After several hours of assembly and testing, you've finally managed to get your first custom gaming computer up and running. Now that you've completed the assembly of your computer, it's time to learn how to maintain your gaming PC's most important component: your video card. Your video card's performance will have the largest effect on your computer's ability to play graphically demanding games. Here are three major issues that will affect your video card's performance.

Cooling

Just like any other electronic component, your video card must receive a large amount of cooling to avoid experiencing a blown capacitor, fried core, or other similar issue. Most video cards intended for use in gaming computers have a built-in fan or two and provide enough cooling to keep your card at a stable temperature during normal use.

However, your video card's built-in fans aren't designed to be the sole providers of airflow throughout your computer. As you may know, your card's fans were designed to be used in tandem with your case's front intake fan. If your front intake fan happens to malfunction or become blocked by dust buildup, then the amount of cooling your video card receives will be drastically reduced.

As your video card's temperature rises, it's performance—and lifespan—will decrease. To prevent overheating from affecting your card's performance, make sure your case's interior and vents are always free of dust buildup and other contaminants.

Sufficient airflow isn't the only way to keep your card cool. If you want to keep your card as cool as possible during demanding periods of use, then you can install a water cooling kit for your video card. Water is much more efficient at absorbing and transferring heat than air alone.

Overclocking

If you want to truly push your new PC's performance to the limits of your hardware, then chances are you've already made plans to overclock your video card. Although overclocking is a great way to get the most performance for your money, it can also have serious repercussions for your card.

Overclocking requires you to exceed your card's manufacturer recommended configuration. By overclocking your card, you increase the risk of experiencing a blown capacitor, fried core, or malfunctioning fan.

Whether you're overclocking your card to compensate for a low-end card or pushing the limits of your high-end video card, you need to make sure you overclock safely. When configuring your overclock settings, make sure to only adjust your card's settings in small increments. After each incremental change, run your benchmarking program and monitor your card's performance to avoid causing permanent damage.

Unstable Power Supply

Just like your car's engine or your own heart, your computer's power supply is the component that's responsible for keeping your computer alive. Every component inside your computer relies on a stable flow of electrical current.

Your power supply is only capable of sending out a limited amount of electrical current. The electrical output of your power supply is divided between your motherboard, processor, fans, USB devices, peripherals, video card, and every other powered component.

If these components are drawing more current than your power supply is capable of outputting, then none of your components will receive a stable amount of power. As a result, your various components may experience periods of instability. For your video card, this may mean screen freezing, graphical errors, or even system-wide crashes that force you to restart your computer.

If you power up your gaming PC and open your favorite video game only to encounter an issue with your video card's performance, then don't simply try again until it works. Instead, use this information to troubleshoot and fix your problem. If you aren't able to fix the problem on your own, then don't hesitate to send your computer to a professional repair technician or look at sites like http://www.laptoprepairs.com.