Next up we have a rather important characteristic of the video card - the type of memory. And it is important because two video cards with completely identical characteristics, but with different types of video memory, will differ very significantly in performance.
Therefore, when choosing a video card, you also need to be guided by this parameter. We will definitely look at this in this article using real examples. Also, once again we will destroy the myth of the dependence of the type of video card memory on the type of RAM, within the same system.
Where can I find the video card settings?
The fastest way to do this in Windows 10, 8, Windows 7 and Windows XP is to press the Win + R keys (where Win is the OS logo key) and enter the command devmgmt. msc. Another option is to right-click on “My Computer”, select “ Properties”
" and launch the device manager from the "Hardware" tab.
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What is video memory
You probably know that the graphics chip is responsible for rendering any image in a computer - for example, it calculates the interaction of objects in a game.
Intermediate data, which is then displayed on the monitor, is stored in video memory. These blocks are connected to each other by the data bus (you can read more about what it is, its capacity and impact on the operation of the device here ).
Modern GPUs now use GDDR5 memory (with the exception of budget models, some of which still run on DDR3). Essentially, this is ordinary RAM, which is found in any PC.
But unlike the RAM, the video memory board is tightly soldered, so there is absolutely no way to replace it without unplugging the video card).
Why was this solution implemented? Not for “foolproof” purposes, as you might probably think. This was done so that the user, who no longer has enough video memory to run some new product from the gaming industry, does not buy an additional memory module on the cheap, but buys a new, sophisticated video card.
Although, if you don't believe in conspiracy theories, you can ignore my opinion.
What conclusions can we draw?
I almost forgot, you don’t need to think about how to use all the video memory - in games it is used automatically, even if the system displays that less is available.
Based on the above, when choosing a video card, I advise, first of all, to focus on the memory frequency, ignoring the volume if the upgrade budget is limited.
And as a possible purchase, I can recommend the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G - an affordable device with 6 GB of video memory and very good other characteristics. I also recommend reading the article “Choosing a processor for a gaming system unit.”
And that's all for me. Until next time on the pages of my blog. Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter and share posts on social networks!
With respect to you, author of the blog Andrey Andrey.
Clock frequency
The video card processor processes graphic information at one speed or another. It is the speed of operation that is determined by the frequency. All other things being equal, the higher this parameter, the faster the video card processes graphic information. But we would like to draw your attention to the fact that this rule is relevant only under other equal conditions. There is no point in comparing video cards from different families and different manufacturers by frequency.
However, by choosing the latest graphics cards with high graphics core frequencies and a large number of stream processors (programmable units that perform calculations in parallel), you are making a better choice.
Interfaces for connecting to the motherboard
The interface is necessary to connect the elements and the motherboard. Peripheral components are connected as standard via standard PCI buses. However, when using video cards, different interfaces are used.
AGP
Designed based on PCI principles, but designed for cards. Characterized by a higher throughput than a standard bus. According to the latest version update, this figure was 2.1 Gb/s. The boards have not been produced since 2006, as another interface with higher characteristics was created - PCIe.
PCIe
Compared to the previous version, this interface has greater bandwidth, is still being updated, and has a backwards compatible option.
Despite the presence of 5 interface specifications, most PCs use version 4. This is due to the fact that the last available option was introduced only in May 2022, and therefore is not yet so widespread.
SLI and CrossFire
For a long time, it was possible to ensure joint operation of video cards only using SLI (for NVidia video cards) or using CrossFire (AMD). However, relatively recently the problem was solved by releasing a new version of DirectX, which made it possible to use several video processors at the API level. But such innovations did not cause the loss of relevance of these technologies. Specifics of use should be clarified. Regardless of the type of card used, the interaction of several cards when processing one graphic information is carried out in the following way:
- The image is divided into several blocks, which are distributed separately between the cards.
- The picture is broken down frame by frame – the first device processes even frames, the second – odd ones.
- The results obtained as a result of calculus are mixed and superimposed, which makes it possible to achieve clarity and detail.
The disadvantage of using two cards is excessive energy consumption and high cost. It should be taken into account that in practice productivity increases not by 2 times, as we would like, but by 50-70%.
SLI
To make NVidia video cards work together, you need a motherboard that allows you to use several components. The second important point is that the use of SLI mode is possible only in the case of identical video processors. That is, the GTX 1060 and GTX 1080 cannot be combined.
CrossFire
The use of this technology is not characterized by high requirements and allows for some “liberties” in the form of different video processors. However, they must be from the same series.
A little about connectors
Modern versions of video cards have several ports for connecting two or more screens. A monitor may have a number of different types of connectors that the user should be aware of.
VGA - Video Graphics Array
The oldest option, still in use today, involves the output of an analog signal, the quality of which could even be determined by the length of the wire. It is gradually being replaced by other types, as it cannot cope with high screen resolutions.
S-Video
Another analog connector with transmission quality worse than the previous version. The advantage is maintaining good image quality even with a long cable – up to 20 meters.
DVI - Digital Visual Interface
Allows you to connect high-resolution monitors, which has made it popular among other equipment (projector, etc.). What is noteworthy is that the quality of the output picture is not determined by the length of the cable.
HDMI - High Definition Multimedia Interface
It is also used to display high-resolution images, but has an advantage over DVI in the presence of not only video, but also an audio channel. Another plus is its compactness and lack of fasteners.
DP - Displayport
Not much different from the previous version, except for the presence of adapters for more popular types of connectors. The bandwidth is higher than that of HDMI, but its use among ordinary users is still much less common.
Thunderbolt
Hardware interface for peripheral devices. It is characterized by a variety of functionality and high throughput. Previously it was used exclusively for Apple products, but later it began to apply to Windows users and other OSes and devices. Can be used to transfer images to monitors with 4K resolution.
There are other parameters of the video card, be it the number of rendering units and texture units, the number of stream processors, or support for shraders. However, their study is not considered mandatory, since they play a secondary role. And yet, if you need to choose a card only for a specific purpose (games, working with graphics), when even such moments have weight, you should pay attention to these subtleties. But to do this, you will have to study the manufacturer’s official website, since these characteristics are usually not indicated in the store’s standard price lists.
Is more better or not?
The subject of comparative phallometry of ordinary users is often the volume of video memory. This happened at the instigation of marketers - when they sell a new product, they will buzz your ears about it.
More advanced users, especially gamers who have to sacrifice personal time to indulge in their favorite hobby, pay attention, first of all, to the memory frequency (and, of course, to the core frequency).
Why is that? It is not so important how much data a video card can remember - if it is slow, even overclocking will not always help to significantly increase gaming performance.
How much video memory do you need?
I won’t go into detail about how much video games have changed over the past 5 years - if you’re “in the know,” then you can see everything just fine. This quality of graphics requires a powerful video card - if, of course, you want to play at acceptable settings without suffering from “slideshows” during FPS drops.
However, graphics quality is not the only problem that modern gamers face. In the gaming industry, it has become a good practice to make games with an open, seamless world (if the genre implies such a “feature” - for example, an RPG or a shooter).
A game in which the user will have to constantly wait for locations to load has a high chance of becoming a failure.
To remember all (or at least the closest) objects of such a game world, a significant amount of video memory is required. For modern games, 3 GB or more has become the norm.
I don’t want to upset you, but this is only true today – in a couple of years, top video cards may not be able to handle new products at ultra settings. What did you think?
Alas, most developers are aimed at the mass consumer, so they focus on YOBA games, where for the sake of “graphony” you can sacrifice other components - a plot thought out by an ENT specialist, unusual quests that differ from the usual “kill everyone”.
History of GPUs
Perhaps this was one of the most complex and thorny paths of computer development, and it began, as many might think, not with the output of primitive 2D or 3D graphics, but with the output of simple text on a monochrome monitor screen.
It is worth noting that we will not go into the chronology of graphics adapters, but will only point out the most significant and turning points in history.
So let's start with order.
The first graphics adapter was MDA (Monochrome Display Adapter), developed in 1981. MDA was based on the Motorola 6845 chip and has 4 KB of video memory. It operated in text-only mode with a resolution of 80x25 characters and supported five text attributes: normal, bright, reverse, underline, and blink. It could not convey any color or graphic information, and the color of the letters was determined by the model of monitor used.
However, the real ancestor of modern video cards is considered to be the CGA (Color Graphics Adapter), released by IBM in 1981. CGA could work in both text mode with a resolution of 80x25 and graphics mode with resolutions of up to 640x200 pixels and the ability to draw 16 colors.
Since the introduction of the first CGA color graphics card in 1981–1991, the word "for nothing" has not led to any revolutionary innovation. Mostly hardware card developers and designers have introduced slight increases in resolution, image color, etc.
And only in 1991 such a concept as SVGA (Super VGA) appeared, an extension of VGA with the addition of new modes and additional services, for example, the ability to set an arbitrary frame rate. The number of simultaneously displayed colors increases to 65,536 (High Color, 16 bits) and 16,777,216 (True Color, 24 bits), additional modes for displaying text and visual information are displayed. SVGA has been the de facto standard for video adapters since approximately mid-1992, after VESA adopted the VESA BIOS Extension (VBE) standard version 1.0. Until this time, almost all SVGA video adapters were incompatible with each other.
