Graphics Cards

Next to the central processing unit (CPU), the graphics processing unit (GPU) has the most impact on a gaming PC’s performance. The GPU consists of an additional processor that takes data from the CPU, and translates it into images that can be rendered on your display. In other words, when you’re playing a game, the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.

The more powerful the GPU (sometimes referred to as a graphics card) the more information can be calculated and displayed in a shorter time, and the better your gameplay experience will be overall.

In the early days of PCs, the CPU was responsible for translating information into images. The data was maintained in special memory spaces called “frame buffers,” and was then transferred to the display. Many general-purpose CPUs didn’t excel at performing these kinds of processes, and so “graphics accelerators” were created to handle some of that specialized work that the CPU was undertaking. This became more important as graphical user interfaces (GUIs), found in more modern operating systems such as Windows, became more popular.

GPUs are important, but how do you know which one to choose? There is a wide selection of GPU options available from a variety of manufacturers, and it might not be immediately clear which best fits your needs. Knowing the basics of how they operate and the differences between them can help make that decision easier.