Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Graphics Card Unit
The video card or graphics card is responsible for processing video,
graphic and visual effects you see on your monitor.
Computer Hardware Graphics cards have become essential components for PCs and laptops,
especially if you want to play games or run other applications that require
3D rendering hardware.
Components However for most other applications a dedicated graphics card has
become a must. Whether it is for watching video media, playing games or
GPU doing professional 3d modelling or CAD work, a graphics card is a
necessity.
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GPU Top 10 as of
June 2021
[Link]
[Link]/reviews/gpu
The GPU is the core chip on the graphics card that does all the processing. -hierarchy,[Link]
Nvidia and AMD are the 2 companies making all the gpus and different
models.
Different gpu models have different levels of computing powers and in
general the more expensive gpu is more powerful as well.
The GPUs are just the chips and other brands like MSI, Asus, Gigabyte,
Zotac etc use these gpu chips to manufacture a complete graphics card
which has the graphics memory, graphics output ports etc.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
NVIDIA GPU 3000 Series
NVIDIA
GPU 3000
Series
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AMD GPU 6000 Series Stream Processors/CUDA Cores
These terms refer to the same thing. Stream Processor is the nomenclature
for AMD hardware and CUDA Cores for Nvidia. These cores can be
thought of as the many individual computing units in the GPU that do the
graphics computations and calculations. Having more cores will deliver
more performance.
However, comparing cores across manufacturers may not give you an
accurate idea of the difference in graphical power, as more variables can
affect GPU performance, such as clock speed and architecture.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Core Clock Speed Core Clock Speed (cont..)
Each of the a forementioned cores is similar to a core in a CPU, in that it The clock frequency is not constant. AMD Radeon RX 5700 for example
operates at specific clock speed. This clock speed indicates the number of has a base frequency of 1465 MHz and a boost frequency of upto 1725
computations the cores does every second, and is measured in MHz. MHz. The base frequency indicates the minimum stable clock speed of the
processing core and the boost frequency is the upper frequency limit that
is achieved during heavy work load.
Once again, simply putting core clock speeds head-to-head is a poor
It should be kept in mind that higher clock frequency will produce more
means of comparison, as several other factors can influence performance
heat and heavily depend on thermal conditions. So if you plan to
in general. However, if everything else is identical, then a higher clock
overclock your GPU make sure that there is ample cooling and that the
speed will generally indicate better performance.
GPU does not exceed the critical temperature thresholds.
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Memory Type - GDDR Memory Size
Memory in graphics cards works the same as regular RAM. It stores As with regular RAM, its size is measured in GB. More RAM is always better,
graphics data temporarily to be processed by the GPU. as there is more space to store graphical information. It is important to
note that performance might not be increased by increasing the RAM
RAM in graphics cards is referred to as VRAM, and these days you are likely
beyond a certain level, as it depends on having applications or games
to see cards that use either GDDR5, GDDR5x, or GDDR6 VRAM.
that can properly utilize it.
GDDR6 gives better power efficiency and performance than GDDR5X,
Commonly seen VRAM sizes are 4GB, 6GB, 8GB. It is worth knowing that
which in turn does the same over GDDR5.
VRAM on a graphics card cannot be changed or upgraded like regular
In general graphics memory of higher GDDR version will perform better RAM on motherboard. The VRAM is built into the hardware of the graphics
than lower version numbers. card.
Most GPUs from Nvidia and AMD specify the amount of memory
supported so most manufacturers use the the same amount of VRAM for
the same GPU in their cards.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Memory Bandwidth Memory Bandwidth (cont..)
Memory bandwidth can be seen as an overall assessment of the Memory bandwidth is the product of three variables: memory clock
performance of the VRAM on a graphics card. Memory bandwidth is speed, memory bus width, and the transfers-per-clock of the memory
simply how fast the VRAM on your card can be accessed and utilized type.
when in use. Memory clock speed: Measured in MHz, this variable refers to how quickly your
VRAM can access the information it has stored. The higher the number, the
better.
Memory bus width: Bus width is similar to the lanes mentioned earlier. With each
clock cycle, a wider bus width will allow for more information to be transferred.
This is measured in bits, such as 128-bit and 256-bit.
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Motherboard Interface/Connection Thermal Design Power (TDP)
Whether you're building a PC from scratch or simply upgrading the Thermal design power, or thermal design point, is a good way to assess the power
graphics card in the PC you already own, you need to make sure that the consumption and thermal performance of a GPU. Like the term denotes, it indicates
graphics card you purchase is compatible with the motherboard. the power required to generate the highest amount of heat that the cooling system
can handle.
In the past, an interface known as AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) was
widely used, but it started to phase out from 2004. This is measured in watts and it potentially affects the selection of other parts of your pc
build. You must ensure that the output power rating for your PSU is sufficient to not only
Now, all graphics card use the PCI Express (PCIe) interface to connect to
carry your graphics card but all other components in the system.
the motherboard.
If your graphics card has a high power rating like 180W and above then it is
recommended to have a PC case that has good ventilation for maximum heat
dissipation.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Power Connectors 6-Pin Power Connector
A PCIe slot can provide power to the card slotted into it, but only 75W. Additional 75 watts
Graphics cards have become so power-intensive that it did not take long
for them to surpass that limit and require more power.
Due to this, modern GPUs have power connectors that allow them to draw
additional power directly from the PSU. These connectors can be either six-
pin or eight-pin connectors.
A modern graphics card can have up to 2 connectors, which can be any
combination of these two. So when purchasing a PSU, besides the
maximum output power, you should take note of the power connectors it
has and ensures it will be able to power your graphics card.
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8-Pin Power Connector 12-Pin Power Connector
Additional 150 watts Up to additional 500 watts
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Display Output Ports API Support - DirectX, OpenGL, Vulkan
Graphics Cards often have multiple different types of video output connectors. Graphics cards are built to process graphical information for your PC, as
they are specially engineered to be able to do this. However, to do this,
Depending on the type of monitor you use, you will most likely be able to connect
the hardware and software must be able to communicate and send
to the card via HDMI or DisplayPort, which are more common-place when it
instructions to one another, and this is where a Graphics API comes in.
comes to displays.
An application programming interface contains a set of instructions that
Some newer cards support using USB Type-C to connect, though it is less common
tell the GPU how to resolve complex graphical tasks.
to find monitors that support that, as it is still an emerging technology. VGA and
DVI are relatively older ports which you may only see on older displays. There are different APIs, which are all coded differently but can each
achieve most graphical tasks required in this era.
If you hope to connect your PC to multiple monitors, it is important to take note of
which ports are available, and the connectors that your monitors have access to. APIs must be specifically supported by graphics cards drive and the
hardware must be able to interpret the instructions provided by the API.
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API Support - DirectX, OpenGL, Vulkan GFLOPS/TFLOPS
DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2 are the latest versions of the most A gigaflop or a teraflop is a unit for measuring the theoretical performance
popular APIs currently. Most popular graphics cards based on AMD or of a processing unit, which can be either a CPU or a GPU. The FLOPS
Nvidia GPUs support Vulkan and DirectX. stands for floating-point operations per second, which refers to how many
floating-point operations it can do in a second.
It should be noted that OpenGL is being replaced by Vulkan as a cross
platform 3d graphics API. Using gigaflops or teraflops is one of the best ways to have an estimate of
the relative performance of a processing unit over another, though it is not
comprehensive. Differences across architectures may not give accurate
estimations.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Vendor-Specific GPU Technologies Nvidia
Nvidia and AMD have been competitors for years, and beyond the raw Nvidia G-Sync: This is Nvidia’s take on adaptive sync technology for
graphical power of their respective offerings, they are each constantly displays. With both a graphics card and a monitor which supports G-Sync,
developing new technologies to give the consumer a better experience the refresh rate of the display can be adapted to match that of the GPU,
when using their graphics cards. thus preventing screen tearing.
Nvidia DLSS: DLSS stands for Deep Learning Super Sampling. Images are
rendered at a lower resolution and up-scaled with AI. This allows for higher
graphical fidelity to be achieved with less performance cost.
Nvidia Ansel: This is a software addition that makes it easy to capture in-
game shots during gameplay, and even adjust positions and apply filters.
The images can then be shared extremely easily on different social media
platforms.
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Nvidia Nvidia NVLink
Nvidia NVLink: This is an interface that allows for direct interconnection of
multiple Nvidia GPUs simultaneously, with impressive bandwidth. This can
allow for improved graphical performance.
Nvidia GPU Boost: During gameplay, if an Nvidia GPU is running cool even
at its base clock speed, it can intelligently overclock itself up to a certain
speed to leverage more performance.
Nvidia VR Ready: This is a tag used by Nvidia to show that the respective
hardware has the technical capability to support VR applications.
Nvidia Highlights: This software can detect important moments during
gameplay, and automatically record them. These shots can easily be
shared afterward.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
AMD AMD Crossfire
AMD FreeSync: This is AMD’s variant for adaptive sync. The graphics card
and display must both support FreeSync. However, unlike Nvidia’s G-Sync,
FreeSync can be used by either Nvidia or AMD GPUs.
AMD CrossFire: CrossFire is AMD’s multi-GPU technology to increase
graphical performance. It allows up to 4 GPUs to be interconnected in a
single PC.
AMD Eyefinity: This allows multiple displays to be used in sync with one
another. Multiple monitors can be placed side-by-side, and Eyefinity
software will distribute the whole image over each monitor to give you a
bigger viewing area.
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AMD
AMD ReLive: This allows for stress-free capture of in-game shots and videos,
which can then be effortlessly shared on social media platforms. It also has
support for live streaming, making it easy to get started on platforms like Twitch.
AMD VR Ready: This is AMD’s tag on its hardware which can support VR
software and headsets such as the Oculus Rift.
AMD PowerTune: This allows supported AMD GPUs to alter their clock speed
dynamically to improve performance during work or play. It uses the power Other Forms of GPU
consumption and thermals of the GPU to limit the overclocking.
AMD Radeon Boost: During moments where increased frame rates are
required, like when moving the crosshair rapidly on-screen, resolution can be
reduced intelligently to allow for increased FPS.
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Laptop GPU eGPU for Laptop
Embedded within the
laptop motherboard
Uses EXP GDC Beast (Graphic Card Dock)
for dedicated GPU
Uses Mini PCIe slot of Laptop where
Other forms are WLAN/Bluetooth Card is inserted
Integrated GPU
Requires Power Supply Unit
Intel UHD, Intel Iris and
AMD Vega Not intended for mobile
Pros:
Great if it works
Cheap
Cons or Risk:
CPU or Laptop Compatibility
CPU Bottleneck
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eGPU for Laptop Gaming Console GPU
Built in power supply Xbox Series X (Codename: Scarlett RDNA 2)
Requires laptop that support PlayStation 5 (Codename: Oberon RDNA 2
Thunderbolt 3 or higher
Not intended for mobile
Pros
Better built quality
Ensures Laptop Support
Cons
Expensive
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Cloud Computing
NVIDIA Tesla Series
AMD Firestream(discontinued 2012)
For Stream procressing and/or GPGPU
For professional computer-aided design
(CAD), computer-generated imagery (CGI),
digital content creation (DCC) applications,
scientific calculations and machine learning.
Workstation GPU For accelerate deep learning, artificial neural
network, and high-performance
computing/General-purpose computing on
graphics processing units (GPGPU)
applications.
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Automated/Driverless car
aimed at providing autonomous car and driver assistance functionality
powered by deep learning
Artificial Intelligence AMD Radeon Instinct
Training and Cloud Nvidia Tesla
Drive AGX Orin Drive PX 2
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
GPU-Z MSI Afterburner
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Global Chip Shortage(2020-2021) Global Chip Shortage(2020-2021)
Causes Impacted industries
COVID-19 Pandemic Video cards
People stay at home upgraded their computers. 26.1% Computer sales growth Along with an increase in cryptocurrency mining, the global chip crisis made it difficult
compared in 2019 to acquire a new video card.
China-United States Trade War Video game consoles
Restrictions on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). Cars
Taiwan Draught Other Electronic Devices
use large amounts of ultra-pure water to clean their factories and wafers
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Computer Hardware Components - GPU ADDU 1st Semester 2023-2024
Sources
[Link]
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[Link]
computer-chips-reaches-crisis-point
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