Tips for Installing the ASUS EN9800TGX+ Card
The Ins-And-Outs of Installing this Graphics Adapter
© Jeff Sue
Jan 30, 2009
There comes a time in every guy's life when they decide they need to upgrade the graphics capabilities on their computer. The reason is obvious: who doesn't need better graphics performance to do heavy-duty graphics work to.... well to be fair, this isn't fooling anyone - the truth is, the newest games require real power to achieve realistic environments with reasonable frame-rates.
One Such Heavy-Duty Graphics Card
One such upgrade that will help sustain those incredible frame rates is the ASUS EN9800GTX+ DK/HTDI/512M graphics card. This is a PCI-Express video card with fantastic capabilities to edit those photos.....er, ahem, play the best games on the market.
And for those lucky enough to have a nice, big-screen HD TV near the computer, it's possible to get totally immeresed in a very high-quality video gaming experience using this card's HDMI output with the DVI-to-HDMI adapter (included in the retail box).
Check Hardwre Requirement Issues Before Buying
Note that this is a PCI-Express graphics adapter and thus will not be an option for motherboards which do not have a PCI-Express slot. As well, the first thing that most people will notice about this card is that it is massive - the heft of it can be felt just lifting it out of the box.
The fan and heat dissipation add quite a lot of size and heft to the card. Because of this the card will actually consume the top two 'slots' on the motherboard and computer case - which, again, may exclude some people from considering it for their computers.
Don't ignore the heat factor. Anyone considering this card for their computers will need to make sure there is adequate air circulation and heat dissipation within the case. Luckily, there are some very quiet fans available on the market today so adding them to a computer does not necessarily mean that it will sound like a jet engine at takeoff.
And lastly, this card has extensive power requirements. The power supplied by the PCI-E slot is not enough, and it requires not one, but two additional connections to the power supply. It would be a serious dissapointment to invest in this card only to find that it can't be used without shelling out another $70 or more for a newer power supply.
Monitor Connectivity with this Adapter
This card is equipped with two digital monitor (DVI) outputs. Luckily, for those who still have monitors lacking the digital connectivity, there is a DVI-to-VGA adapter supplied with the card as well. The drawback to this is that the best quality and performance will only be realized on newer monitors which allow direct DVI connection.
Don't Forget Proper Grounding
Whenever installing hardware in a computer it is important to remember to wear a grounding strap. It would be a disaster to spend nearly $200 on a new graphics card only to have it get zapped with static electricity during installation. Also known as antistatic straps, these are very inexpensive and can be found at most major electronics stores which sell computer components.
Installation is a Snap
With all the compatibility requirements addressed, grounding strap attached, case open, simply remove any existing card from the PCI-E slot and insert this card. Note that anything in the PCI slot just below this card will need to be moved to a lower slot to make room.
Once the hardware is installed, the computer is rebooted and the drivers are installed, the card should be fully ready for use. Most graphics-intensive applications should show an immediate benefit. Games, such as World Of Warcraft should become much more playable at higher resolutions - which will bring much more realism to the experience.
