The document discusses the key components and functions of a video card. It describes the heat sink, video memory, video BIOS, sizes of video cards, multi-card scaling capabilities, common device driver APIs like OpenGL and DirectX, market sizes and impact of integrated graphics, and ongoing performance improvements between AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards.

1. JAKE M. NAPOLES
CECELIO LAGUBIS
MARCIAL DAVID TAGUDIN
CARLO MARTIN PADILLA

2. What is a VIDEO CARD?
 Video card

3. What is a VIDEO CARD?
 A video card (also called a video adapter, display
card, graphics card, graphics board, display
adapter or graphics adapter and sometimes
preceded by the word discrete or dedicated to
emphasize the distinction between this
implementation and integrated graphics) is an
expansion card which generates a feed of output
images to a display (such as a computer monitor).

4.  Within the industry, video cards are sometimes
called graphics add-in-boards, abbreviated as
AIBs,[1] with the word "graphics" usually omitted.
Virtually all current video cards are built with either
AMD-sourced or Nvidia-sourced graphics chips.[1]
Most video cards offer various functions such as
accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D
graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output,
or the ability to connect multiple monitors (multi-
monitor).

5.  B The function of a VGA card
(video card) is to provide an
interface between the hardware and
the software. Basically this means
that it plugs in to the monitor and
shows what the computer is doing.
What is the function of the VIDEO
CARD?

6.  sample
What are the parts of the VIDEO
CARD?
A Radeon 7970 with the cooler removed,
showing the major components of the
card. A modern video card consists of a
printed circuit board on which the
components are mounted. These
include:

7. Parts

8. HEAT SINK
A heat sink is mounted on most modern
graphics cards. A heat sink spreads out
the heat produced by the graphics
processing unit evenly throughout the
heat sink and unit itself. The heat sink
commonly has a fan mounted as well to
cool the heat sink and the graphics
processing unit. Not all cards have heat
sinks, for example, some cards are
liquid cooled, and instead have a
waterblock; additionally, cards from the
1980s and early 1990s did not produce
much heat, and did not require

9.  In electronic systems, a heat sink is a passive heat
exchanger that cools a device by dissipating heat
into the surrounding medium. In computers, heat
sinks are used to cool central processing units
or graphics processors. Heat sinks are used with
high-power semiconductor devices such as power
transistors and optoelectronics such as lasers and
light emitting diodes (LEDs), where the heat
dissipation ability of the basic device is insufficient
to moderate its temperature.
What is the function of the HEAT
SINK?

10. Type Memory clock rate (MHz) Bandwidth (GB/s)
DDR 166 – 950 1.2 – 3.04
DDR2 2000 – 3600 128 – 200
GDDR5 900 – 5700 80 – 230
Video Memory

11.  The memory capacity of most modern video cards
ranges from 128 MB to 8 GB.[25][26] Since video
memory needs to be accessed by the GPU and the
display circuitry, it often uses special high-speed or
multi-port memory, such as VRAM, WRAM, SGRAM,
etc. Around 2003, the video memory was typically
based on DDR technology. During and after that
year, manufacturers moved towards DDR2, GDDR3,
GDDR4 and GDDR5. The effective memory clock
rate in modern cards is generally between 1 GHz
and 6.3 GHz.
VIDEO MEMORY

12.  Video memory may be used for storing
other data as well as the screen image,
such as the Z-buffer, (depth buffering)
which manages the depth coordinates in
3D graphics, textures, vertex buffers,
and compiled shader programs
 The Z-buffer is a technology used in almost all contemporary computers,
laptops and mobile phones for performing 3-D (3 dimensional) graphics, for
example for computer games. The Z-buffer is implemented as hardware in
the silicon ICs (integrated circuits) within these computers. The Z-buffer is
also used (implemented as software as opposed to hardware) for producing
computer-generated special effects for films.
 Furthermore, Z-buffer data obtained from rendering a surface from a light's
point-of-view permits the creation of shadows by the "shadow mapping"
technique.
What is the use of the VIDEO
MEMORY?

13.  The video BIOS or firmware contains a minimal
program for initial set up and control of the video card. It
may contain information on the memory timing,
operating speeds and voltages of the graphics
processor, RAM, and other details which can
sometimes be changed. The usual reason for doing this
is to overclock the video card to allow faster video
processing speeds, however, this has the potential to
irreversibly damage the card with the possibility of
cascaded damage to the motherboard.
 the video BIOS provides a set of video-related functions
that are used b y programs to access the video
hardware. The video BIOS interfaces software to the
video chipset in the same way that the system BIOS
does for the system chipset. The ROM also contained a
basic font set to upload to the video adapter font RAM,
if the video card did not contain a font ROM with this
font set instead.
Video BIOS

14.  There are three main types of video card
commonly in use.
 PCI Express,
 AGP,
 PCI
VIDEO CARD TYPES

15.  PCI Express is the most current, and fastest, of the
video cards. If possible, you will likely want to
install a PCI express video card. Figure 5.1 shows
a PCI Express video card
PCI Express
http://www.heatonresearch.com/articles/25/
page2.html

16.  Before PCI express the most common type of
video card was the AGP card. AGP cards still
give great performance. If you have only one
video card in your system you will want to
make sure it is either AGP or PCI Express.
Figure 5.2 shows an AGP video card.
AGP
http://www.heatonresearch.com/articles/25/
page2.html

17.  An entry level video card such as the EVGA GeForce 8400
GS sells for as little as US$30. Many of the best-selling video
cards are priced between US$100 and US$500. A high-end
video card can cost US$500 or more as of late 2013.[3] An
expensive video card marketed to enthusiasts (primarily
gamers), the EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, is priced around
US$700 in late 2013.[4] An even more expensive card, the
ASUS GeForce GTX TITAN with 6 GB of 384-bit GDDR5
RAM is priced around US$1000 in late 2013.[5] Although the
price for the ASUS GeForce GTX TITAN may seem extreme,
a single card can replace multi-card setups, reducing energy
consumption and therefore system cooling requirements.
Price ranges and market segments
for video cards

18.  Beyond the enthusiast segment is the market for
professional video cards for workstations used in
the special effects industry, and in fields such as
design, analysis and scientific research. Nvidia is a
major player in the professional segment. In
November, 2013, AMD introduced a so-called
"Supercomputing" graphics card "designed for data
visualization in finance, oil exploration, aeronautics
and automotive, design and engineering,
geophysics, life sciences, medicine and defense."[6]
Price ranges and market segments
for video cards

19.  As the processing power of video cards has increased,
so has their demand for electrical power. Current high-
performance video cards tend to consume a great deal
of power. For example, the thermal design power (TDP)
for the GeForce GTX TITAN is 250 Watts.[7] While CPU
and power supply makers have recently moved toward
higher efficiency, power demands of GPUs have
continued to rise, so the video card may be the biggest
electricity user in a computer.[8][9] Although power
supplies are increasing their power too, the bottleneck
is due to the PCI-Express connection, which is limited to
supplying 75 Watts.[10]
What about the POWER DEMAND?

20.  Modern video cards with a power consumption over 75
Watts usually include a combination of six-pin (75W) or
eight-pin (150W) sockets that connect directly to the
power supply. While manufacturers of high-end video
cards may recommend a minimum power supply of 500
Watts in a computer, a power supply of at least 750
Watts is typical in a gaming computer with a single high
end video card. Providing adequate cooling becomes a
challenge in such computers. Computers with multiple
video cards may need power supplies in the 1000W-
1500W range. Heat extraction becomes a major design
consideration for computers with two or more high end
video cards.
POWER DEMAND

21.  Video cards for desktop computers come in 2 size
profiles, to allow adding a graphics card to even small
form factor PCs.
 These sizes are regular and low-profile video
cards.[11][12] the profiles are based on width only, with
low-profile card taking up less than the full width of a
PCIe slot. The length and thickness vary greatly, high-
end cards usually occupy 2 or 3 expansion slots, and
vary greatly in length, with dual-gpu cards -such as the
Nvidia GeForce GTX 690- generally over 10" in
length.[13]
What are the sizes of the Video
Cards?

22.  Some graphics cards can be linked together to allow
scaling of the graphics processing across multiple
cards. This is done using either the PCIe bus on the
motherboard, or, more commonly, a data bridge.
 Generally, the cards must be of the same model to be
linked, and most low power cards are not able to be
linked in this way.[14] AMD and Nvidia both have
proprietary methods of scaling, CrossfireX for AMD, and
SLI for Nvidia.
 Cards from different chipset manufacturers,
architectures, and/or memory sizes cannot be used
together for multi card scaling. Currently, scaling on
consumer grade cards can be done using up to four
cards.[15][16][17]
What is a Multi-card scaling?

23.  The device driver usually supports one or multiple
Application programming interfaces (APIs) like
OpenGL, Direct3D, or Mantle, and the architecture
of a GPU-family. A device driver has to be
specifically written for an operating system
 OpenGL, Direct3D, or Mantle
Device drivers

24.  OpenGL (Open Graphics Library)[2] is a cross-
language, multi-platform application programming
interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D computer
graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a
Graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardware-
accelerated rendering.
 OpenGL was developed by Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI)
from 1991 and released in January 1992[3] and is widely
used in CAD, virtual reality, scientific visualization,
information visualization, flight simulation, and video
games. OpenGL is managed by the non-profit
technology consortium Khronos Group.
Device drivers supporting: (API)-
OpenGL

25.  Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX
application programming interface
(API). Direct3D is available for Microsoft
Windows operating systems (Windows
95 and above), and for other platforms
through the open source software Wine.
It is the base for the graphics API on the
Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems.
Direct3D is used to render three
dimensional graphics in applications
where performance is important, such
as games. Direct3D also allows
applications to run fullscreen instead of
embedded in a window, though they can
still run in a window if programmed for
that feature. Direct3D uses hardware
acceleration if it is available on the
graphics card, allowing for hardware
acceleration of the entire 3D rendering
pipeline or even only partial
acceleration. Direct3D exposes the
advanced graphics capabilities of 3D
graphics hardware, including z-
buffering, spatial anti-aliasing, alpha
blending, mipmapping, atmospheric
effects, and perspective-correct texture
mapping. Integration with other DirectX
technologies enables Direct3D to
deliver such features as video mapping,
hardware 3D rendering in 2D overlay
planes, and even sprites, providing the
use of 2D and 3D graphics in interactive
media ties.
Device drivers supporting: (API)-
direct 3D

26. Device drivers supporting: (API)-
mantle
 Mantle is a low-level API specification developed by AMD as
an alternative to Direct3D and OpenGL, primarily for use on
the PC platform.[2] Currently the only implementation is for
graphics processing units with AMD's Graphics Core Next
architecture,[3] although there is speculation other GPU
vendors such as NVidia and Intel might be able to implement
it in future.[2] Mantle was created to allow games and
applications to utilize the GPU more efficiently, and have
much faster draw calls, and makes game development much
easier by nearly eliminating hardware abstraction.
 Contents

27.  Video card shipments totaled 14.5 million units in the
third quarter of 2013, a 17% fall from Q3 2012 levels.[18]
The traditional PC market is shrinking as tablet
computers and smartphones gain share. Years ago, the
move to integrated graphics on the motherboard greatly
reduced the market for low end video cards.
 Now, AMD and Intel's accelerated processing units,
which combine graphics processing with CPU functions
on the CPU die itself, are putting further pressure on
video card sales.[19] AMD introduced a line of combined
processors which it calls the AMD A-Series APU
Processors (A4, A6, A8, A10) while Intel, rather than
marketing an exclusive line of APUs, introduced its "4th
Generation Intel® Core™ Processors", some of which
are APUs
Size of market and impact of accelerated
processing units on video card sales

28.  Those processors are described as offering "Superb
visuals and graphics performance–without the cost of a
separate graphics card."[20] They are branded as having
Intel HD Graphics or Intel Iris Pro Graphics. As an
example, the Intel Core i7 4750HQ with Iris Pro
Graphics 5200, an accelerated processing unit for
notebook computers, allows users with mid-range
graphics requirements to use a notebook computer
without a video card. In a September, 2013 review of
the Intel Core i7 4750HQ accelerated processing unit
(which is closely related to the Intel processor with HD
Graphics 5000 used in the MacBook Air,) the website
hardware.info stated
Size of market and impact of
accelerated processing units on
video card sales

29.  With its latest generation of integrated graphics, Intel
set out to rival the performance of the mid-range mobile
Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics card. And the tests
leave no doubt about it, both 3DMark and the gaming
benchmarks confirm that the [Intel] Iris Pro Graphics
5200 is on the same level of or slightly below that of the
GT 650M."[2] (The GeForce GT 650M is not sold
through retail channels, but an EVGA desktop GTX 650
was selling for around $120 in late 2013.[21]) Although
the review notes that Intel's accelerated processing unit
is not yet cost competitive, the technology is
approaching competitiveness, at least with mid-range
mobile dedicated video.
Size of market and impact of
accelerated processing units on
video card sales

30.  (A video benchmarking website that tabulates user-submitted
benchmarks shows Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200, based on a
very small sample of 8 submissions, scoring a G3D Mark of
912,[22] versus 1296 for the Nvidia GeForce GT 650M,[23] with
higher scores being better. If the benchmark is linear, that
puts the Iris Pro Graphics 5200's performance at about 70%
of the GeForce GT 650M Intel was targeting. AMD's A10-
5750M mobile APU with Radeon HD 8650G graphics scores
858 on this graphics benchmark.[24]) With anticipated price
reductions, it is predicted that APUs will eventually replace
low to mid-range dedicated video implementations. That will
leave only the high-end enthusiast and professional market
segments for video card vendors.
Size of market and impact of
accelerated processing units on
video card sales

31.  computer games are not difficult for most modern video
cards to handle, but that hasn’t stopped the
performance war between AMD and NVIDIA. It’s only
raised the bar. 1080p is now a mundane resolution. To
really push the hardware you need a 2560×1440
display – or more.
 The red and green teams are also firing at each other
with new features designed to give each an edge. I’m
not talking about CUDA, Supersampling or multi-GPU
configurations. No, that’s old news. I’m talking about
GPU Boost, Eyefinity, TXAA and more. You should
know about these features before buying your next
video card.
New Features of VIDEO CARD