Graphics card questions...

[Headcrab Zombie]

well now that that is out of the way...

I also have a desktop... if there are more slots for the Graphics cards, and I put in a new card, will the computer use both the old and new?

See:

A new video card will replace what your computer currently has, whether it be replacing an older card, or providing more power than an integrated GPU built into the motherboard or CPU

Although you can, if your motherboard supports it, get two or more of the same exact card, and bridge them together into one logical card (Crossfire for ATI cards, SLI for nvidia cards), giving higher performance.
You don't want to do it with two completely different cards, it will either not work, break something, or use the more powerful card, I have no idea which, though it probably varies depending on what you did.

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[snk13]

Although you can, if your motherboard supports it, get two or more of the same exact card, and bridge them together into one logical card (Crossfire for ATI cards, SLI for nvidia cards), giving higher performance.

and how does one bridge them?

[Blockzillahead]

well now that that is out of the way...

I also have a desktop... if there are more slots for the Graphics cards, and I put in a new card, will the computer use both the old and new?

For crossfire two GPU's that have the first two digits can be crossfired, like HD 7750 and HD 7770. You can't pair an HD 5850 with an HD 7850.
For SLI you can't have two GPU's unless they are the same card, you can have different brands/vram but in some occasions there are two cards with different names but they are the same card overall. Like an GTX 9800+ and GTS 250 you can SLI, same card, different name.

But both cards will downclock themselves so it matches the weakest card out of the two. Same goes for VRAM, if one card is 1GB and one card is 512mb, overall you can only use 512mb.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

and how does one bridge them?

Most cards that you buy that are SLI/Crossfire capable come with a small cable that looks like this;

Which you can put on the cards like this;

[Headcrab Zombie]

and how does one bridge them?

I've never done it before, but what I do know is:
If your motherboard supports it, it will come with a small piece, either a ribbon cable, or a PCB, that you use to connect the cards together.
There's probably some driver setting that needs to be changed to, I don't know.

Realistically though I say don't bother with SLI/Crossfire. One card is enough for most gamers, only the extreme enthusiasts get multiple, and other than bragging over your FPS numbers, and not needing to upgrade for a long time, I don't see any gaming related uses for it.

[snk13]

Can you put in any graphics card if there is a slot and space? or is it just certain ones for certain models?

[Blockzillahead]

Can you put in any graphics card if there is a slot and space? or is it just certain ones for certain models?

What do you mean? For Crossfire/SLI? As the last several replies conclude, not unless they are the same card. (2 digit family for AMD cards)

[QuadStorm]

Can you put in any graphics card if there is a slot and space? or is it just certain ones for certain models?

It depends partly on your motherboard as well, since most new cards tend to be PCIe 3.0, and a older motherboard might not accept it or be as fast without a PCIe 3.0 port. I'd do some research on your motherboard and what it can take before just buying a new graphics card.

[Blockzillahead]

It depends partly on your motherboard as well, since most new cards tend to be PCIe 3.0, and a older motherboard might not accept it or be as fast without a PCIe 3.0 port. I'd do some research on your motherboard and what it can take before just buying a new graphics card.

PCIe 3.0 is not actually fully used yet.

3.0 cards are backward compatible with 2.0 slot motherboards.
and 3.0 slot motherboards are backward compatible with 2.0 cards.

[Headcrab Zombie]

Can you put in any graphics card if there is a slot and space? or is it just certain ones for certain models?

You need to have room in your case for it, and watch the size of what you're buying - some cards are monsters, some cases are tiny
You need to have the right slot for it - newer cards use PCI-Express x16 2.0 or 3.0, while a really old computer, or one that wasn't designed to do much more than basic office or school work, may likely not have such a slot.
You also need to have a power supply that can supply enough power for it - A prebuilt computer often times uses a power supply just strong enough to power what the stock computer had.

[KoopaScooper]

usb is pretty much only good for flash drives and external hard drives.

No it's not? TV tuners and various other peripherals run swimmingly through USB.

[Blockzillahead]

newer cards use PCI-Express x16 2.0 or 3.0, while a really old computer, or one that wasn't designed to do much more than basic office or school work, may likely not have such a slot.

Pretty sure there's only 2.0 and 3.0, which are both backwards compatible with each other.

[KoopaScooper]

Pretty sure there's only 2.0 and 3.0, which are both backwards compatible with each other.

PCI Express 2.1 and 3.0 only have backwards compatibility to PCI Express 1.0B.

[Headcrab Zombie]

Pretty sure there's only 2.0 and 3.0

There's PCIe 1.0 and 1.1, PCI, AGP and a ton of even more ancient buses that I'm nowhere near familiar with.

[QuadStorm]

BTW OP, if you need help finding out motherboard information without opening your computer, download Speccy. It's a free software that'll give you your systems specs. With motherboard information, finding the perfect graphics card(s) will be easier.

[Elecro]

BTW OP, if you need help finding out motherboard information without opening your computer, download Speccy. It's a free software that'll give you your systems specs. With motherboard information, finding the perfect graphics card(s) will be easier.

or look your computer specs up online by the model number of the computer?