Graphics cards

Graphics cards... the power of pixels

The graphics card, or video card, is responsible for rendering an image on a computers monitor/display. Also called an expansion card, the graphics card is located inside the computer case and installed on the motherboard.

The graphics card has many different parts like; transistors, video memory, cooling fan (newer cards) and even has its own processor called the GPU (graphics processor unit). The “outside” plate has output connectors like the VGA , S-video and DVI ports, all of which can be connected to a external display like a LCD monitor or display panel. Modern graphics cards even have a high-definition multimedia interface or HDMI port for high-quality graphics.

Turning Pixels into Pictures

The images you see on your computers display first start out as small dots called pixels, your computer monitor displays millions of these pixels to make up a single image. It’s the graphics card and CPUs job to formulate and create an image out of a collection of seemingly empty data called binary data. How? well basically the CPU sends the data from a software program to the graphics card, their it can be turned into an image which is displayed on a computer monitor.

The memory chips and transistors on a graphics card help to process large amounts of data independently from the computers own random access memory (RAM) helping to lighten the load, that’s why your computer always feels faster after installing a graphics card.

Graphics close to home

Aside from the graphics card, is the option of on-board memory. Most motherboards includes a graphics chipset which have a small amount of memory embedded into the motherboard, this memory is shared with the computers systems main RAM. On-board, or integrated graphics requires allot of shared memory from the main computers RAM to create an image which in turn, slows the computers overall performance.

If you use your computer primarily just for email, web-browsing or data processing like Microsoft Office Suites, then utilizing on-board memory may be more than enough for daily computing. However, integrated (on-board) graphics may not be the best option for dedicated graphics enthusiasts or computer gaming professionals.

Shopping for the best graphics card online

The two current heavyweights in the graphics card manufacturing sector are Nvidia and AMD. These companies offer their own set of advantages and special graphical features. With great power comes even greater heat distribution, that’s why most high-end graphics cards comes with specially crafted fans, heatsinks and cooling pipes to prevent overheating and damage to the graphics card.

OneShop has an expansive range of graphics cards for the casual and high-end computer professional. Get the best graphics cards on the market, read user reviews and various top rated brands to aid in your decision when selecting the latest graphics card for your computer system.

Other graphics cards Resource

Read more about the video (graphics) card on Wikipedia

Visit WiseGeek for information on “What is a graphics card”

See Howstuffworks for details on “How graphics card work”