Technical Description (1)

Technical Description -Writing for Engineering

Definition
A graphics card (also called a display card, video card, display adapter or graphics adapter) is
an expansion card which generates a feed of output images to a display. Frequently, these are
advertised as discrete or dedicated graphics cards, emphasizing the distinction between these
and integrated graphics. At the core of both is the graphics processing unit (GPU), which is
often erroneously used to refer to the video card as a whole.
Functions
For relatively low-end computer systems, the ability to create output images can be integrated
into the motherboard or central processing unit . However, if you want to watch movies or play
games on your computer, a dedicated video card greatly improves the quality of the graphics.
For serious gamers, a high-quality video card may just be the most important part of the
computer system – it's a must for rendering 3D graphics in particular.
A video card is a printed circuit board and contains its own processing unit and memory. It is like
a kind of computer in itself. This essentially takes the load off the motherboard's CPU and
memory to process images. The processing unit on a video card is referred to as a graphics
processing unit . This is very similar to a CPU, but its design is optimized to work with images.
The memory on a video card is very similar to the regular random-access memory on a
motherboard. A video card connects to the motherboard of a computer system using a slot,
typically an Accelerated Graphics Port or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
connection.
High-performance video cards generate a lot of heat. Video cards therefore need to employ
heat sinks, which consist of metal strips to distribute the heat evenly and dissipate the heat into
the surrounding air. A heat sink is often located right on top of the GPU. Sometimes a fan is
added for additional cooling.

Types
Integrated
If you have a computer, but did not assemble it yourself or upgrade it in any way, chances are
that it uses an integrated graphics card to display images on your screen. When a graphics card
is described as integrated, it refers to the card's relationship with the computer's motherboard.
Integrated graphics cards, sometimes known as on-board graphics cards, are the default option
that comes with standard motherboards. An integrated graphics card can be upgraded, but it
requires plugging a new graphics card into your computer's motherboard and having the
computer ignore the old card.
Integrated graphics cards are the least powerful variety overall, at least compared to the
technology that exists simultaneously. If you have an integrated graphics card and want to play
the latest video games, you will need to upgrade.
PCI
PCI graphics cards are cards that use the PCI slots on your motherboard to connect to your
computer. PCI graphics cards are usually a little bit out of date, if not extremely so. However,
many older motherboards have PCI slots and lack newer varieties of connections. For this
reason, there is still a reason to buy a PCI graphics card, but only if you are trying to upgrade an
older system.

AGP

AGP graphics cards are named for the same thing PCI cards are—the slot they connect to on a
motherboard. AGP cards can have four speeds, the fastest being 8x. However, if your
motherboard only supports a lower speed, such as 1x, 2x, or 4x, your graphics card will behave
as if it is of a slower speed, rather than its real speed. AGP connections are not quite as fast as
PCI-E slots due to technological limits, and as a result will not be developed to run at higher
speeds. However, like PCI cards, they are more widely compatible than the most cutting-edge
cards.
PCI-Express
PCI-E cards are the most advanced, connecting to the motherboard's PCI-E slot. PCI-E
graphics cards can be accelerated to 16x. In addition, a motherboard with more than one PCI-E
slot can have more than one PCI-E graphics card connected to it and combine their power.
However, this is a rare scenario. This can also cause compatibility problems if not planned out
correctly; certain motherboards work better with specific brands of PCI-E video card.
Ports
The picture above is an example of a video card with three connections, or video ports, on the
back.
-VGA connector
-S-Video connector
-DVI connector
In the past, VGA or SVGA was the most popular connection used with computer monitors.
Today, most flat panel displays use the DVI connector or HDMI connector (not pictured above).
Expansion Slots
In the picture above, the video card is inserted into the AGP expansion slot on the computer
motherboard. Over the development of computers, there have been several types of expansion
slots used for video cards. Today, the most common expansion slot for video cards is PCIe,
which replaced AGP, which replaced PCI, which replaced ISA.

Citations

J. Strickland, “What's inside my computer?,” HowStuffWorks, 23-Sep-2008. [Online]. Available:
https://computer.howstuffworks.com/inside-computer1.htm. [Accessed: 02-Apr-2019].
T. Fisher, “What Is PCI Express?,” Lifewire, 07-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.lifewire.com/pci-express-pcie-2625962. [Accessed: 02-Apr-2019].
“What is a Video Card?,” Co\mputer Hope, 13-Nov-2018. [Online]. Available:
https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/v/video-card.htm. [Accessed: 02-Apr-2019].