I need help connecting my pc to my flat screen tv. What is a video card & do I need it?

I want to use my flat screen LCD tv as a monitor to my computer. I want to know if I juts have to buy this:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie…



I don't need audio becuase I'll be using my computer speakers. I read on this listing that I need a video card to be able to use this cable. I have a compaq FS7600 desktop that I bought in 2004 and I want to connect it to a Phillips 46 inch LCD tv I bought this year. Can I just use these cables (shown in the link) or do I have to buy a video card and if so what is a video card?



Thanks so much in advance.|||1) What is a video card

A video card is a device that is plugged into your computer (hardware) that allows the connection of other display devices such as monitors and also helps the computer to display the information correctly (size, resolution, and color).

2) Do i need it

i looked up your computer online but couldnt find information on what conenctions ports it has (what cables you can connect). Usually a computer from 2004 has a S-video spot already build in (check out picure bellow)

http://www.datapro.net/products/s-video-…



the second question is what connection ports your television has. Since it is new it might have a regular pc screen port already build in (in which case you can just take your old monitor cable) or it uses the HDMI connection port.

Find out the connection possibilties and comment again please.



And yes the cable you have given a link to in your question IS A POSSIBLE solution.. if your pc and tv have the connection ports|||You don't need that VGA SVGA to S-Video 3 RCA TVV AV Covnerter cable shown in the link. You don't need a graphics card thou. All you need to do is get a VGA cable, and plug it into your computer to your TV. If you don't know what a VGA cable looks like, google image it.

What is a graphics/video card? A video card handles all your graphics related processing, like the output you get on your monitor, games, graphics, images and movies etc. Basically, a computer can still run without a video card. It just will eventually run slower because it doesn't have the help from the video card's many processors. Although your computer's motherboard would still have ports to allow you to connect a monitor if you don't have a video card. Your motherboard's monitor port should be a VGA slot and your graphics card can be either VGA or DVI. Why VGA? Because VGA on graphics cards are for older computers like yours. Newer graphics cards use DVI and no VGA ports.|||Well, if those connectors match the connectors on your TV and computer, then that should be all you need.



But if your computer has a VGA connector, and your TV probably has one too. Then a simple VGA to VGA video cable should do.|||That VGA-to-S-video adapter will NOT work.



Those VGA-to-S-video adapters are intended for video cards that have a specially-built VGA port that can also send out an S-video signal. It will NOT work with just any VGA port.



The VGA port on your Compaq computer is NOT one of those specially-built ones, otherwise that adapter would have been included. If you try to use that adapter, you will get NO image. Don't waste your money on that useless piece of crap.



Besides, why the heck do you want to use a crappy LOW-DEFINITION S-video signal with your HIGH-DEFINITION TV? If your HDTV has a 15-pin VGA port, just use a standard VGA monitor cable, which is high-definition.



An even better way to connect to an HDTV would be through the HDTV's HDMI ports, but your computer must have a digital video output (DVI or HDMI) to be able to do that.