Background and History

The graphics card is a component in your computer that processes graphics loading and rendering. The first graphics card was made in 1987. It’s the old model IBM 8514, and it was used to deal with 2D graphics relate then. Nowadays people use more advanced graphics cards that render 3D graphics, and the first model of a 3D graphics card is by the company Nvidia, model GeForce 256. GeForce 256 was announced on August 31, 1999, and released onto the market on October 11, 1999. The graphics card is essential to a computer because, without a graphics card, the screen monitor will be unable to load any pictures or images and the user won’t be able to see what they are working on the computer. The differences between expensive graphics cards and cheap graphics cards are mostly on 3 factors, first is look-wise, graphics cards that are made in a cool looking like RGB lights or even a screen on the graphics card will sell at a higher price. Second graphics cards with better cooling always do better in performance and can also boost the price. Finally, the different materials, more or fewer rams used in a graphics card can also make a price difference. Now since the requirement for graphics is getting higher day by day gamers that want a better gaming experience or graphical designers that want to render their graphical work faster, will be the ones that need an expensive graphics card. In my essay, I will break down the smaller components that make up a graphics card and what important role each small component plays in making the graphics card function.

Figure 1:

Note. from What difference does the manufacturer of a GPU make? – quora. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://www.quora.com/What-difference-does-the-manufacturer-of-a-GPU-make)

This is a picture of a graphics card under the cooling fans, and it’s made up of multiple components such as SLI/Crossfire Slot, VRAM, 6 and 8-pin connectors, Display Ports, PCI Express connectors, GPU, VRM, and last the PCB board. Most of the graphics cards are built in the same way but some might vary. Like I said in the introduction the components inside a graphics card can be different in price and some might have less memory, a different number of pins of power supplies, or different video ports.

SLI/Crossfire Slot

The SLI/Crossfire slot is a selection port where people can connect 2 graphics cards so that when the computer uses the graphics card to render graphics, the 2 graphics cards will split the job, and each does half of the work. This can allow better performance since the work is being divided and not 1 card running the whole thing on its own.

VRAM (Video Memory)

VRAM is like a storage room for the graphics card. The graphics card depends on the CPU (center control in the computer) to send out directions, once the information is sent to the graphics card the card starts processing and doing the job of loading graphics. Depending on the amount of VRAM the graphics card the amount of workload the graphics card can process differs too. If you have more VRAM storage on information the graphics card can process more graphics and will appear faster on your screen, but if you have less VRAM and the graphics card must process more information then it will take more time for the image to appear. This is one of the reasons why some computers load pictures slower, and some do it faster.

6 and 8 Pin Connectors

The way that the pin connectors work is that they send power to the graphics card and provide energy for it to function. The difference between 6-pin and 8-pin is that one can provide more power and less. The 6-pin connector can provide 75 watts of power and on the other hand, the 8-pin connector can provide up to 150 watts of power. Higher-end graphics cards might use two 8-pin connectors and some lower-end graphics that don’t require much power supply will have a combination of one 6-pin and one 8-pin or even a single 6-pin alone. Having the right number of pin connectors is important because you can maximize the usage of electricity and prevent waste.

Display Port

The display port is used to connect the graphics card and the computer. The graphics card is needed to send images to your monitor and if you want to visually see what you are doing on the computer you need to connect a display port to your monitor. The ports vary depending on your monitor and the graphics card you have. Nowadays we have HDMI port functions the same as display ports but it’s being used more on theater setups and performs a little below display ports. Before display ports were invented, we used Video Graphics Array (VGA) and Digital Visual Interface (DVI) as the connected source for computer monitors.

            Figure 2

Note. from Adapter quotes. Adapter Quotes – Information Technology Services – CSU Channel Islands. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://www.csuci.edu/its/purchasing/adapterquotes/adapterquotes.htm)

PCI Express connectors

The PCI Express connector is used to connect the graphics card to the motherboard and the purpose of it is to decrease the latency between the computer and the graphics card making the graphics load faster and more stable. The PCI express port can connect graphics cards and install an outer device like SSD and Wi-Fi card.

 GPU

The GPU is like a processor in a computer, but it’s used to handle graphics, effects, and video-related problems. In the PC the GPU is built inside the graphics card and because it has a better cooling system, smaller components used, and an individual powering system this allows the PC to have a better-performing GPU. If you have a laptop that has the same specs and model graphics cards the performance compared to the one in PC will have slightly decreased. Due to the reasons above laptops have a smaller power supply, and a worse cooling system these factors limited the performance and set a cap to the maximum performance. In the cooling for GPU, it’s often two or three fans and a Cooper model to transfer heat out from the GPU when it’s running. The brown shiny look is an example of the copper model that is installed in the GPU. It’s necessary because if there is too much heat trap in the GPU high temperature can cause the GPU to turn into defense mode. The defense mode will shut down your computer and force the computer to stop working before the high temperature melts down or do any damage to your computer parts.

Figure 3

Note. from Kingpin’s EVGA GTX 980 ti graphics card poses for photos. HEXUS.net. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/84686-kingpins-evga-gtx-980-ti-graphics-card-poses-photos/)

VRM

The VRM stands for voltage regulator module, and it’s used to adjust the voltage in the computer so that every part is balanced and has enough electricity in every component to ensure the computer will fully function.

PCB

The PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board and it’s the base board in the graphics card that connects GPU, VRAM, VRM, and all the small components that are in the graphics card. All the components are stuck in one single board, usually, when graphics have a problem it’s always from the PCB board.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the graphics card is an essential part of the computer and with the proper function of a graphics card users of a computer will not see any image showing. Also, for work like rendering graphics, designing graphics, 3D modeling, gaming at high quality, or running games in a high frame rate, all these above require graphics cards based on what they are doing. This is one of the reasons why graphics cards are getting more and more powerful because we require higher quality, therefore, the demand for memory and process performance on a graphics card is getting higher and higher. In the future graphics cards will be used more widely because it’s part of two transfers of virtual digital information into graphics that are visible to users. The virtual world will be used more often later in the future, so graphics cards have a high chance of becoming a high-demand thing in the future.

Work Cited Page

1. Chan, T. (2020, November 23). What’s the difference between a 6-pin, 8-pin, and 12-pin GPU cable? Pactech. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://pactech-inc.com/difference-between-6-pin-8-pin-12-pin-gpu-cable/#:~:text=What%20is%20a%206%2Dpin,supply%2C%20bypassing%20the%20motherboard%20entirely)

• Kingpin’s EVGA GTX 980 ti graphics card poses for photos. HEXUS.net. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://m.hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/84686-kingpins-evga-gtx-980-ti-graphics-card-poses-photos/)

• Adapter quotes. Adapter Quotes – Information Technology Services – CSU Channel Islands. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://www.csuci.edu/its/purchasing/adapterquotes/adapterquotes.htm)

• What difference does the manufacturer of a GPU make? – quora. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://www.quora.com/What-difference-does-the-manufacturer-of-a-GPU-make)

• What difference does the manufacturer of a GPU make? – quora. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2023, from (https://www.quora.com/What-difference-does-the-manufacturer-of-a-GPU-make)

Trick, C. (2022, December 2). What is PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express)? Trusted Computing Innovator. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.trentonsystems.com/blog/what-is-pcie#:~:text=PCIe%2C%20or%20peripheral%20component%20interconnect,drive)%20add%2Don%20cards.