Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Another very important computer component is the graphics card. All computers, in one form or another, have one. Be it built into the motherboard or a separate card, its an absolutely vital piece.
The sole purpose of the graphics card (hereafter GFX card) is to convert and display information given to it from the motherboard. Now the information given to it may be simple word documents or as complex as a high spec video game (Crysis, for example). It does this in two ways:-
1) The small fan on the card to the right is covering the GPU's CPU (Graphics Processing Unit/Central Processing Unit), a small chip, very similar to the computer's main CPU. However, its architecture (the design of the transistors) is such that it is much better suited to the line of work, constantly running the same lines of code to generate the on screen image. Generally, the clock speeds of GFX cards ranges from 650MHz all the way to 1058MHz.
2. GFX cards have their own dedicated RAM. Almost exactly the same as the CPUs RAM, it allows the GPU to use is own resources rather than pull some away from the CPU. If the latter was true, it would create a bottleneck for the system.
2. GFX cards have their own dedicated RAM. Almost exactly the same as the CPUs RAM, it allows the GPU to use is own resources rather than pull some away from the CPU. If the latter was true, it would create a bottleneck for the system.
The GFX card works with the CPU in a number of ways. First off, it moves quite a lot of processing away from the CPU, allowing it to use its own run time for other things such as background programs and keeping what ever program is running, well, running.
The second way, and is only true of Nvidia cards, is that the card itself will do the physics processing in the game, such as collision models and damage models, again, allowing the CPU to work on running the game and other programs.
The second way, and is only true of Nvidia cards, is that the card itself will do the physics processing in the game, such as collision models and damage models, again, allowing the CPU to work on running the game and other programs.
Generally speaking, a top of the range GPU will have very high clock speeds and memory speeds coupled with massive amounts of RAM. The price of them, however, makes cards like the GTX T780ti and the R9 290x unreachable for all but the most enthusiastic of fans.