Ok I've got some newb questions maybe u can help me with. I have a simple Dell Pentium 4 Windows XP Home Edition pc. I don't game expect for xbox and ps3 and things like that so this is all new to me.
GPU's i get the basics that it is stronger then a cpu but I confused by all the add ons and want to know what the basic setup for someone like me would be. For someone like me how do I get started mining? Do I have to by all these different components or do I just need to rig a video card to my pc to get started and is a GPU another name for a video card?
Sorry if this is really basic and newbish but I just don't get what my first to should be and what I can expect will happen once it's taken. And and all help is very much appreciated.
GPU's i get the basics that it is stronger then a cpu but I confused by all the add ons and want to know what the basic setup for someone like me would be. For someone like me how do I get started mining? Do I have to by all these different components or do I just need to rig a video card to my pc to get started and is a GPU another name for a video card?
Sorry if this is really basic and newbish but I just don't get what my first to should be and what I can expect will happen once it's taken. And and all help is very much appreciated.
Just want to give a shot at a very simplified answer:
Yes, A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a video card. The ones discussed here and that are of any use for mining are the high-end ones that need their own power, so as zack said, you may need a larger power supply to support putting one in your existing computer. Also, you need to make sure your computer has space (these are big video cards) and they go in a PCIe16x slot. I agree, the ideal card is a 7950. There are many different manufacturers that use AMD's 7950 chip, that is the Sapphire that zack suggests, I also use MSI, and have heard good things about Gigabyte. Any of them will work. If you can get one of these installed in your PC then all you need is software and there are many guides online on how to use that.
Good luck and we're here to help if you have any questions.