PC video card: what is it for?
Whether you are a game lover, a 3D content creator or simply a fan of beautiful images, the video card is the essential component of your pc. Improving your visual experience is essentially based on the power and performance of this component. Having aesthetic and fluid content in front of your eyes certainly requires the right choice of your graphics adapter. To lift the veil on the importance of this electronic component, we offer you in the rest of our article everything you need to know about a pc video card .
What is a pc video card?
In cinema as in video games, having beautiful visual content in front of your eyes is enough on its own to make all the difference. Whatever the type of content, the quality of the graphics is what is most captivating for the public.
A video card or graphics card or graphics adapter is a component of the central processing unit intended to produce an image that can be displayed on a computer screen. It allows the display of 2D or 3D graphics by sending to the screen images stored in its own memory.
The composition of a graphics card is based on several electronic parts equipped with evolving technologies. Two of the most important components are the GPU and its video memory. The GPU is a processor designed for processing graphics data and calculating 2D and 3D graphics. The video memory stores the digital data that will be transmitted to the graphics processor to be converted into visible images and then sends them to the monitor.
What’s the point of using a pc video card?
First of all, you should know that the video card is inseparable from the display of your pc screen. Indeed, the first function is to translate the digital data at the base of the functioning of the computer into images understandable by its user. In other words, everything that appears on your screen when you start your pc is thanks to a graphics card. As for example for icons, windows, tabs, images, in short everything that your operating system shows you.
In the world of gaming, a video card takes on great importancewhen it comes to graphics quality. Unlike game consoles which have a fixed hardware configuration, changing a graphics card is quite possible. Computer video games being greedy, sometimes require certain powerful resources like a video card. This offers a more realistic image, and high image quality. This obviously depends on the power of your component.
Graphics cards are just as important in the professional field. In the architectural and urban planning sectors, the design of 3D models relies on the power of your component. In addition, there is also the design of mechanical and automotive parts, the creation of an avatar, etc. In short, whether you have the best 3D creation software, if you don’t have a video card placed in your pc, there’s no way it will work.
Other interest but which is not the least is that of video editing. Achieving this task relies both on the presence of encoding software and that of a video card.
What are the criteria for choosing a good pc video card?
When you want to get a video card for your pc, it is essential to choose according to your needs , and particularly your budget. The choice of this component is therefore important for a more efficient rendering. The selection criteria boils down to:
- The dimension;
- Power consumption;
- available memory;
- The supported frequency;
- Compatible connectors.
The dimensions vary according to your support. If you want to mount a computer or simply replace your graphics card, it is important to choose the appropriate size.
The power consumption of your video card is expressed in Watts. This component with the processor consumes the most electrical power. So estimate your overall consumption to have the appropriate power supply.
Memory and frequency are the most relevant characteristics. The available memory of a graphics card is linked to the definition of the image you want to have on your screen. The preferred memories for a minimum of comfort are those with at least 8 GB. Frequency is used to measure speedat which the graphics processor calculates its graphics. It would therefore be wise for you to look into these two criteria before buying a video card.
Finally for the connection, the Display Port is the most recommended. However other connectors are available, such as: VGA, HDMI, DVI.