Video Cards, also known as display cards, graphics cards, graphics controllers, or graphics accelerator cards, convert binary data (bytes) into display images. The Video Card is part of the usual complement of computer hardware. The Video Card is external to the motherboard; that is, it is a separate hardware that is attached to the motherboard through the appropriate slot.

Some motherboard variants have an integrated graphics processing capability. Computers with such motherboards do not need to have an expansion Video Card installed for basic computing and display needs. However, if PC gaming, duo monitors and high resolution images and displays are desired, the addition of a Video Card can drastically improve a computer's display performance.

The Major Components

The Video Card, at its most basic, is a printed circuit board where the major components, namely the graphics processing unit, the video memory, the video BIOS, and the motherboard slot are mounted.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) is the Video Card microprocessor. It carries out the instructions it receives from the computer's operating system. In a nutshell, the GPU performs the functions of generating graphic elements. The result of graphics processing is seen through the computer monitor (this may also be the TV monitor or the video camera display).

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The video memory, commonly known as the VRAM or Video Random Access RAM, is an integral component of Video Cards. The VRAM temporarily stores the processed images, the buffers, the textures and other display attributes. The VRAM usually provides faster access to data than a normal CPU RAM.

The Video Card also has its own video BIOS chip. This is the memory chip that stores the Video Card's configuration data. The video BIOS contains the instructions that allows the Video Card to properly interface with the rest of the computer and its operating system. Moreover, the video BIOS found on Video Cards contains the instructions that control the graphics processing speed and the voltage passed through both the GPU and VRAM.

The fourth major component of a Video Card is the slot that facilitates the connection between the Video Card to the computer's motherboard from which it draws power. The slot can be the PCI (plug-and-play type), the newer PCI Express slot or the older AGP slot. The PCI Express slot is preferred by gamers since it provides the fastest interface performance among the three.

The Video Card at Work

Whenever a display image is required, the central processing unit sends the digital data file or files to the Video Card. Given the monitor's screen resolution settings or configuration, the Video Card determines how the image will be displayed.

To create a 3-D image, the Video Card creates an outline or a frame for the image. This is a matrix or grid. After the frame has been completed, the Video Card fills this in with color, shading and textures. The finished image is sent to the monitor through a cable. A truly fast Video Card can perform this operation within one second.