By Sophia | Last Updated
Summary: Graphics card makes us get images in PC world. It is a very important hardware for some senior users. This passage will tell you lots of knowledges about the card and help you pick a good one.
4. GPU's two campus and naming rules
Graphics card and Video card are the same one. Without graphics card, the computer can not show any image. We can regard the graphics card as the computer's printer. This printer handles a series of tasks and shows us the pictures as result.
At the same time, you should know that graphics cards are not equal to GPU. GPU is just a part of graphics card. Video memory, cooling part, PCB board and others parts make up the video card too.
FPS is an important parameter to evaluate the image's quality. We can understand it as how many pictures draw by video card per minute. The dynamic image need more than 30 FPS, or it will not be fluent. The higher the FPS is, the smoother the dynamic image displays.
In some applications that pursue excellent images, such as big games, graphic design, 3D modeling, etc., graphics card plays an significant role in it so that it costs much money.
We can take it into 3 parts: Integrated Graphics, HD Graphics and Discrete Graphics.
Integrated Graphics is welded to motherboard. When we purchase the motherboard, we get a graphics card. Integrated card is cheap and power saving, of which performance is so low and non-replacement. Nowadays, this graphics cards are getting less and less, and being eliminated by the market.
HD Graphics is in the CPU. We get the CPU and video card at the same time. HD Graphics is cheap and power saving too, but its performance is better than Integrated Graphics. If you want to change HD Graphics, you need to change CPU. So it is not an easy job to do that.
In AMD's CPU products, it have a APU series. This APU series have considerable graphics performance. Its graphics performance is even better than some entry level Discrete Graphics. In these years, not only AMD but also Intel have made a great process in HD Graphics. It can run LOL, Hearthstone, Heroes Of Warcraft, and Crossfire smoothly. For some high-end games, perhaps you need to drop the picture quality to medium or low.
Discrete graphics card is inserted into motherboard's PCI-E slot. This card is not only easy to change but also have high performance and good extensibility. At the same time, this card is bigger and with higher power consumption.
So we can draw a conclusion: among the 3 types video cards, Discrete Graphics have the best performance, HD Graphics have lower performance, Integrated Graphics' performance are the lowest.
Framework is the video card using technology. Usually the lastest framework brings better performance. Take an easy example, sports car and saloon car are vehicles too, but sports car have higher drivability than saloon car. Sports car and saloon car just like the different frameworks in PC.
I found an interesting thing that NVIDIA's framework is usually named after the scientist's name, such as 2007's Tesla, 2010's Fermi, 2012's Kepler, 2014's Maxwell, 2016's Pascal and today's Turing.
AMD's framework names are using geographical terms like Vega, Polaris.
The upgrade of processing can improve GPU performance too. Processing is an important standard for judging the GPU's generation.
The new processing brings advanced nanometers manufacturing. With more advanced manufacturing ,the same chip size can include more transistors. As a result, the GPU's performance can be improved.
The number of streaming processor
The number of streaming processor(SP) is the important GPU performance parameter. In the same generation GPU, the more streaming processors represents the higher quality.
But you need to notice that, because the AMD and NVIDIA use different frameworks, AMD's GPU use 5 times streaming processors than NVIDIA to finish the same missions. Just like the ants' work, to do the same work, you need one ant from NVIDIA or 5 ants' team work from AMD.
So you can find that AMD GPU have more stream processors than same level's NVIDIA GPU. You can make the AMD's GPU stream processing number divide 5. It will make you easier to compare GPU.
In recent years, because of AMD and NVIDIA's framework continual upgrade, this equivalent formula just roughly reflects the performance's difference. It is not the absolute index of judging GPU.
Just like the CPU and memory bank, higher clock speed brings higher performance and heat. Lower clock speed GPU have lower performance but cooler.
Memory bandwidth is the amount of data transferred in memory per unit time.
When we refer to memory bandwidth, it have to mention interface width and memory clock speed. Interface width is just like the road, the wider the road is, the more cars can pass one time. Memory clock speed is like the car's running speed, the faster the car runs, the more cars can pass in per unit time.
In the calculation formula, they have this relationship:
Interface width(bit) * Memory clock speed(Gbps) /8= Memory bandwidth(GB/s).
We can get these informations in parameters introduction. GPU-Z can give us too.
Video memory is just like the storehouse, which keeps the data casually. By keeping these data before we use, GPU can response to our commands quickly.
Lots of sellers say their products have big video memory. But big video memory don't have high value. If a video card have low memory width, whatever you give it how much video memory, you can't improve its performance. Because its data handling capacity is too low, big video memory can not help improve its work efficiency.
We don't talk about the intel here, just introduce the better campus AMD and NVIDIA. For common users, there is no big difference among their products. But for senior users, NVIDIA GPU have low power dissipation, better graphics processing ability; AMD GPU have high cost performance and better computing power.
NVIDIA' GPU usually begins with GT, GTX or RTX. In level rank, RTX is higher than GTX, GTX is higher than GT. AMD's GPU usually starts with R or RX. RX's level is higher than that of R.
Now we can judge NVIDIA GPU's performance according to its name:
'20' represents it is the twentieth generation product. The bigger this number is, the newest the GPU will be.
'8' represents the GPU's positioning. It's value is from 0 to 9. 5 is the middle-end product, 8 is the high-end product.
'0' shows that it is the common edition. If it becomes 5, the product is the updated version.
'TI' shows this GPU is a enhanced version.
Now let's read AMD:
'5' represents it is the fifth generation product. This value is better to be higher.
'9' is the marketing positioning, 9 is high-end GPU.
'0' shows it is common edition. If it have others value, the product is a upgraded version.
NVIDIA and AMD always research and develop GPU. Sometimes they will show their Graphics card. We call these cards as public version card.
This public version card is with solid material and good stability, which can be put on sale very fast. But it is more expensive, not personality and sole function.
Some video card manufactures will use AMD and NVIDIA's GPUs to produce video card. These manufactures don't have the research and develop ability. They are in the downstream of the industrial chain.
Some famous manufactures will adjust their produce plan according to the GPU's characteristics. Their works are usually with more personality, but cheaper. Their flagship products usually use excellent material, have good overall performance.
There are some famous companies like ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Sapphire and Galaxy.
ASUS is one of the three big manufactures, of which video card use high quality material, have good heat dissipation power, reliable after-sales service. But it's card will be a little expensive. The star product is like ROG series.
Gigabyte is the big manufactures too. It's product have good workmanship and making. AORUS series are their representative products.
MSI have the highest cost performance in the three big manufactures. The representative products not only performance but also material can be reward. At the same time, it is cheaper.
Sapphire is the AMD's big fan. With high producing video card's ability, it is the AMD graphics card's star brand.
Galaxy's also have some core competitiveness. Hall of fame is its famous series. But it has low cost performance. You will cost more money to get the same performance.
Please make your choice according to your purchase needs. Low-end video card can help you edit documents, surf internet. But if you like playing Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter: World, Fortnite and so on, you need a high-end video card like AMD's Radon RX 590.
With the development of HD Graphics, some middle games can run smoothly. AMD's APU can be your good choice.
Personal drawing and design need personal drawing graphics card. NVIDIA and AMD all have these personal card, like AMD's Radeon Pro graphics card.
Be regardful of same GPU but different manufactures
For this condition you need to check the video card's GPU clock speed, video memory capacity, material and heat dissipation. Maybe it is hard for you to adjust these parameters, please compare their prices. Prices can show the quality difference sometimes. At the same time, Galaxy's products usually have higher price for it lower cost performance.
Some famous brands like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Sapphire, Zotac, Inno3D and Galaxy have high quality products, reliable after-sales service. It will be a right choice for you to choosing famous brand.
Check the GPU performance hierarchy chart
Some PC hardware testing websites will upgrade GPU hierarchy chart monthly. Readers can adjust the GPU performance easily. These websites like PassMark Software and so on.
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