A Certification Guide

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A Certification Guide
Chapter 7 Video
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Chapter 7Objectives

• 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.

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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

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Video RAM

• Why have video RAM?
• Video RAM is on the video graphics card.
• Review Motherboard RAMWhat is it used for?
• Memory addressesAllocated 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.

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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.

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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).

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LCD Projector Image Processing
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Installing a Video Card

• Configuring the BIOS for the video card being
  installed
• AGP settings.
• Set Primary Graphics Adapter.
• Graphics apertureuse default.
• Physically installing the video card
• System off ESD protection employed.
• Remove old video card/cable if necessary.
• Installing drivers for the video card
• Initial setup is done by PnP.
• Advanced setup usually requires driver
  installation.

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Installing Video Card
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Video Connector Types

• VGA
• 15-pin female port connector
• 15-pin cablemale ends
• DVI
• DVI-Ianalog and digital
• DVI-Ddigital-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

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Video Connectors
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DVI to VGA Converters
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Installing a Monitor

• Match up appropriate cable
• DVI or VGA
• Choose refresh rate
• See manufacturers 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

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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.

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Windows XP Display Properties
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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.

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Windows 7 Display Properties
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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

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Situations Requiring OSD Adjustments
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Troubleshooting Video Hardware

• CRTs
• 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.
• LCDs
• If no picture, reselect the sourcevga, hdmi,
  dvi.
• Colored dots on an LCD projector indicate a need
  for internal cleaning of LCD panels.
• Picture size is misaligned.
• Change resolution.

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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.

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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?

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Chapter 7Summary

• 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