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Information Systems: Help and Review19 chapters | 387 lessons | 4 flashcard sets
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A video card connects to the motherboard of a computer system and generates output images to display. Video cards are also referred to as graphics cards. Video cards include a processing unit, memory, a cooling mechanism and connections to a display device.
For relatively low-end computer systems, the ability to create output images can be integrated into the motherboard or central processing unit (also called CPU). However, if you want to watch movies or play games on your computer (and who doesn't, at least once in a while?), 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 (like a motherboard) 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 (GPU). 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 (or RAM) on a motherboard. A video card connects to the motherboard of a computer system using a slot, typically an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) connection.
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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.
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Video cards connect to a display device, such as a monitor or television. Many different types of connections exist depending on the type of computer system and the nature of the display device. Here you can see some of the most common connection types. Video Graphics Array (VGA) and Digital Visual Interface (DVI) are used to connect to regular computer monitors. Increasingly, video cards also have connections for television and other video equipment. If you have ever tried to connect a DVD player, video camera or game console to a TV, you may have encountered some of these types of connections, and not having the right cable can be very frustrating.
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While many regular video cards only provide a single connection to a typical computer monitor, some high-end models include many different ones, so you can connect your computer system to whatever type of display device you want to use.
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For typical computer users, a basic video card will often be sufficient. However, serious gamers and those working with design, photography or video editing will benefit from investing in a high-end video card. Many high-end video cards also make it possible to connect multiple monitors at the same time.
The best video cards have a fast GPU and lots of memory. A good overall measurement of the quality of a video card is its frame rate, which is measured in frames per second (fps). The human eye can process around 25 fps, but fast-action games or movies require a frame rate of at least 60 fps to provide smooth transitions.
Expect to be able to do the following by the time you complete the video:
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Information Systems: Help and Review19 chapters | 387 lessons | 4 flashcard sets