Any computer user was confronted with the concept of a "video card", but could not always answer this question about what it is. This is an indispensable part of the system. You should pay attention to the device and the scheme of the video card.
Component Description
A video card is a device designed to display an image on a monitor screen. The parameters of video cards depend on the components of which it is made. Everything that is inside affects its performance, frequency, memory size and degree of cooling. Video cards come in two types: discrete and integrated.
Integrated graphics cards, or integrated ones, are located on the motherboard or central processor. They are presented in the form of a chip and are capable of only the simplest functions that do not require special loads. Such a video card does not need a circuit.
The discrete option is a completely different matter, since its capabilities far exceed the built-in one. These video cards are divided into three types:
- Standard graphics card. Using the example of Invidia, you can imagine a type of video card that is not designed for heavy loads. In any generation there are such cards, and their type can be determined by the second digit. For example, GT 610, 620, 630 and 640 will be considered standard. Sometimes these video cards are called office. They do not have a connector for additional power and do not have a powerful cooling system.
- Middle class. The scheme of this type of video card is a bit more complicated than the office version. They are already marked as GTS 650, and sometimes the prefix "TI" is attached to the name. This means that the video card has overclocking potential and can achieve the results of a more powerful model. These graphics cards have an additional power connector and mediocre cooling in the form of a radiator and one fan.
- The gaming class of video cards is already rising in the series under the marking of GTX 660, 670 and 680. The larger the second digit, the more opportunities this card can show. With it, you can run the most powerful computer games, but such video cards require additional power, so the supply of the unit should allow it to be used. With a powerful video card, you can take advantage of overclocking, which will increase its frequency and improve parameters.
Graphics card layout
At the moment, there are many models of video cards, but their architecture is almost the same.
It’s worth starting the description of the circuit of the video card with the most important thing - the printed circuit board. It is on it that all the necessary components are located. PCB size also matters. The longer it is, the more space it will occupy in the system unit.
Next comes the “brain” of the video card, which is the graphics processor. Its main task is to process teams that are related to the graphic field. Due to the fact that the GPU takes on part of the load, the central processor can perform its tasks faster. Its superiority can even be overshadowed by the central processor, since it has a large number of processing units, or TMU.
Color rendering
The video controller also takes not the last place in the circuit of the video card. To generate an image on the screen, the video controller receives a command from the central processor, processes it into a digital signal to produce a picture. Modern video cards have two types of video controllers: external and internal. Each of them is able to function independently, thereby ensuring the transmission of a signal to several monitors.
Video memory practically does not need a description, since its purpose is more than understandable. Types of memory are responsible for the speed of the video card, so the GDDR5 format is the best option at the moment.
The digital converter is responsible for the color reproduction of the signal that comes from the video controller. In the Nvidia graphics card scheme, this is RGB.
Cooling
The last, but not least, point in the circuit of the video card is the cooling system. The constant load in games leads to the heating of the entire video card, so it needs high-quality cooling. It can be presented in the form of a radiator with fans or water tubes with coolant inside.
This was the general layout of a GTX graphics card. With each generation, only the internal architecture changes, which allows the video card to use advanced algorithms for working with images.
Voltage and power
For the discrete card to work, you must connect it to the power supply. For this, there are special connectors and cables for 6 and 8 contacts. Sometimes they are paired, which distinguishes the representative of a powerful video card.
The power circuit of the video card and its voltage is as follows:
- The graphics processor of a top-end video card can have up to 16 virtual voltage phases. Cards of lesser power - from one phase.
- Up to three power phases are installed on the video memory.
- If the video card is designed to connect additional power, then it has one or two phases.
The remaining components do not have a separate voltage, so there is no point in considering them.