What Does a Video Card Do?
The development of the video card was a giant leap forward for the computing industry. The video card allowed for complex graphics and text images to be displayed without taxing the CPU and other system resources. The video card also catapulted the computer gaming industry into a new era of 3-D gaming technology.
Other People Are Reading
-
Definition
-
A video card, also called a graphics card, is a device contained inside the computer that generates images and translates them into information that can be outputted to a display.
History
-
The first video card was developed by IBM in 1981. It was called the monochrome display adapter (MDA).
-
Fun Fact
-
The first 3-D video cards were introduced into the consumer marketplace in 1995. This represented a turning point for the computer gaming industry, as more advanced games could be developed.
Types
-
This year, the majority of video cards are in the PCI-Express format. PCI Express is a card expansion design that is capable of blazing fast data transfer speeds and is highly suited to today's advanced video cards. Older card types still in limited use are the AGP, and PCI-X interface video cards.
Components
-
Video cards are made up of several key components. These include the graphics processing unit, video BIOS, video memory and video outputs.
Video Output Types
-
This year, video outputs currently in use include the display port, HDMI and DVI interfaces. These outputs allow the video card to interface with high-resolution output devices such as HDTVs and LCD computer monitors.
-
