| A video card, (also referred to as a
| |
| | to twice the speed of the AGP interface.
|
| graphics accelerator card, display
| |
| | PCI Express, aka PCIe, should not be
|
| adapter and numerous other terms), is an
| |
| | confused with the long outdated PCI
|
| item of personal computer hardware whose
| |
| | format, which predates even AGP.
|
| function is to generate and output images
| |
| | The most powerful class of GPUs typically
|
| to a display. The term is usually used to
| |
| | interface with the motherboard by means
|
| refer to a separate, dedicated expansion
| |
| | of an expansion slot such as PCI Express
|
| card that is plugged into a slot on the
| |
| | Graphics (PEG) or Accelerated Graphics
|
| computer's motherboard, as opposed to a
| |
| | Port (AGP) and can usually be replaced or
|
| graphics controller integrated into the
| |
| | upgraded with relative ease, assuming the
|
| motherboard chipset.
| |
| | motherboard is capable of supporting the
|
| Hardware
| |
| | upgrade. However, a dedicated GPU is not
|
| A video card consists of a printed
| |
| | necessarily removable, nor does it
|
| circuit board on which the components are
| |
| | necessarily interface with the
|
| mounted. These include:
| |
| | motherboard in a standard fashion. The
|
| Graphics processing unit (GPU)
| |
| | term "dedicated" refers to the fact that
|
| The GPU is a microprocessor dedicated to
| |
| | dedicated graphics cards have RAM that is
|
| manipulating and rendering graphics
| |
| | dedicated to the card's use, not to the
|
| according to the instructions received
| |
| | fact that most dedicated GPUs are
|
| from the computer's operating system and
| |
| | removable. Dedicated GPUs for portable
|
| the software being used. At their
| |
| | computers are most commonly interfaced
|
| simplest level, GPUs include functions
| |
| | through a non-standard and often
|
| for manipulating two-dimensional
| |
| | proprietary slot due to size and weight
|
| graphics, such as blitting. Modern and
| |
| | constraints. Such ports may still be
|
| more advanced GPUs also include functions
| |
| | considered AGP or PCI Express, even if
|
| for generating and manipulating
| |
| | they are not physically interchangeable
|
| three-dimensional graphics elements,
| |
| | with their counterparts.
|
| rendering objects with shading, lighting,
| |
| | Integrated Graphics Solutions
|
| texture mapping and other visual effects.
| |
| | Integrated graphics solutions, or shared
|
| Video memory
| |
| | graphics solutions are graphics
|
| Unlike integrated video controllers,
| |
| | processors that utilize a portion of a
|
| which usually share memory with the rest
| |
| | computer's system RAM rather than
|
| of the computer, most video cards have
| |
| | dedicated graphics memory. Such solutions
|
| their own separate onboard memory,
| |
| | are typically far less expensive to
|
| referred to as video RAM (VRAM). VRAM is
| |
| | implement in comparison to dedicated
|
| used to store the display image, as well
| |
| | graphics solutions, but at a trade-off of
|
| as textures, buffers (the Z-buffer
| |
| | being far less capable and are generally
|
| necessary for rendering 3D graphics, for
| |
| | considered unfit to play modern games as
|
| example) and other elements. VRAM
| |
| | well as run graphically intensive
|
| typically runs at higher speeds than
| |
| | programs such as Adobe Flash. Modern
|
| desktop RAM. For the most part, current
| |
| | desktop motherboards often include an
|
| graphics cards use GDDR3 or GDDR4
| |
| | integrated graphics solution and have
|
| although DDR, DDR2 or any other
| |
| | expansion slots available to add a
|
| technology may be used.
| |
| | dedicated graphics card later.
|
| Video BIOS
| |
| | As a GPU is extremely memory intensive,
|
| The video BIOS or firmware chip is a chip
| |
| | an integrated solution finds itself
|
| that contains the basic program that
| |
| | competing for the already slow system RAM
|
| governs the video card's operations and
| |
| | with the CPU as it has no dedicated video
|
| provides the instructions that allow the
| |
| | memory. System RAM may be 2 GB/s to 8 GB
|
| computer and software to interface with
| |
| | s, yet dedicated GPUs enjoy between 10 GB
|
| the card. It contains information on the
| |
| | s and 88 GB/s of bandwidth depending on
|
| memory timing, operating speeds and
| |
| | the model.
|
| voltages of the processor and ram and
| |
| | Hybrid Solutions
|
| other information. It is possible to
| |
| | This newer class of GPU's competes with
|
| re-flash a bios although this is
| |
| | integrated graphics in the low-end PC and
|
| typically only done by video card
| |
| | notebook markets. The most common
|
| overclockers.
| |
| | implementations of this are ATi's
|
| PCI Express
| |
| | HyperMemory and nVidia's TurboCache.
|
| PCI Express is the newest slot that most
| |
| | Hybrid graphics cards are somewhat more
|
| new cards fit into. It comes in a variety
| |
| | expensive than integrated graphics, but
|
| of speeds which vary in size
| |
| | much less expensive than dedicated
|
| proportionate to the speed. The older AGP
| |
| | graphics cards. These also share memory
|
| slot is still used on legacy motherboards
| |
| | with the system memory, but have a
|
| and low end current motherboards,
| |
| | smaller amount of memory on-board than
|
| although it will eventually be phased
| |
| | discrete graphics cards do to make up for
|
| out; most cards are made in both these
| |
| | the high latency of the system RAM.
|
| formats for now. Depending on what speed
| |
| | Technologies within PCI Express can make
|
| interface used, PCI Express video cards
| |
| | this possible. While these solutions are
|
| may have a higher speed interface than
| |
| | sometimes advertised as having as much as
|
| AGP, leading to increased performance on
| |
| | 512MB of RAM, this refers to how much can
|
| the high end cards. PCI Express may be up
| |
| | be shared with the system memory.
|
