Best Graphics cards: What are these? Types and technical details

The graphics card is one of the essential components of the computer. By definition, the graph is the device that is responsible for sending the necessary information to the monitor so that it represents it visually. Without it we would not be able to work in graphical environments of any kind. In other words, it is absolutely necessary for a computer to have a graphics unit.

In the beginning, this task was carried out by the CPU. But with the arrival of more complex graphics systems, it became necessary to create a CPU specialized in graphics processing. This is how we went from generating graphics in the Central Processing Unit to seeing how the Graphics Processing Unit or GPU was born.

This processor with architecture created expressly for handling graphics has evolved rapidly in recent years. This has resulted in a vast catalog of graphics cards. And within this family, we find them focused on different purposes: video games, virtual reality, video, and image editing and rendering, artificial intelligence, deep learning, etc.

But a video card is not only made up of a GPU. The GPU is just one part, the chip or silicon. In this component, we will also find memory, known as VRAM, heatsinks, fans, and connections. All of them placed on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and connected to the equipment through a PCI-Express port.

Best Graphic Cards: What types of graphics cards are there?

As we have said, there are two large groups: integrated and dedicated. There are many other divisions that affect the type of use or purpose, but this fundamentally affects its physical format.

Integrated Graphic Cards

They are so-called because they are built on the same chip as the CPU. These types of graphics have evolved a lot in the last year thanks to AMD’s Vega architecture.

Until recently, only Intel mounted GPUs in its processors. This changed with the arrival of Ryzen, allowing AMD to compete from you to you with Intel in this regard.

We mention APU’s as the combination of CPU and GPU in a chip larger than the traditional processor. Although for practical purposes it is the same: processor and graphics on the same chip.

The performance of these is lower than that of dedicated solutions, but they can offer good performance in Full HD and lower resolutions.

Best Graphic Cards: Dedicated Cards

This type is an independent component of others and there is a great diversity of them. From the most powerful options to laptop models, dedicated graphics cards deliver far superior performance than integrated GPUs. This article will focus on this type of video card.

External Graphic Cards

They are a variant of the dedicated ones that is nothing more than a graphics card integrated into a device that is connected to a computer to enhance its graphic appearance. They are normally used in laptops, although few users use them. There are few models on the market and it has never really been a highly demanded product.

Best Graphic Cards: Technical details, VRAM, cooling, connections

VRAM

The VRAM or video memory is so named to differentiate it from the traditional RAM. Just as a PC needs RAM, a graphic needs memory to store the files it works with. These are usually textures, which means that the amount of VRAM required increases with each new generation. This is because the size of the files containing the textures has multiplied.

Currently, you will find different types of video memory in graphics cards: GDDR5, GDDR5X, GDDR6, and HBM2. Each of them is usually linked to a different range.

At the moment GDDR5 is the most used in the cheapest graphics cards. Instead, GDDR6 prevails in the latest models of gaming graphics cards. HBM2 memory is rarely used outside of the professional segment.