The graphics card is one of the most important components that exist inside the PC case. Its function is to process information in images and videos in order to display it as quickly as possible on a computer screen..
Video cards are made up of different elements, which have specific functions that allow optimizing the processing of the data. You can find out about this in this post.
But this will not be the only thing that you will be able to learn, too We will explain its benefits and the different types of video cards that exist. You will be able to know how you should choose the best graphics card and which are the most important manufacturers that currently exist in this type of device. Let’s get started!
What is a graphics card and what are these hardware for?
A graphics card is a computer circuit board with controllers that are integrated with each other.. This is used video bus to process the data that comes from it and transform it. They are then sent to an output device, which can be a monitor, TV, or screen.
The graphics accelerator card connects to the motherboard through its corresponding “expansion slot”, allowing to increase the capacity of the processor. They are very common in current computers, due to the architectures they present and the increasing use of graphical environments.
Often people confuse a graphics card with a graphics processing unit, also called a GPU.. This is a misconception. Since this processor is one of the components that are part of the video card and therefore, they are not synonymous.
What are the benefits of having a graphics card installed in our computers?
One of the most important benefits of installing one on your computer is that improves the load of the and the CPU. This is due, in principle, to the fact that the processor delivers all the data and information packets that are related to the graphic media to the video card so that it generates the output to the monitor.
Therefore, the information is not stored in RAM nor anywhere else, thus allowing an improvement in the performance of the team. This too allows the operating system and other applications to work more smoothlyso all data processes are done in a better way.
If we analyze the work on the video files themselves, we can determine that when a video editionor renderings, this task can be done more quickly. This type of card also produces greater sharpness in the output hardware, as well as improves the resolution and fluidity of the video.
It is for this last reason that gamers look for efficient video cards so that they can have a better experience in video games.
Parts of a graphics card How are these types of hardware made up?
We already said that a graphics card is a board that is integrated by means of an expansion slot to the . We also mentioned that a video card should not be confused with the GPU, since the latter element is part of the image accelerator hardware.
But these are not the only concepts that you should take into account when choosing a good graphics card. It is time for you to know all the components that make up a graphics card. let’s see what they are:
GPUs
It is an acronym that comes from English Graphics Processing Unit. It is nothing more than a unit that is used to process graphics. It is very similar to the CPU, since it is a processor, but which is dedicated exclusively to all graphics that enter the computer.
Its job is to improve the load on the central processor so that it is released for other necessary processes of the operating system and other applications installed on the device. This allows you to perform tasks for floating point calculation. So you can calculate very large or very small numbers to reproduce 3D images.
Among the most important elements that this graphic processing unit has Shaders and ROP are located. These hardware are dedicated respectively to the geometry of the graphic elements and to represent all the data that is processed on the screen.
gram
They are integrated circuits that have a structure that allows data to be stored and transported temporarily. Namely, they work like a graphics card memory. Although this element is not a determining component in the performance of the video card, it is considered that many times when its technical specifications are reduced, they limit the power of the graphics processor unit.
You must bear in mind that, within the types of memory, there is the “dedicated”. This classification occurs when random access graphics memory is used exclusively for the GPU. On the other hand, when it is shared with RAM memory, a GRAM is said to be “shared”.
One of the characteristics that must be analyzed in a graphic memory is the ability it offers to process data and textures, as well as the “memory interface”. The latter is more related to the hardware in order to determine its capacity. Since you need to multiply the bit width by each chip that is on the data bus to demonstrate its power.
Finally, The frequency of processed data that a memory can carry must not be neglected.. That is, the time it takes to deliver the graphics to the monitor after processing. It is a very important issue, since when you need to use specialized graphics software (such as those dedicated to home design) you need to have an important GRAM.
RAMDAC
This hardware is dedicated to process digital signals to convert them into analog so they can be interpreted by the monitor. In this way, thanks to the digital converter, it is possible to support different screen refresh rates.
At present the RAMDAC is falling into disuse, because most of the monitors support digital images.
Departures
You must bear in mind that the mission of a graphics card is to deliver the interpretation of the processed graphics to a monitor. You can only do this through the outputs.
It is called in this way, connection between the board and the monitor. You can have different connection systems. For example, if you need to transport an analog image, you can use the output VGA or DVI. The latter being the only option that currently exists with which digital and analog images can also be transmitted.
Instead, if what is sought is to deliver a digital image on a digital display device, HDMI or DisplayPort can be used. Both technologies have the possibility of transmitting audio and video in high resolution and at speeds that can reach a little over 40 Mbps in up to 10K.
Motherboard interfaces
An important part of a graphics card is the interface it uses to connect to the motherboard. This is because in this part the bits and the time in which the work is carried out are defined, that is, the frequency and bandwidth you need to do it in the established time.
In this way you can separate those video cards that are necessary or not for a certain work of the device. Currently, a 32-bit computer bus architecture is used.with a frequency that can reach up to 50MHz and a bandwidth of up to 6400Mbps.
cooling devices
video cards They have their own cooling system due to the high temperatures they reach because of the workloads they do. In order to lower the heat generated by the trees You can find 2 kinds of elements:
- one is the sink. It fulfills a passive job, since it is composed of a material that is highly conductive of heat and that extracts it from the card.
- the other is a fan which serves to move the air close to the card to generate through physics a greater contact surface with the wind that it delivers to the plate. Another method also used is water, since this liquid is a more efficient conductor than air.
It must be borne in mind that if the video card is not cooled, the heat can cause major damage to its operation and also to its materials.
Feeding
As the video card is an internal device, does not need its own food. This generates some disturbances with today’s technological requirements, since graphics cards are becoming more powerful, so they need more energy to function.
Currently, when they are connected to a “PCIe port”this can generate a 75W peak power, which is often insufficient. When this happens, you need connect the PCIe to a power supply and to the graphics card.
Types of video cards What are all that exist and how are they different? Uses and advantages
The types of video cards that exist are:
MDA
This kind of video card called “Monochrome Display Adapter”began to be used in 1981 for the type of computer “IBM PC”. It became very popular because it did not offer graphic modes, it only had a monochrome text mode. In this way the text characters represented the graphic instead of doing it by means of individual pixels, as happened later.
On the monitor, 80 columns by 25 lines of text could be represented, with a resolution of 720 × 350 pixels. The letters were green and the background of the screen was black.while the video memory it offered was 4 KB.
His job was to read from the dot matrix, which would then be displayed on the monitor by means of serial information. as we told you, graphics could not be processed since it only worked with textsbut this was not a problem since there were no programs with graphic data at that time.
CGA
This acronym belongs to “Color Graphics Adapter”. Which is a color graphics adapter that was also released in 1981 by IBM and represented the first color video board of this company. It was intended to work on IBM PC types of computers and their clones.
It offered a resolution of 640 × 200 pixels and had a graphics memory of 16 KB. The most important novelty that it had was that it could process text and graphic data and it had an RCA connector with which it could transmit up to 4 colors.
Had a habitual failure that consisted of the appearance of white dots and bright on the screen, generating significant distortion in the image. This was known as the “snow effect” and in some, functions were included to eliminate this type of defect.
The CGA did not have a good response at first. This was due, in principle, because it was launched in the same year as the MDA and in those…
Facebook Comments
Disqus