How do I know which video card is appropriate for my computer?

I have just gotten a new computer, it is acer aspireZ1801 widows 7. I have the sims 3 and it runs smoothly, except for the fact that the graphics aren't the best compared to my sisters laptop and my moms computer. My mom wants to buy a good video card for the computer but how do I know which one is appropriate to work on my pc? Can I just buy any or does it need to be specific?|||Geforce Nvidia 220 GT =) it's good for you|||Hi,



You need to make sure you're talking about a Desktop Computer here and not a laptop... If it's a relatively new computer then it should have should either have a built-in graphics card or a PCI-Express x16 slot (or sometimes both)... most graphics cards are PCI-Express x16 and will fit in... please do not attempt to do this yourself, take it to a computer store and have someone advise you one which one you should have....



By the way don't pay over $200 for your card, sims doesn't need that much graphics power. ATI HD series or Nvidia 8800 or sumthing would be reasonable.