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Factors Affecting Video Card Performance

 

To a newbie shopping for a video card, the long list of specifications and features on the card's packaging may seem like a foreign language. But hidden somewhere in all that geekspeak are important facts that can help you estimate how well the card will work for you.

The most important factors affecting video card performance include:

 

Type of Interface

• AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port). AGP is a dedicated, high-bandwidth interface that is custom-tailored to video cards. AGP speeds of up to 8X are available as of this revision (in November of 2005) and probably won't go any higher. The card's speed should match the speed of the motherboard's AGP interface.

• PCI-Express. The PCI-E bus is gradually replacing the AGP bus as the interface of choice for high-end video cards due to its phenomenal data speed.

• PCI. PCI video cards are still available, but are used mainly as replacements or upgrades for pre-AGP motherboards.

 

Amount and Type of Video RAM

All video cards have at least some RAM on the card. The amount and speed of the onboard RAM has a major effect on the card's performance.

For typing documents in Word, any old video card with any old RAM will suffice.

But for image manipulation, video editing, watching DVD movies, playing games, watching HDTV, or running CAD/CAM applications, more and faster RAM is needed. For these uses, you should consider an AGP or PCI-E card with at least 256 MB of fast RAM (like DDR-SDRAM). For high-end gaming or video editing, 512 MB would be even better. There are even cards with 1 GB or more of video RAM on board for serious gamers, as well as for graphic manipulation, video editing, and achitectural/drafting applications.

 

3-D/Open GL Support

All but the very lowest-end video cards come with 3D and Open GL support. Open GL is the industry standard for high-performance video, and is supported on Windows, Mac, and Unix machines, as well as on many industrial and other specialized devices.

 

Cooling

Most high-end and many mid-range video cards now come with their own onboard cooling fans. This little feature can make a big difference when using the computer for video, gaming, or other graphics-intensive applications.

Aftermarket coolers are also available quite inexpensively for many video cards that don't come with them. (They're usually the same fans that are used as motherboard chipset coolers.) But installation of a fan on a video card can be a little tricky, so be careful.

 

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Getting Started

• Components
  • Expansion Cards
    • Video Cards
    • Factors Affecting Video Card Performance (This Page)
    • Video Card Inputs and Outputs
    • Video Card Special Features