Just a few questions plz help

[willymcsilly]

Well this will be my first time building a computer and I just had a few quick questions

1. Do you need a video card...to just use like the moniter........I plan on gaming eventually and what not but I dont have the cash to buy one right now..so my question is do u need a vid card or can u just plug ur moniter into the motherboard or sumthin?

2. How do you know how much power you need..is there a way to calculate the total amount of power your rig is going to use?

thx in advance

 

[Atomic Rooster]

1. Yes, you need a video card or a built in video graphics chip on the motherboard to see any type of display on a monitor. Most onboard chips are weak in comparison to available graphics cards. Most newer motherboards have an available AGP or PCIe slot so that you can later upgrade to a more powerful video card.

2. Here's a good online calculator to help determine how much of a power supply you will need: eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5.

 

[ssc456]

rooster got it in 1.

alot of motherboards nowa days come with onboard graphics on them which will do for just seeing a picture on the screen,

but not alot for the graphics.

and alos what that PSU calculator says go like like 30 - 50 Watts over jus to be sure.

also would u like n e help on compatibility just post here and we will help