Interface
An interface that connects a graphics card to a computer's motherboard.
In fact, the standard interface for modern video cards is PCI-E (PCI-Express of various versions: PCI-E v2.0,
PCI-E v3.0,
PCI-E v4.0); nowadays, it has almost completely replaced the obsolete AGP and the "regular" PCI. Modern components may provide different versions and a different number of PCI-E lanes; for video cards, the rules for compatibility with motherboards are as follows:
1. The number of PCI-E lines in the motherboard slot must not be less than the number of graphics card lines. That is, for example, a video adapter with PCI-E x8 can be connected to a PCI-E x16 slot, but not vice versa. In general, when choosing components, it is most reasonable to proceed from the fact that you need an x16 slot for connection: this is the maximum number of lines found in motherboard slots, and this is exactly the number provided in most modern video cards, otherwise it would be impossible to achieve the required throughput.
2. An older PCI-E graphics card can be connected to a later version slot, but the opposite option is most often impossible (with rare exceptions, PCI-E v2.1 video adapters can work on some cards with v2.0 slots, but this opportunity is worth specify separately).
As for specific versions of PCI-E, here the options can be as follows:
— PCI-E v2.0. The earliest of the curre
...nt PCI-Express versions. The throughput of one line of this interface is 5 GT / s (gigatransactions per second), which in fact gives 500 MB / s per line. Accordingly, the maximum data transfer rate (with 16 lines) reaches 8 GB / s in each direction.
— PCI-E v2.1. An improved version of version 2.0, featuring some software improvements; in terms of hardware and throughput, it is completely identical to its predecessor.
— PCI-E v3.0. A fundamental update of the PCI-E standard, which introduced a more advanced data encoding scheme — 128b / 130b, that is, 2 “extra” bits for every 128 bits of useful information (whereas 8b / 10b was used in earlier standards, that is, 2 service bit to 8 basic). Thanks to this, compared with its predecessor, the data transfer rate was almost doubled (to 985 MB / s per line), while the number of transactions increased from only 5 to 8 GT / s.
— PCI-E v4.0. Further development of the PCI-E standard described above, released to the market in 2019. Throughput compared to the previous version 3.0 was increased by another 2 times — up to 16 gigatransactions per second (1969 MB / s per line, 31.5 GB / s for x16).GPU model
A GPU is a type of graphics processor that determines the fundamental performance characteristics of a video adapter. Today there are two main manufacturers -
AMD and
NVIDIA. Intel has also entered the leadership race with its
Intel Arc line of discrete graphics.
NVIDIA:
GeForce GT 1030,
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti,
GeForce GTX 1060,
GeForce GTX 1070, etc. (all related to
GeForce 10 series),
GeForce GTX 1630,
GeForce GTX 1650(
SUPER),
GeForce GTX 1660(
SUPER,
Ti),
GeForce RTX 20 series, namely
GeForce RTX 2060(
SUPER),
GeForce RTX 2070(
SUPER),
GeForce RTX 2080(
SUPER,
Ti),
GeForce RTX 3050,
GeForce RTX 3060..., GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, GeForce RTX 3070, GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, GeForce RTX 3080, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, GeForce RTX 4060, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, GeForce RTX 4070, GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, GeForce RTX 4 070 Ti SUPER, GeForce RTX 4080, GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, GeForce RTX 4090, as well as professional Quadro.
AMD: Radeon RX 400 series, Radeon RX 500 series as Radeon RX 550, Radeon RX 560, Radeon RX 570, Radeon RX 580, Radeon RX 590, Radeon RX 5500 XT, Radeon RX 5600 XT, Radeon RX 5700, Radeon RX 5700 XT, Radeon RX 6400, Radeon RX 6500 XT, Radeon RX 6600, Radeon RX 6600 XT, Radeon RX 6650 XT, Radeon RX 6700 XT, Radeon RX 6750 XT , Radeon RX 6800, Radeon RX 6800 XT, Radeon RX 6900 XT, Radeon RX 6950 XT, Radeon RX 7600, Radeon RX 7600 XT, Radeon RX 7700 XT, Radeon RX 7800 XT, Radeon RX 7900 XT, Radeon RX 7900 XTX, Radeon RX 7900 GRE, Radeon RX Vega 56, Radeon RX Vega 64, AMD Radeon VII and professional FirePro.
Knowing the GPU model, you can find detailed information on it (special specs, reviews, reviews, etc.) and evaluate how suitable this board is for your purposes. It is worth noting that in video cards from third-party brands, the characteristics of the graphics processor may differ slightly from the standard ones (and often in the direction of acceleration and improvement).Memory bus
The amount of data (bits) that can be transferred over the graphics card's memory bus in one cycle. The performance of the graphics card directly depends on the bus width: the higher the bit width, the more data the bus transfers per unit of time and, accordingly, the video memory runs faster.
The minimum bit depth for modern video cards is actually
128 bits, this figure is typical mainly for low-cost models. In mid-level solutions, there are indicators of
192 bits and
256 bits, and in advanced models —
352 bits,
384 bits and more, up to
2048 bits.
GPU clock speed
The frequency of the graphics processor of the graphics card. As a general rule, the higher the frequency of the GPU, the higher the performance of the graphics card, but this parameter is not the only one — a lot also depends on the design features of the graphics card, in particular, the type and amount of video memory (see the relevant glossary items). As a result, it is not unusual for a model with a lower processor frequency to be more performant of two video cards. In addition, it should be noted that high-frequency processors also have high heat dissipation, which requires the use of powerful cooling systems.
Memory clock
The speed at which a video card can process data stored in its video memory. In fact, the indicator determines the maximum number of operations to receive or transmit data by a memory module per unit of time. This frequency is expressed in megahertz (MHz) – millions of operations per second. High video memory frequency helps improve performance when performing resource-intensive tasks such as texture processing, graphics rendering and other graphics operations. However, the parameter is by no means the only factor that influences the overall performance of the video card – it is important to take into account the GPU architecture, number of cores, core frequency and other characteristics.
Lithography
The process technology by which the graphics card's own processor is made.
This parameter is specified by the size of each individual transistor used in the processor. At the same time, the smaller this size, the more perfect the technical process is considered: reducing individual elements allows you to reduce heat dissipation, reduce the overall size of the processor, and at the same time increase its performance. Accordingly, nowadays, manufacturers are trying to move in the direction of reducing the technical process, and the newer the graphics card, the smaller the numbers in this paragraph can be.
Max. resolution
The maximum resolution supported by the graphics card — that is, the largest image size (in pixels) that it can display on an external screen.
The higher the resolution, the clearer and better the picture is. On the other hand, with an increase in the number of pixels, the requirements for computing power and, accordingly, the cost of a graphics card increase. In addition, do not forget that you can only appreciate the full benefits of high resolutions on monitors with the appropriate characteristics. On the other hand, in the graphics settings, you can set lower resolutions than the maximum; and a good resolution margin means a good overall performance margin.
As for specific values, the actual minimum for modern video cards is 1600x1200, but higher rates are much more common — up to
Ultra HD 4K and
Ultra HD 8K.
Passmark G3D Mark
The result shown by the graphics card in the test (benchmark) Passmark G3D Mark.
Benchmarks allow you to evaluate the actual capabilities (primarily overall performance) of a graphics card. This is especially convenient in light of the fact that adapters with similar characteristics in fact can differ markedly in capabilities (for example, due to the difference in the quality of optimization of individual components for joint work). And Passmark G3D Mark is the most popular benchmark for graphics adapters nowadays. The results of such a test are indicated in points, with a higher number of points corresponding to better performance. As of mid-2020, the most advanced graphics cards can score over 17,000 points.
Note that Passmark G3D Mark is used not only for general performance evaluation, but also to determine the compatibility of a graphics card with a specific processor. The CPU and graphics adapter must be approximately equal in terms of the overall level of computing power, otherwise one component will “pull back” the other: for example, a weak processor will not allow a powerful gaming graphics card to unleash the full potential. To search for a video adapter for a specific CPU model, you can use the list "Optimal for AMD processors" or "Optimal for Intel processors" in the selection of our catalog.
VGA
The number of VGA outputs provided by the graphics card. However, there is rarely more than one such connector.
VGA is an analogue interface for outputting a video signal to an external display. It was originally developed for CRT monitors and is now considered obsolete (in particular, due to its low bandwidth). However, the VGA output can still be useful for connecting some monitors, TVs, and even projectors. The bandwidth of this interface allows you to transmit video with a resolution of up to 1280x1024; more is technically possible, however, due to the analogue signal format, with an increase in resolution, the overall quality of the “picture” noticeably decreases.
