Joe Robson has released “The Newbie Club Insider” issue 275. This issue has two tutorials on video cards inside PCs.


Joe Robson has released “The Newbie Club Insider” issue 275. This issue has two tutorials on video cards inside PCs.

Contents

The contents of the Newsletter are:

1. Joe’s Ramblings
2. Tutorial Pt 1 … “Inside Your PC – Video Cards”
3. Tutorial Pt 2 … “Inside Your PC – Video Cards”
4. Geek-Speek Busters … “Image Files and Servers”
5. Article Revisited … “It’s A Funny Old World”
6. Joe’s Pause For Thought
7. Time For A Laff
8. Complimentary Newbie Club Courses and eBooks.
9. Your Subscription Details.

Tutorials

The tutorial by Joe Robson http://newbieclub.com is reprinted here with permission:

Tutorial Pt 1 … “Inside Your Computer – Video Cards”

Bear with me while I outline some basics first ….

In order to use your computer effectively you need both an input device and an output device. You enter information with an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or microphone, and your trusty computer outputs sound and/or visual images.

And the visual output that your computer provides is handled by your video card.

This is a dedicated circuitry that interprets information from the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and sends it to the computer monitor. Modern computer systems with Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) such as Microsoft Windows rely on fairly sophisticated
video output to provide information to the user.

Because they are a vital part of the computer, many motherboards have built in video processors. These are suitable for everyday computing tasks such as word processing and e-mail. Other applications such as video editing, graphical design work, and
high end games require highly specialized video cards capable of 3-D rendering.

Types of Cards

Integrated video processors are part of your motherboard. They are connected directly to your monitor and require no extra cards. This is the least expensive type of video adapter, and requires no special consideration for installation. Simply plug your monitor in and go!

The drawback of integrated video is the relatively limited performance it offers, especially for applications requiring 3-D rendering such as games and graphic design. In addition, not every motherboard has integrated video.

The techies certainly know how to complicate things for us mere mortals. So if you need to buy a video card, you must know which type of card your motherboard accepts.

AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) has been the standard for several years now, but is gradually being replaced by PCI-Express. Almost all the high-end video cards use PCI-Express, so if you have special graphics needs make sure your motherboard has this kind of slot. You may have to take your PC to your local PC store to find out.

AGP is still popular for low and midrange video cards, and will probably remain available for a few years to come.

Tutorial Pt 2 … “Inside Your Computer – Video Cards”

Specifications

What makes a video card high-end?

Two things. The quality of the video processor and the amount of memory. Just when you thought you had your computer’s memory requirements down pat, along comes another type of memory –

Video Memory

You see, video cards have their own integrated memory chips. A certain amount of memory is needed just to get an image onto your monitor. Eight megabytes, for example, is required to display a high end screen resolution of 1600 x 1200.

Most video cards have a minimum of 32 MB or 64 MB, and the extra memory is used for 3-D imaging and enhancing the refresh rate. The higher the refresh rate, the more stable (less wobbly) the display. The maximum amount of memory on current video cards is
640 MB but obviously this is on a card designed for professional graphic design.

As a general rule of thumb, 64 MB is suitable for everyday computing like word processing and Internet browsing. Computer games and video editing applications need cards with 128 MB to 256 MB.

Besides memory, the second factor that determines the quality of the video card is the processor – sometimes called the …

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

Modern GPUs are extremely efficient in 3-D video rendering and, like CPUs, require their own dedicated cooling fan.

Prices

The type of video card most suitable for your computer depends on what kind of applications you use. Unless you will be playing the latest computer games, you can get by with a 64 MB PCI or AGP card for less than $50.

Serious gamers should look at cards in the 256 MB range. These will set you back about $100-$200 for an AGP 8X or PCI-Express card.

People who are doing video editing need graphics cards which have Video In/Video Out (VIVO) capabilities, and these specialized cards can cost between $200 and $500.

Thankfully, not many of us need such a high end and expensive card!

Article from Joe Robson, founder of the outrageously successful Newbie Club at http://newbieclub.com See his other sites listed at http://www.joerobson.com

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*IMNewswatch would like to thank Joe Robson for granting permission to reprint this article.

 

 

 

 

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