14/04/2011

about computer: information about g

Computer General
Follow
w ith Google Friend Connect

Followers (162) More

Already a member? Sign in

information about graphic card

Live Traffic Feed

Get a rush of New

Visitors! Click here to
advertise with Feedjit
Advertise with Feedjit
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale viewed "about compute
information about graphic
card" 1 min ago
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale viewed "about compute
information about graphic
card" 1 min ago
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale viewed "about compute
information about graphic
card" 1 min ago
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale viewed "about compute
information about graphic
card" 4 mins ago
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale left "about computer:
information about graphic
card" via
computer.howstuffworks.co
11 mins ago
A visitor from Rabat, Rabat
Sale viewed "about compute
information about graphic
card" 23 mins ago
A visitor from Jacksonville,
Florida viewed "about
computer: January 2009" 1
hour 57 mins ago
A visitor from Atlanta,
Georgia viewed "about
computer: January 2009" 7
hours ago
A visitor from Mentakab,

The images you see on your monitor are made of tiny dots called pixels. At
most common resolution settings, a screen displays over a million pixels,
and the computer has to decide what to do with every one in order to create
an image. To do this, it needs a translator -- something to take binary data
from the CPU and turn it into a picture you can see. Unless a computer has
graphics capability built into the motherboard, that translation takes place on
the graphics card.
A graphics card's job is complex, but its principles and components are easy
to understand. In this article, we will look at the basic parts of a video card
and what they do. We'll also examine the factors that work together to make
a fast, efficient graphics card.

EasyHits4U.com - Your Free Traffic

Exchange - 1:1 Exchange Ratio, 5Tier Referral Program. FREE
Advertising!

13 Apr 11, 22:45

m RcNi: ki$$$
13 Apr 11, 02:48

SDL: Jom like page ini... Cukup 1000

like, kami akan adakan cabutan
bertuah
12 Apr 11, 07:12

Think of a computer as a company with its own art department. When people
in the company want a piece of artwork, they send a request to the art
department. The art department decides how to create the image and then
puts it on paper. The end result is that someone's idea becomes an actual,
viewable picture.
A graphics card works along the same principles. The CPU, working in
conjunction with software applications, sends information about the image to
the graphics card. The graphics card decides how to use the pixels on the
screen to create the image. It then sends that information to the monitor
through a cable.
The Evolution of
Graphics Cards
Graphics cards have
2008 HowStuffWorks
come a long way since The graphics card creates a wire frame image, then
IBM introduced the first
fills it in and adds textures and shading.
one in 1981. Called a
Monochrome Display
Adapter (MDA), the
card provided text-only
displays of green or
white text on a black
screen. Now, the
minimum standard for
new video cards is
Video Graphics Array
(VGA), which allows
256 colors. With highperformance standards
like Quantum
Extended Graphics
Array (QXGA), video
cards can display
millions of colors at
resolutions of up to
2040 x 1536 pixels.

ejoy: salam singgah sini jap boleh

ker?
11 Apr 11, 15:16

GuruCyber: salam ziarah .. jom

tengok bukan sahaja telor tiruan ..
malah beras juga dah tiruan
sekarang nih...
11 Apr 11, 12:08

Designer: Dow nload PERCUMA Template minisite yang cantik,

ecover yang cun dan font yang
menarik!
10 Apr 11, 15:22

Sufi Tshirt Printing: salam

[Get a Cbox]
name
message

refresh

e-mail / url
Go
help smilies cbox

Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process. To make a 3-D

image, the graphics card first creates a wire frame out of straight lines. Then,

blogspot.com//images-you-see-o

1/5

14/04/2011
2010 (8)
2009 (54)
December (3)
November (6)

about computer: information about g

it rasterizes the image (fills in the remaining pixels). It also adds lighting,
texture and color. For fast-paced games, the computer has to go through this
process about sixty times per second. Without a graphics card to perform
the necessary calculations, the workload would be too much for the
computer to handle.
The graphics card accomplishes this task using four main components:

October (4)

A motherboard connection for data and power

September (7)

A processor to decide what to do with each pixel on the screen

August (6)

Memory to hold information about each pixel and to temporarily

store completed pictures

July (8)
June (2)
April (1)
January (17)
Prevent from
hackers

A monitor connection so you can see the final result

Processor and Memory

Like a

Prevent from
hackers
What is
Network
Comparison
linux and
windows
What is CPU
How to Choose
the Right
Webcam For
You
Assemble PC
What is RAM?
Introduction to
computer
Internet
security
Spyware/adwa
re
To manually
install
Windows
Backup
Create a folder
structure
Best Practices
for
Maintaining
Your
Computer
keyboard

2008 HowStuffWorks
Graphics cards take data from the CPU and turn it into pictures. Find
out the parts of a graphics card and read expert reviews of graphics
cards.
motherboard, a graphics card is a printed circuit board that houses a
processor and RAM. It also has an input/output system (BIOS) chip, which
stores the card's settings and performs diagnostics on the memory, input
and output at startup. A graphics card's processor, called a graphics
processing unit (GPU), is similar to a computer's CPU. A GPU, however, is
designed specifically for performing the complex mathematical and geometric
calculations that are necessary for graphics rendering. Some of the fastest
GPUs have more transistors than the average CPU. A GPU produces a lot of
heat, so it is usually located under a heat sink or a fan.
In addition to its processing power, a GPU uses special programming to help
it analyze and use data. ATI and nVidia produce the vast majority of GPUs
on the market, and both companies have developed their own enhancements
for GPU performance. To improve image quality, the processors use:
Full scene anti aliasing (FSAA), which smoothes the edges of
3-D objects
Anisotropic filtering (AF), which makes images look crisper

information
about
graphic card

Each company has also developed specific techniques to help the GPU
apply colors, shading, textures and patterns.

Step to
optimize
your
perfomance

As the GPU creates images, it needs somewhere to hold information and

completed pictures. It uses the card's RAM for this purpose, storing data
about each pixel, its color and its location on the screen. Part of the RAM
can also act as a frame buffer, meaning that it holds completed images
until it is time to display them. Typically, video RAM operates at very high
speeds and is dual ported, meaning that the system can read from it and
write to it at the same time.
Integrated Graphics
Many motherboards have integrated graphics capabilities and function
without a separate graphics card. These motherboards handle 2-D images
easily, so they are ideal for productivity and Internet applications. Plugging a
separate graphics card into one of these motherboards overrides the
onboard graphics functions.
The RAM connects directly to the digital-to-analog converter, called the
DAC. This converter, also called the RAMDAC, translates the image into an
analog signal that the monitor can use. Some cards have multiple
RAMDACs, which can improve performance and support more than one
monitor. You can learn more about this process in How Analog and Digital
Recording Works.
The RAMDAC sends the final picture to the monitor through a cable. We'll

blogspot.com//images-you-see-o

2/5

14/04/2011

about computer: information about g

look at this connection and other interfaces in the next section.

Input and Output

ADC Connectors
At one time, Apple made monitors that used the proprietary Apple Display
Connector (ADC). Although these monitors are still in use, new Apple
monitors use a DVI connection.
Graphics cards connect to the computer through the motherboard. The
motherboard supplies power to the card and lets it communicate with the
CPU. Newer graphics cards often require more power than the motherboard
can provide, so they also have a direct connection to the computer's power
supply.
Connections to the motherboard are usually through one of three interfaces:
Peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
Advanced graphics port (AGP)
PCI Express (PCIe)
PCI Express is the newest of the three and provides the fastest transfer rates
between the graphics card and the motherboard. PCIe also supports the use
of two graphics cards in the same computer.
Most graphics cards have two monitor connections. Often, one is a DVI
connector, which supports LCD screens, and the other is a VGA connector,
which supports CRT screens. Some graphics cards have two DVI connectors
instead. But that doesn't rule out using a CRT screen; CRT screens can
connect to DVI ports through an adapter.
Most people use only one of their two monitor connections. People who need
to use two monitors can purchase a graphics card with dual head
capability, which splits the display between the two screens. A computer
with two dual head, PCIe-enabled video cards could theoretically support four
monitors.

Photo courtesy of HowStuffWorks Shopper

This Radeon X800XL graphics card has DVI, VGA and ViVo
connections.
In addition to connections for the motherboard and monitor, some graphics
cards have connections for:
TV display: TV-out or S-video
Analog video cameras: ViVo or video in/video out
Digital cameras: FireWire or USB
Some cards also incorporate TV tuners. Next, we'll look at how to choose a
good graphics card.
DirectX and Open GL
DirectX and Open GL are application programming interfaces,
or APIs. An API helps hardware and software communicate more
efficiently by providing instructions for complex tasks, like 3-D
rendering. Developers optimize graphics-intensive games for
specific APIs. This is why the newest games often require updated
versions of DirectX or Open GL to work correctly.
APIs are different from drivers, which are programs that allow
hardware to communicate with a computer's operating system. But
as with updated APIs, updated device drivers can help programs

blogspot.com//images-you-see-o

3/5

14/04/2011

about computer: information about g

run correctly.

Choosing a Good Graphics Card

A top-of-the-line graphics card is easy to spot. It has lots of memory and a
fast processor. Often, it's also more visually appealing than anything else
that's intended to go inside a computer's case. Lots of high-performance
video cards are illustrated or have decorative fans or heat sinks.
But a high-end card provides more power than most people really need.
People who use their computers primarily for e-mail, word processing or Web
surfing can find all the necessary graphics support on a motherboard with
integrated graphics. A mid-range card is sufficient for most casual gamers.
People who need the power of a high-end card include gaming enthusiasts
and people who do lots of 3-D graphic work.

Photo courtesy of HowStuffWorks Shopper

Some cards, like the ATI All-in-Wonder, include connections for
televisions and video as well as a TV tuner.

A good overall measurement of a card's performance is its frame rate,

measured in frames per second (FPS). The frame rate describes how many
complete images the card can display per second. The human eye can
process about 25 frames every second, but fast-action games require a frame
rate of at least 60 FPS to provide smooth animation and scrolling.
Components of the frame rate are:
Triangles or vertices per second: 3-D images are made of
triangles, or polygons. This measurement describes how quickly
the GPU can calculate the whole polygon or the vertices that
define it. In general, it describes how quickly the card builds a
wire frame image.
Pixel fill rate: This measurement describes how many pixels the
GPU can process in a second, which translates to how quickly it
can rasterize the image.
Overclocking
Some people choose to improve their graphics card's performance by
manually setting their clock speed to a higher rate, known as
overclockings. People usually overclock their memory, since overclocking
the GPU can lead to overheating. While overclocking can lead to better
performance, it also voids the manufacturer's warranty.
The graphics card's hardware directly affects its speed. These are the
hardware specifications that most affect the card's speed and the units in
which they are measured:
GPU clock speed (MHz)
Size of the memory bus (bits)
Amount of available memory (MB)
Memory clock rate (MHz)
Memory bandwidth (GB/s)
RAMDAC speed (MHz)
The computer's CPU and motherboard also play a part, since a very fast
graphics card can't compensate for a motherboard's inability to deliver data
quickly. Similarly, the card's connection to the motherboard and the speed at
which it can get instructions from the CPU affect its performance.

blogspot.com//images-you-see-o

4/5

14/04/2011

about computer: information about g

Articles source : http://computer.howstuffworks.com/graphics-card4.htm

Posted by one at 1:14 PM

Labels: How Graphics Cards Work

0 comments:
Post a Comment

Comment as: Select profile...

Post Comment

Newer Post

Preview

Home

Older Post

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Powered by Blogger.

blogspot.com//images-you-see-o

5/5