Video has two components, the card and the monitor.
Both rely on each other, you
can have a high quality 21" flat screen monitor but the display looks like
....., well you know what I mean. Cards:
Video cards just keep on getting better and better, faster and faster, higher
and higher resolution.
Pick you poison, there is one for everyone. One bit of advice: don't buy cheap.
Been there done that. This is another one of those go no-go cards, you see it on
the monitor or you see nothing.
Sometimes when you have a video problem the computer will beep. If the video is
embedded on the main board and the video goes out you have two choices. You can
change out the main board (if you have a proprietary computer and it is still
under warranty then it may be free) or you can install another video card.
Since the advent of PCI, I have not seen a video card fail where you actually
see a symptom of pending failure. Some times the older cards would cause the
screen to flicker or change colors unexpectedly. Then again the old monitors
would do that also.
If you suspect you are having a video problem. the screen is off center, it is
fuzzy, it is to dark or to light there are three sources for the problems. One
could be the video cable, one could be the card, or it could be the monitor.
There are programs that will test both the video card and the monitor, they are
fairly comprehensive and non destructive, you can find them on the web,
shareware, free, or purchase. I would go for a shareware where the program is
fully functional for a short period then you have to buy it. These are good
programs for trouble shooting real problems.
Monitor:
Suppose it is fuzzy:
So you checked your cable, it is tight, you reseated the card, no change still
have a fuzzy display. If you have a spare display connect it to your system, if
the video isn't fuzzy then you have eliminated the need for a test program, it
is the monitor. If it is still fuzzy then you eliminated the monitor, it is the
card.
There is one other possibility: do you have a fan close by? If so move it or
turn it off.
If it constantly is off center:
Try adjusting it with the built in controls on the monitor. Fixed? No? Then try
it with the software that came with the video card. Fixed? No? Down to the last
resort, if the monitor is off center and using the tools available with the
monitor and the video card I would say time for a new monitor.
