapter 7 Summary Video (Graphics) Cards Types and Installation: Describe the different types of video cards and the methods of cooling video cards. Understand video card installation and driver setups. Describe VGA, DVI, and HDMI. Display Types: Describe CRTs, LCDs, and data projectors. Demonstrate how to install and configure a video monitor. Troubleshooting Displays and Video Cards: Show how to use OSD and the advanced display properties. Preventative Maintenance for Displays: Describe how to clean display and clean/maintain airflow. Next Lesson: Chapter 8