iGPUs are usually less powerful than dGPUs as they share memory and power draw with the CPU, while dGPUs have their own VRAM (video random-access memory) and power draw via PCIe adapters.ĭiscrete GPUs are usually used by gamers, content creators, cryptominers, and professionals because they are much more powerful than iGPUs and can process more complex renders and visual lighting/shadow effects (sometimes via ray tracing). These are known as external GPUs (eGPUs).ĭiscrete GPUs (dGPUs) usually come in the form of graphics cards, while integrated GPUs (iGPUs) are usually in the form of APUs, an AMD marketing term for 'fusing' a GPU and CPU onto the same die. Some have been made using dedicated enclosures, which are connected to the computer via a docking station or a cable.

Usually, the graphics card is made in the form of a printed circuit board (expansion board) and inserted into an expansion slot, universal or specialized (AGP, PCI Express). Graphics cards are used extensively for AI training, cryptocurrency mining, and molecular simulation. In the later 2010s, there has also been a tendency to use the computing capabilities of the graphics processor to solve non-graphic tasks, which can be done through the use of OpenCL and CUDA. For example, Nvidia and AMD (previously ATI) produced cards that render the graphics pipelines OpenGL and DirectX on the hardware level. Their integrated graphics processor can perform additional processing, removing this task from the central processor of the computer. Most graphics cards are not limited to simple display output. At the core of both is the graphics processing unit (GPU), which is the main component that performs computations, but should not be confused with the graphics card as a whole, even though 'GPU' is often used as a metonymic shorthand to refer to graphics cards. Frequently, these are advertised as discrete or dedicated graphics cards, emphasizing the distinction between these and integrated graphics. Sapphire Radeon HD 5570, a PCI Express video card with VGA, HDMI, and DVI ports and a small cooling fan.Ī graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics adapter, GPU, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, or display adapter) is an expansion card which generates a feed of output images to a display device, such as a computer monitor.

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