Do you know the difference between a graphics card and a video card? Most people don’t, but it’s an important distinction to make when you’re shopping for a new computer.
A graphics card and a video card are both important pieces of hardware for your PC gaming experience, but they do different things.
In General, a Graphics card or a GPU handles all the graphics-related tasks, while a video card is only responsible for displaying images on your monitor.
So if you’re looking for a machine that can handle high-end gaming or video editing, you’ll need a good graphics card. But if you just want to watch movies and surf the Internet or handle visuals like menus and cutscenes, a basic video card will do the trick.
To further elaborate, In this article, I will highlight everything you need to know so next time you’re in the market for a new computer, be sure to educate yourself on the differences between these two types of cards. You’ll thank me later!
What Is The Difference Between A Graphics Card And A Video Card?
Here are the key distinctions between these two components,
Graphics Cards: The Basics
A graphics card is a piece of computer hardware that’s responsible for generating the images you see on your screen. Without a graphics card, you’d just be looking at a blank screen.
The graphics card is located inside your computer’s case and is attached to the motherboard. It has its own processor and its own memory, which it uses to store the data it needs to generate images.
When you open up a program like Photoshop or play a video game, the graphics card is what handles all of the visual information and displays it on your screen.
There are two main types of graphics cards: integrated and dedicated.
Integrated Graphics
These are built into the computer’s motherboard and use the computer’s RAM as video memory. They’re usually less expensive and use less power than dedicated graphics cards, but they’re also not as powerful.
Dedicated graphics cards
They have their own independent memory and processor, which makes them more expensive and use more power. But they’re also much more powerful than integrated cards, so they’re the better choice for gamers or anyone who needs to do video editing or other graphics-intensive tasks.
Size Specifications
When you’re shopping for a graphics card, it’s important to pay attention to the size and power of the card.
The size is measured in terms of length, and it’s important to make sure that the card you choose will fit inside your computer’s case. The length is usually listed in the specs for the card.
The power of the card is measured in terms of its clock speed, which is the number of times per second that the card can process information. The higher the clock speed, the faster the card.
The other important factor to consider is the amount of video RAM (VRAM) on the card. This is the memory that the card uses to store the data it needs to generate images. The more VRAM a card has, the better it will be at handling complex graphics.
Most cards come with either 2GB or 4GB of VRAM, but some high-end cards can have up to 8GB.
Interface
The interface is the part of the card that plugs into the motherboard. The most common interface for graphics cards is PCI Express, or PCIe.
There are two main types of PCIe slots: x16 and x8. The number refers to the amount of data that can flow through the slot per second. So an x16 slot can handle 16 times as much data as an x8 slot.
For most cards, you’ll want to make sure that you have an x16 slot. But for lower-end cards, an x8 slot will suffice.
Power
You’ll also want to make sure that your power supply has enough wattage to power the card. Most cards require a minimum of 400 watts, but some high-end cards can require up to 500 watts or more.
Cooling system
The last thing to consider is the cooling system. Graphics cards generate a lot of heat, so it’s important to make sure that the card has a good cooling system to prevent it from overheating.
Most cards come with a fan, but some higher-end cards have multiple fans or even water cooling.
Now that you know the basics of graphics cards, let’s move on to video cards.
Video Cards: The Basics
A video card is a piece of computer hardware that’s responsible for displaying the images on your screen. It’s also known as a display card, graphics card, or graphics accelerator card.
Like a graphics card, a video card is located inside your computer’s case and is attached to the motherboard. It has its own processor and its own memory, which it uses to store the data it needs to generate images.
The main difference between a graphics card and a video card is that a graphics card can also handle other tasks, such as 3D rendering and video decoding, while a video card can only display images.
In other words, they are integrated into a device such as a PC or a laptop and usually perform light graphic emulation tasks for image visualization, however, they aren’t suitable for gaming as you would on a dedicated graphics card.
Final Word
To sum it up, a graphics card is better for gaming and video editing while a video card is good enough for watching movies and browsing the internet.
However, both cards are important for a good PC gaming experience. Whichever card you choose, make sure that it has a good cooling system to prevent overheating.
I hope you have understood both the terminologies and the working of these cards. If not, please let me know in the comment section below and I will help you out. Cheers!
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