Which graphics card ??

I currently have a desktop PC with it's own on-board graphics card.

I'm not a gamer but do watch streaming TV etc. on my PC.

Will installing a separate graphics card improve the quality of the images displayed ?? - I realise that quality of streaming TV is in the hands of the supplier, but will a good graphics card make a difference here or not ??......If so which one would suit my needs ?? (I have an unused PCI-Express slot).

I am also considering buying one for the simple reason of connectivity to my TV. The PC-to-TV Converter I just purchased transmits a very poor qualitysignal to my 22" Acer monitor.


PC Spec :
Windows XP SP2
Pentium D CPU 3.00GHz
1.5 GB RAM

 

PCI-Express will free up ram an yes you will get better graphics,,

 

With streaming TV, the data coming through the internet (I take it you mean streaming from the internet and not from PC to PC in your home) should not put any load on the graphics.

If your problem is only streaming from the internet, look at the speed of your internet connection. Of course, a faster connection will cost you more. If you can't get a faster connection, check if you can downgrade the "quality" of the stream.

Check the frequently asked questions (FAQs) at the website where you get the stream. It could be a problem with the player. Check the System Requirements.

You will need to tell us the nature of the problem. Is it only related to streaming TV?

If it seemed to be a graphics problem, I would look at the drivers before buying new hardware. Modern hardware should not have a problem running TV.

Matt

 

Sorry if my post was unclear.

Yes, I basically want to watch :-

a). streaming TV and
b). downloaded movies etc.​

on my TV, (by connecting the PC to the TV).

I bought a PC to TV converter. The TV picture is acceptable but the PC one isn't. It's blurred at whatever resolution.

I bought an adaptor cable which allows 2 connections into the VGA port on the PC. When I connect the monitor directly into one of these, it's worse - and I haven't even connected the TV in yet !! Is this normal ?? - It seems very strange to me.

Is there a solution by these means or is the only true route the one which necessitates a separate graphics card with TV connections ??

 

You are using a splitter, I would expect they may work fine with identical screens (monitors), but a TV and monitor are not very close.

The graphics systems on my computers can identify the make and model of the monitor. I think using a "splitter" would give them a headache if the monitors were not identical.

If you go to Device Manager and look under Monitor, your monitor has probably reverted to using Default Monitor drivers. That means the monitor is not being identified correctly.

It sounds like you are running graphics that are built into the motherboard. If the motherboard has a slot for adding a graphics card, yes, look at getting one with two output heads (VGA, DVI or a combination of both, but check how you will make the connections and if, say, a DVI to VGA adapter is included). You can get a modest graphics card, they are still quite powerful if compared to onboard graphics (and you will get the benefits Paul-doo mentioned).

Have you investigated if your system (motherboard) has a slot to add a AGP or PCIe graphics card? If you add a card, it will probably disable your onboard graphics (you will only have one or the other).

Matt