Slide 2:A video card, also known as a graphics accelerator card, display adapter, or graphics card, is a hardware component whose function is to generate and output images to a display. A dedicated expansion card i.e. a graphics card is plugged into a slot on the computer's motherboard, opposed to a graphics controller integrated into the motherboard chipset(called IGP). What it is !!


Slide 3:Graphics Processing Unit(GPU) Video Bios Video Memory RAMDAC Outputs Motherboard Interface Cooling Devices Power Demand Main Components…


Slide 4:Graphics Processing Unit A GPU is a dedicated graphics processor optimized for floating point calculations which are fundamental to 3D graphics rendering. The main attributes of the GPU are the core clock rate, which typically ranges from 250 MHz to 850 MHz, and the number of pipelines (vertex and fragment shaders), which translate a 3D image characterized by vertices and lines into a 2D image formed by pixels.


Slide 5:The VIDEO BIOS or FIRMWARE contains the basic program that governs the video card's operations and provides the instructions that allow the computer and software to interface with the card. It contains information on the memory timing, operating speeds and voltages of the graphics processor and RAM and other information. It is sometimes possible to change the BIOS (e.g., to enable factory-locked settings for higher performance) although this is typically only done by video card overclockers, and has the potential to irreversibly damage the card. Video BIOS


Slide 6:Video memory An IGP uses RAM of the main system, while a VIDEO CARD will have its own video memory, called Video RAM. The memory capacity of most modern video cards range from 128 MB to 1.0 GB. Since video memory needs to be accessed by the GPU and the display circuitry, it often uses special high speed memory. 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 memory clock rate in modern cards are generally between 400 MHz and 2.4 GHz. Video memory may be used for storing other data as well as buffering.


Slide 7:RAMDAC The RAMDAC, or Random Access Memory Digital-to- Analog Converter, converts digital signals to analog signals for use by a computer display that uses analog inputs such as CRT displays. Due to the growing popularity of digital computer displays it has mostly disappeared as a discrete component. Almost all current LCD and PLASMA displays and TVs work in the digital domain and do not require a RAMDAC. There are few LCD and plasma displays which feature analog inputs (VGA, component, SCART etc.) only; these require a RAMDAC but they reconvert the analog signal back to digital before they can display it, with the unavoidable loss of quality stemming from this digital-to-analog-to-digital conversion.


Slide 8:These are the connection systems which connects the displays with the video card. Some different connection systems are shown below: Outputs HD-15 Analog-based standard adopted in the late 1980s designed for CRT displays, also called VGA Connector. DVI Digital-based standard designed for displays such as flat-panel displays (LCDs, plasma screens, widescreen High-Definition televesion displays) and video projectors. These digital based DVI connectors are used for HDTV(High definition television outputs).


Slide 9:VIVO These digital based VIVO(Video-In-Video-Out) are used in televisions, DVD players, video recorders, gaming consoles etc. having S-Video, composite video or composite video support. HDMI An advanced digital audio/video interconnect released in 2003, and is commonly used to connect Gaming Consoles and DVD players to a display. Some Graphics Cards provide HDMI ports.


Slide 10:Motherboard Interface It is the connection system which connects the Graphics Card with the motherboard. Although there are many connection system since 1974, AGP and PCI-Express slots are the most widely used connection systems. Cooling Devices Video cards may use a lot of electricity, which is converted into heat. If the heat isn't dissipated, the video card could overheat and be damaged. Cooling devices are incorporated to transfer the heat elsewhere.


Slide 11:Power Demand Present fast video cards tend to consume a great deal of power. 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. Although power supplies are increasing their power too, the bottleneck is due to the PCI connection, which is limited to supplying 75 W. Nowadays, 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 to supplement power.


Slide 12:Advantages of Graphics Cards Here are some effects that computers with graphics cards can produce while the others cannot. Anti-Aliasing While dealing with images, aliasing artifacts can appear as wavy lines or bands. Anti-Aliasing is a technique used to counter distortion caused by aliasing effects. Motion Blur The technique used to blur objects in fast motion.


Slide 13:Allows the addition of details on surfaces, without adding complexity. Texture mapping Technique that blurs out of focus objects. Depth of field Imitation of light sources. Lens flare


Slide 14:Fresnel effect Enhances quality of textures at oblique viewing angles. Anisotropic filtering Reflections over an object, depending on the angle of vision. The more angle of vision, the more reflection.