<s>
A	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
(	O
also	O
called	O
a	O
video	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
display	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
graphics	B-Device
adapter	I-Device
,	O
VGA	B-Protocol
card/VGA	O
,	O
video	B-Device
adapter	I-Device
,	O
display	B-Device
adapter	I-Device
,	O
or	O
colloquially	O
GPU	B-Architecture
)	O
is	O
a	O
computer	O
expansion	B-Device
card	I-Device
that	O
generates	O
a	O
feed	O
of	O
graphics	O
output	O
to	O
a	O
display	B-Device
device	I-Device
such	O
as	O
a	O
monitor	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
sometimes	O
called	O
discrete	O
or	O
dedicated	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
to	O
emphasize	O
their	O
distinction	O
to	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
processor	O
on	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
or	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
(	O
GPU	B-Architecture
)	O
that	O
performs	O
the	O
necessary	O
computations	O
is	O
the	O
main	O
component	O
in	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
but	O
the	O
acronym	O
"	O
GPU	B-Architecture
"	O
is	O
sometimes	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
as	O
a	O
whole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
not	O
limited	O
to	O
simple	O
display	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
additional	O
processing	O
,	O
which	O
reduces	O
the	O
load	O
from	O
the	O
central	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
unit	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
computing	O
platforms	O
such	O
as	O
OpenCL	B-Application
and	O
CUDA	B-Architecture
allow	O
using	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
for	O
general-purpose	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Applications	O
of	O
general-purpose	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
on	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
include	O
AI	O
training	O
,	O
cryptocurrency	O
mining	O
,	O
and	O
molecular	B-Algorithm
simulation	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Usually	O
,	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
comes	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
a	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
(	O
expansion	B-Device
board	I-Device
)	O
which	O
are	O
to	O
be	O
inserted	O
into	O
an	O
expansion	B-Device
slot	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
may	O
have	O
dedicated	O
enclosures	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
are	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
via	O
a	O
docking	B-Device
station	I-Device
or	O
a	O
cable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
known	O
as	O
external	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
(	O
eGPUs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
often	O
preferred	O
over	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
for	O
increased	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
historically	O
supported	O
different	O
computer	B-Device
display	I-Device
standards	O
as	O
they	O
evolved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatibles	O
,	O
common	O
early	O
standards	O
were	O
MDA	B-Device
,	O
CGA	B-Device
,	O
Hercules	B-Device
,	O
EGA	B-Device
and	O
VGA	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
the	O
like	O
of	O
Radius	O
produced	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
Macintosh	I-Device
II	I-Device
with	O
discrete	O
2D	O
QuickDraw	B-Operating_System
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
3dfx	O
Interactive	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
companies	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
consumer-facing	O
GPU	B-Architecture
with	O
3D	B-Architecture
acceleration	I-Architecture
(	O
with	O
the	O
Voodoo	O
series	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
graphical	O
chipset	O
dedicated	O
to	O
3D	O
,	O
but	O
without	O
2D	O
support	O
(	O
which	O
therefore	O
required	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
a	O
2D	O
card	O
to	O
work	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NVIDIA	B-Device
RIVA	I-Device
128	I-Device
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
consumer-facing	O
GPU	B-Architecture
integrated	O
3D	O
processing	O
unit	O
and	O
2D	O
processing	O
unit	O
on	O
a	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nowadays	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
built	O
with	O
either	O
AMD-sourced	O
or	O
Nvidia-sourced	O
graphics	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
offer	O
various	O
functions	O
such	O
as	O
3D	O
rendering	O
,	O
2D	O
graphics	O
,	O
MPEG-2/MPEG	O
-4	O
decoding	O
,	O
TV	O
output	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
connect	O
multiple	B-General_Concept
monitors	I-General_Concept
(	O
multi-monitor	B-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
also	O
have	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
capabilities	O
to	O
output	O
sound	O
along	O
with	O
video	O
output	O
for	O
connected	O
TVs	O
or	O
monitors	O
with	O
integrated	O
speakers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
the	O
industry	O
,	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
sometimes	O
called	O
graphics	O
add-in-boards	O
,	O
abbreviated	O
as	O
AIBs	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
word	O
"	O
graphics	O
"	O
usually	O
omitted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
video	O
hardware	O
can	O
be	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
CPU	B-Device
,	O
or	O
a	O
system-on-chip	B-Architecture
as	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motherboard-based	O
implementations	O
are	O
sometimes	O
called	O
"	O
on-board	O
video	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
motherboards	B-Device
support	O
using	O
both	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
and	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
simultaneously	O
to	O
feed	O
separate	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
advantages	O
of	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
are	O
:	O
a	O
low	O
cost	O
,	O
compactness	O
,	O
simplicity	O
,	O
and	O
low	O
energy	O
consumption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
often	O
has	O
less	O
performance	O
than	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
because	O
the	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
inside	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
needs	O
to	O
share	O
system	O
resources	O
with	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
a	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
has	O
a	O
separate	O
random	B-Architecture
access	I-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
(	O
RAM	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
cooling	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
dedicated	O
power	O
regulators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
can	O
offload	O
work	O
and	O
reduce	O
memory-bus-contention	B-Architecture
from	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
and	O
system	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
therefore	O
the	O
overall	O
performance	O
for	O
a	O
computer	O
could	O
improve	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
increased	O
performance	O
in	O
graphics	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
AMD	O
and	O
Intel	O
have	O
introduced	O
CPUs	B-Device
and	O
motherboard	B-Device
chipsets	O
which	O
support	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
a	O
GPU	B-Architecture
into	O
the	O
same	O
die	O
as	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
AMD	O
advertises	O
CPUs	B-Device
with	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
under	O
the	O
trademark	O
Accelerated	B-Architecture
Processing	I-Architecture
Unit	I-Architecture
(	O
APU	O
)	O
,	O
while	O
Intel	O
brands	O
similar	O
technology	O
under	O
"	O
Intel	B-Application
Graphics	I-Application
Technology	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
processing	O
power	O
of	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
increased	O
,	O
so	O
did	O
their	O
demand	O
for	O
electrical	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Current	O
high-performance	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
tend	O
to	O
consume	O
large	O
amounts	O
of	O
power	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
thermal	O
design	O
power	O
(	O
TDP	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
GeForce	B-Application
Titan	O
RTX	B-Algorithm
is	O
280	O
watts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
tested	O
with	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
GeForce	B-Algorithm
RTX	I-Algorithm
2080	O
Ti	O
Founder	O
's	O
Edition	O
averaged	O
300	O
watts	O
of	O
power	O
consumption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
CPU	B-Device
and	O
power	O
supply	O
manufacturers	O
have	O
recently	O
aimed	O
toward	O
higher	O
efficiency	O
,	O
power	O
demands	O
of	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
continued	O
to	O
rise	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
largest	O
power	O
consumption	O
of	O
any	O
individual	O
part	O
in	O
a	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
power	O
supplies	O
have	O
also	O
increased	O
their	O
power	O
output	O
,	O
the	O
bottleneck	O
occurs	O
in	O
the	O
PCI-Express	O
connection	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
supplying	O
75	O
watts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
with	O
a	O
power	O
consumption	O
of	O
over	O
75	O
watts	O
usually	O
include	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
six-pin	O
(	O
75	O
W	O
)	O
or	O
eight-pin	O
(	O
150	O
W	O
)	O
sockets	O
that	O
connect	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
power	O
supply	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computers	O
with	O
multiple	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
may	O
require	O
power	O
supplies	O
over	O
750	O
watts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heat	O
extraction	O
becomes	O
a	O
major	O
design	O
consideration	O
for	O
computers	O
with	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
high-end	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
the	O
Nvidia	B-Application
GeForce	I-Application
RTX	B-Algorithm
30	O
series	O
,	O
Ampere	B-General_Concept
architecture	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
custom	O
flashed	O
RTX	B-Algorithm
3090	O
named	O
"	O
Hall	O
of	O
Fame	O
"	O
has	O
been	O
recorded	O
to	O
reach	O
a	O
peak	O
power	O
draw	O
as	O
high	O
as	O
630	O
watts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
standard	O
RTX	B-Algorithm
3090	O
can	O
peak	O
at	O
up	O
to	O
450	O
watts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RTX	B-Algorithm
3080	O
can	O
reach	O
up	O
to	O
350	O
watts	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
3070	O
can	O
reach	O
a	O
similar	O
,	O
if	O
not	O
slightly	O
lower	O
peak	O
power	O
draw	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ampere	B-General_Concept
cards	O
are	O
the	O
first	O
cards	O
to	O
feature	O
a	O
pass	O
through	O
cooler	O
design	O
to	O
dissipate	O
as	O
much	O
heat	O
as	O
possible	O
,	O
especially	O
with	O
large	O
power	O
consumptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
for	O
desktop	O
computers	O
have	O
different	O
size	O
profiles	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
to	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
smaller-sized	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
not	O
of	O
the	O
usual	O
size	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
named	O
as	O
"	O
low	O
profile	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
profiles	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
height	O
only	O
,	O
with	O
low-profile	O
cards	O
taking	O
up	O
less	O
than	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
a	O
PCIe	O
slot	O
,	O
some	O
can	O
be	O
as	O
low	O
as	O
"	O
half-height	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Length	O
and	O
thickness	O
can	O
vary	O
greatly	O
,	O
with	O
high-end	O
cards	O
usually	O
occupying	O
two	O
or	O
three	O
expansion	B-Device
slots	I-Device
,	O
and	O
with	O
modern	O
high-end	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
such	O
as	O
the	O
RTX	B-Algorithm
4090	O
exceeding	O
300mm	O
in	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
lower	O
profile	O
card	O
is	O
preferred	O
when	O
trying	O
to	O
fit	O
multiple	O
cards	O
or	O
if	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
run	O
into	O
clearance	O
issues	O
with	O
other	O
motherboard	B-Device
components	O
like	O
the	O
DIMM	O
or	O
PCIE	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
be	O
fixed	O
with	O
a	O
larger	O
computer	B-General_Concept
case	I-General_Concept
such	O
as	O
mid-tower	O
or	O
full	O
tower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Full	O
towers	O
are	O
usually	O
able	O
to	O
fit	O
larger	O
motherboards	B-Device
in	O
sizes	O
like	O
ATX	O
and	O
micro	O
ATX	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
can	O
be	O
linked	O
together	O
to	O
allow	O
scaling	O
graphics	O
processing	O
across	O
multiple	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
done	O
using	O
either	O
the	O
PCIe	O
bus	O
on	O
the	O
motherboard	B-Device
or	O
,	O
more	O
commonly	O
,	O
a	O
data	O
bridge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
both	O
have	O
proprietary	O
scaling	O
methods	O
,	O
CrossFireX	B-Application
for	O
AMD	O
,	O
and	O
SLI	B-Device
(	O
since	O
the	O
Turing	O
generation	O
,	O
superseded	O
by	O
NVLink	O
)	O
for	O
Nvidia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
have	O
different	O
sizes	O
of	O
memory	O
,	O
the	O
lowest	O
value	O
will	O
be	O
used	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
higher	O
values	O
disregarded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
four	O
cards	O
requires	O
a	O
large	O
motherboard	B-Device
with	O
a	O
proper	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nvidia	O
's	O
GeForce	B-Application
GTX	I-Application
590	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
can	O
be	O
configured	O
in	O
a	O
four-card	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motherboards	B-Device
including	O
ASUS	O
Maximus	O
3	O
Extreme	O
and	O
Gigabyte	O
GA	O
EX58	O
Extreme	O
are	O
certified	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
this	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
large	O
power	O
supply	O
is	O
necessary	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
cards	O
in	O
SLI	B-Device
or	O
CrossFireX	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
any	O
relatively	O
powerful	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
thermal	O
management	O
cannot	O
be	O
ignored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
require	O
well-vented	O
chassis	O
and	O
good	O
thermal	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Air	O
or	O
water	O
cooling	O
are	O
usually	O
required	O
,	O
though	O
low	O
end	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
can	O
use	O
passive	O
cooling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SLI	B-Device
and	O
Crossfire	O
have	O
become	O
increasingly	O
uncommon	O
as	O
most	O
games	O
do	O
not	O
fully	O
utilize	O
multiple	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
most	O
users	O
cannot	O
afford	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiple	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
are	O
still	O
used	O
on	O
supercomputers	O
(	O
like	O
in	O
Summit	B-Device
)	O
,	O
on	O
workstations	O
to	O
accelerate	O
video	O
and	O
3D	O
rendering	O
,	O
visual	O
effects	O
,	O
for	O
simulations	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
training	O
artificial	O
intelligence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
or	O
an	O
extra	O
software	O
package	O
may	O
provide	O
certain	O
programming	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
for	O
applications	O
to	O
perform	O
3D	O
rendering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
are	O
designed	O
with	O
specific	O
usage	O
in	O
mind	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2016	O
,	O
the	O
primary	O
suppliers	O
of	O
the	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
(	O
graphics	O
chips	O
or	O
chipsets	O
)	O
used	O
in	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
are	O
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
also	O
build	O
and	O
sell	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
which	O
are	O
termed	O
graphics	O
add-in-boards	O
(	O
AIBs	O
)	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
See	O
Comparison	B-Architecture
of	I-Architecture
Nvidia	I-Architecture
graphics	I-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
units	I-Architecture
and	O
Comparison	B-Architecture
of	I-Architecture
AMD	I-Architecture
graphics	I-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
units	I-Architecture
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
marketing	O
their	O
own	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
sell	O
their	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
to	O
authorized	O
AIB	O
suppliers	O
,	O
which	O
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	O
refer	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
partners	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AMD	O
and	O
Intel	O
being	O
direct	O
competitors	O
in	O
the	O
CPU	B-Device
industry	O
is	O
also	O
noteworthy	O
,	O
since	O
AMD-based	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
may	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
computers	O
with	O
Intel	O
CPUs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intel	O
's	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
may	O
weaken	O
AMD	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
latter	O
derives	O
a	O
significant	O
portion	O
of	O
its	O
revenue	O
from	O
its	O
APUs	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
AIB	O
suppliers	O
may	O
market	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
under	O
their	O
own	O
brands	O
,	O
produce	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
for	O
private	O
label	O
brands	O
,	O
or	O
produce	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
for	O
computer	O
manufacturers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
AIB	O
suppliers	O
such	O
as	O
MSI	O
build	O
both	O
AMD-based	O
and	O
Nvidia-based	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
EVGA	O
,	O
build	O
only	O
Nvidia-based	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
while	O
XFX	O
,	O
now	O
builds	O
only	O
AMD-based	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
AIB	O
suppliers	O
are	O
also	O
motherboard	B-Device
suppliers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sapphire	O
and	O
Zotac	O
also	O
sell	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
exclusively	O
for	O
AMD	O
and	O
Nvidia	B-Architecture
GPUs	I-Architecture
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
States	O
is	O
also	O
home	O
to	O
EVGA	O
,	O
and	O
XFX	O
which	O
sell	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
exclusively	O
for	O
Nvidia	O
and	O
AMD	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
shipments	O
peaked	O
at	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
114	O
million	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sales	O
of	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
have	O
trended	O
downward	O
due	O
to	O
improvements	O
in	O
integrated	B-Application
graphics	I-Application
technologies	O
;	O
high-end	O
,	O
CPU-integrated	O
graphics	O
can	O
provide	O
competitive	O
performance	O
with	O
low-end	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
,	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
sales	O
have	O
grown	O
within	O
the	O
high-end	O
segment	O
,	O
as	O
manufacturers	O
have	O
shifted	O
their	O
focus	O
to	O
prioritize	O
the	O
gaming	O
and	O
enthusiast	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beyond	O
the	O
gaming	O
and	O
multimedia	O
segments	O
,	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
have	O
been	O
increasingly	O
used	O
for	O
general-purpose	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
,	O
such	O
as	O
big	B-Application
data	I-Application
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growth	O
of	O
cryptocurrency	O
has	O
placed	O
a	O
severely	O
high	O
demand	O
on	O
high-end	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
especially	O
in	O
large	O
quantities	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
advantages	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
cryptocurrency	O
mining	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2018	O
,	O
mid	O
-	O
to	O
high-end	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
experienced	O
a	O
major	O
surge	O
in	O
price	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
retailers	O
having	O
stock	O
shortages	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
significant	O
demand	O
among	O
this	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
companies	O
released	O
mining-specific	O
cards	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
24	O
hours	O
a	O
day	O
,	O
seven	O
days	O
a	O
week	O
,	O
and	O
without	O
video	O
output	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
industry	O
took	O
a	O
setback	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
202021	O
chip	O
shortage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
consists	O
of	O
a	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
on	O
which	O
the	O
components	O
are	O
mounted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
(	O
GPU	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
also	O
occasionally	O
called	O
visual	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
(	O
VPU	O
)	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
specialized	O
electronic	O
circuit	O
designed	O
to	O
rapidly	O
manipulate	O
and	O
alter	O
memory	O
to	O
accelerate	O
the	O
building	O
of	O
images	O
in	O
a	O
frame	B-Algorithm
buffer	I-Algorithm
intended	O
for	O
output	O
to	O
a	O
display	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
large	O
degree	O
of	O
programmable	O
computational	O
complexity	O
for	O
such	O
a	O
task	O
,	O
a	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
is	O
also	O
a	O
computer	O
unto	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
heat	O
sink	O
is	O
mounted	O
on	O
most	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
heat	O
sink	O
spreads	O
out	O
the	O
heat	O
produced	O
by	O
the	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
evenly	O
throughout	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
and	O
unit	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
heat	O
sink	O
commonly	O
has	O
a	O
fan	O
mounted	O
to	O
cool	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
and	O
the	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
need	O
proper	O
thermal	O
solutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
video	B-Device
BIOS	I-Device
or	O
firmware	B-Application
contains	O
a	O
minimal	O
program	O
for	O
the	O
initial	O
set	O
up	O
and	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
may	O
contain	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
memory	O
and	O
memory	O
timing	O
,	O
operating	O
speeds	O
and	O
voltages	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processor	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
other	O
details	O
which	O
can	O
sometimes	O
be	O
changed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
Video	O
BIOSes	O
do	O
not	O
support	O
full	O
functionalities	O
of	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
;	O
they	O
are	O
only	O
sufficient	O
to	O
identify	O
and	O
initialize	O
the	O
card	O
to	O
display	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
few	O
frame	B-Algorithm
buffer	I-Algorithm
or	O
text	O
display	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
YUV	O
to	O
RGB	O
translation	O
,	O
video	O
scaling	O
,	O
pixel	O
copying	O
,	O
compositing	O
or	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
multitude	O
of	O
other	O
2D	O
and	O
3D	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
which	O
must	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
software	O
drivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
memory	O
capacity	O
of	O
most	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
ranges	O
from	O
2to	O
24	O
GB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
video	O
memory	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
the	O
GPU	B-Architecture
and	O
the	O
display	O
circuitry	O
,	O
it	O
often	O
uses	O
special	O
high-speed	O
or	O
multi-port	O
memory	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
VRAM	O
,	O
WRAM	O
,	O
SGRAM	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RAMDAC	B-Device
,	O
or	O
random-access-memory	O
digital-to-analog	O
converter	O
,	O
converts	O
digital	O
signals	O
to	O
analog	O
signals	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
display	I-Device
that	O
uses	O
analog	O
inputs	O
such	O
as	O
cathode-ray	B-Device
tube	I-Device
(	O
CRT	O
)	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RAMDAC	B-Device
is	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
chip	I-Architecture
that	O
regulates	O
the	O
functioning	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
bits	O
used	O
and	O
the	O
RAMDAC-data-transfer	O
rate	O
,	O
the	O
converter	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
support	O
different	O
computer-display	O
refresh	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
CRT	B-Device
displays	I-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
best	O
to	O
work	O
over	O
75Hz	O
and	O
never	O
under	O
60Hz	O
,	O
to	O
minimize	O
flicker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
This	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
problem	O
with	O
LCD	B-Device
displays	I-Device
,	O
as	O
they	O
have	O
little	O
to	O
no	O
flicker	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
growing	O
popularity	O
of	O
digital	O
computer	B-Device
displays	I-Device
and	O
the	O
integration	O
of	O
the	O
RAMDAC	B-Device
onto	O
the	O
GPU	B-Architecture
die	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
mostly	O
disappeared	O
as	O
a	O
discrete	O
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
current	O
LCD/plasma	O
monitors	O
and	O
TVs	O
and	O
projectors	O
with	O
only	O
digital	O
connections	O
work	O
in	O
the	O
digital	O
domain	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
require	O
a	O
RAMDAC	B-Device
for	O
those	O
connections	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
displays	O
that	O
feature	O
analog	O
inputs	O
(	O
VGA	B-Protocol
,	O
component	O
,	O
SCART	B-Protocol
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
require	O
a	O
RAMDAC	B-Device
,	O
but	O
they	O
reconvert	O
the	O
analog	O
signal	O
back	O
to	O
digital	O
before	O
they	O
can	O
display	O
it	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
unavoidable	O
loss	O
of	O
quality	O
stemming	O
from	O
this	O
digital-to-analog-to-digital	O
conversion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
VGA	B-Protocol
standard	O
being	O
phased	O
out	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
digital	O
formats	O
,	O
RAMDACs	B-Device
have	O
started	O
to	O
disappear	O
from	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
common	O
connection	O
systems	O
between	O
the	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
and	O
the	O
computer	B-Device
display	I-Device
are	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
known	O
as	O
D-sub	B-Protocol
,	O
VGA	B-Protocol
is	O
an	O
analog-based	O
standard	O
adopted	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
designed	O
for	O
CRT	B-Device
displays	I-Device
,	O
also	O
called	O
VGA	B-Protocol
connector	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Today	O
,	O
the	O
VGA	B-Protocol
analog	O
interface	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
high	O
definition	O
video	O
resolutions	O
including	O
1080p	O
and	O
higher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
VGA	B-Protocol
transmission	O
bandwidth	O
is	O
high	O
enough	O
to	O
support	O
even	O
higher	O
resolution	O
playback	O
,	O
the	O
picture	O
quality	O
can	O
degrade	O
depending	O
on	O
cable	O
quality	O
and	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
extent	O
of	O
quality	O
difference	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
individual	O
's	O
eyesight	O
and	O
the	O
display	O
;	O
when	O
using	O
a	O
DVI	B-Protocol
or	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
connection	O
,	O
especially	O
on	O
larger	O
sized	O
LCD/LED	O
monitors	O
or	O
TVs	O
,	O
quality	O
degradation	O
,	O
if	O
present	O
,	O
is	O
prominently	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blu-ray	O
playback	O
at	O
1080p	O
is	O
possible	O
via	O
the	O
VGA	B-Protocol
analog	O
interface	O
,	O
if	O
Image	O
Constraint	O
Token	O
(	O
ICT	O
)	O
is	O
not	O
enabled	O
on	O
the	O
Blu-ray	O
disc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digital	B-Protocol
Visual	I-Protocol
Interface	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
digital-based	O
standard	O
designed	O
for	O
displays	O
such	O
as	O
flat-panel	O
displays	O
(	O
LCDs	B-Device
,	O
plasma	O
screens	O
,	O
wide	O
high-definition	B-Device
television	I-Device
displays	O
)	O
and	O
video	B-Device
projectors	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
rare	O
cases	O
,	O
high-end	O
CRT	B-Device
monitors	I-Device
also	O
use	O
DVI	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
avoids	O
image	O
distortion	O
and	O
electrical	O
noise	O
,	O
corresponding	O
each	O
pixel	O
from	O
the	O
computer	O
to	O
a	O
display	O
pixel	O
,	O
using	O
its	O
native	B-General_Concept
resolution	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
worth	O
noting	O
that	O
most	O
manufacturers	O
include	O
a	O
DVI-I	B-Protocol
connector	O
,	O
allowing	O
(	O
via	O
simple	O
adapter	O
)	O
standard	O
RGB	O
signal	O
output	O
to	O
an	O
old	O
CRT	O
or	O
LCD	B-Device
monitor	B-Device
with	O
VGA	B-Protocol
input	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
connectors	O
are	O
included	O
to	O
allow	O
connection	O
with	O
televisions	O
,	O
DVD	B-Device
players	I-Device
,	O
video	O
recorders	O
and	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
consoles	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
often	O
come	O
in	O
two	O
10-pin	O
mini-DIN	B-Protocol
connector	I-Protocol
variations	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
VIVO	O
splitter	O
cable	O
generally	O
comes	O
with	O
either	O
4	O
connectors	O
(	O
S-Video	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
plus	O
composite	O
video	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
6	O
connectors	O
(	O
S-Video	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
plus	O
component	O
PB	O
out	O
plus	O
component	O
PR	O
out	O
+	O
component	O
Y	O
out	O
[	O
also	O
composite	O
out ]	O
plus	O
composite	O
in	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HDMI	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
compact	O
audio/video	O
interface	O
for	O
transferring	O
uncompressed	B-Device
video	I-Device
data	O
and	O
compressed/uncompressed	O
digital	O
audio	O
data	O
from	O
an	O
HDMI-compliant	O
device	O
(	O
"	O
the	O
source	O
device	O
"	O
)	O
to	O
a	O
compatible	O
digital	O
audio	O
device	O
,	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
,	O
video	B-Device
projector	I-Device
,	O
or	O
digital	B-Application
television	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
HDMI	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
digital	O
replacement	O
for	O
existing	O
analog	O
video	O
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HDMI	B-Protocol
supports	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
through	O
HDCP	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
DisplayPort	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
digital	B-Device
display	I-Device
interface	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Video	O
Electronics	O
Standards	O
Association	O
(	O
VESA	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
interface	O
is	O
primarily	O
used	O
to	O
connect	O
a	O
video	O
source	O
to	O
a	O
display	B-Device
device	I-Device
such	O
as	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
monitor	I-Device
,	O
though	O
it	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
transmit	O
audio	O
,	O
USB	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VESA	O
designed	O
it	O
to	O
replace	O
VGA	B-Protocol
,	O
DVI	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
LVDS	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Backward	O
compatibility	O
to	O
VGA	B-Protocol
and	O
DVI	B-Protocol
by	O
using	O
adapter	O
dongles	B-Device
enables	O
consumers	O
to	O
use	O
DisplayPort	B-Protocol
fitted	O
video	O
sources	O
without	O
replacing	O
existing	O
display	B-Device
devices	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
DisplayPort	B-Protocol
has	O
a	O
greater	O
throughput	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
functionality	O
as	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
,	O
it	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
complement	O
the	O
interface	O
,	O
not	O
replace	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Composite	O
video	O
For	O
display	O
on	O
analog	O
systems	O
with	O
SD	O
resolutions	O
(	O
PAL	B-Language
or	O
NTSC	O
)	O
https://www.matrox.com/sites/default/files/en_g550_guide.pdf	O
the	O
RCA	B-Protocol
connector	I-Protocol
output	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
on	O
the	O
card	O
the	O
SECAM	O
color	O
system	O
might	O
be	O
supported	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
non-standard	O
modes	O
like	O
PAL-60	O
or	O
NTSC50	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
150px	O
Component	O
video	O
It	O
uses	O
three	O
cables	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
RCA	B-Protocol
connector	I-Protocol
(	O
YCBCR	O
for	O
digital	O
component	O
,	O
or	O
YPBPR	O
for	O
analog	O
component	O
)	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
in	O
older	O
projectors	O
,	O
video-game	O
consoles	O
,	O
and	O
DVD	B-Device
players	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
carry	O
SDTV	O
480i/576i	O
and	O
EDTV	O
480p/576p	O
resolutions	O
,	O
and	O
HDTV	B-Device
resolutions	O
720p	O
and	O
1080i	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
1080p	O
due	O
to	O
industry	O
concerns	O
about	O
copy	B-Application
protection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
graphics	O
quality	O
is	O
equivalent	O
to	O
HDMI	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
resolutions	O
it	O
carries	O
,	O
but	O
for	O
best	O
performance	O
for	O
Blu-ray	O
,	O
other	O
1080p	O
sources	O
like	O
PPV	O
,	O
or	O
4K	O
Ultra	O
HD	O
,	O
a	O
digital	B-Device
display	I-Device
connector	O
is	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
150px	O
DB13W3	B-Protocol
An	O
analog	O
standard	O
once	O
used	O
by	O
Sun	O
Microsystems	O
,	O
SGI	O
and	O
IBM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
200px	O
DMS-59	B-Protocol
A	O
connector	O
that	O
provides	O
a	O
DVI	B-Protocol
or	O
VGA	B-Protocol
output	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
connector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
200pxDE-9The	O
historical	O
connector	O
used	O
by	O
EGA	B-Device
and	O
CGA	B-Device
graphic	B-Device
cards	I-Device
is	O
a	O
female	O
nine-pin	O
D-subminiature	B-Protocol
(	O
DE-9	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chronologically	O
,	O
connection	O
systems	O
between	O
graphics	B-Device
card	I-Device
and	O
motherboard	B-Device
were	O
,	O
mainly	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
S-100	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
:	O
Designed	O
in	O
1974	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Altair	O
8800	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
industry-standard	O
bus	O
for	O
the	O
microcomputer	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ISA	B-Architecture
:	O
Introduced	O
in	O
1981	O
by	O
IBM	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
dominant	O
in	O
the	O
marketplace	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
an	O
8	O
-	O
or	O
16-bit	B-Device
bus	O
clocked	O
at	O
8MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NuBus	B-Device
:	O
Used	O
in	O
Macintosh	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
32-bit	O
bus	O
with	O
an	O
average	O
bandwidth	O
of	O
10	O
to	O
20MB/s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MCA	B-Device
:	O
Introduced	O
in	O
1987	O
by	O
IBM	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
32-bit	O
bus	O
clocked	O
at	O
10MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EISA	B-Device
:	O
Released	O
in	O
1988	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
IBM	O
's	O
MCA	B-Device
,	O
it	O
was	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
earlier	O
ISA	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
VLB	O
:	O
An	O
extension	O
of	O
ISA	B-Architecture
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
32-bit	O
bus	O
clocked	O
at	O
33MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCI	B-Protocol
:	O
Replaced	O
the	O
EISA	B-Device
,	O
ISA	B-Architecture
,	O
MCA	B-Device
and	O
VESA	O
buses	O
from	O
1993	O
onwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCI	B-Protocol
allowed	O
dynamic	O
connectivity	O
between	O
devices	O
,	O
avoiding	O
the	O
manual	O
adjustments	O
required	O
with	O
jumpers	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
UPA	B-Architecture
:	O
An	O
interconnect	O
bus	O
architecture	O
introduced	O
by	O
Sun	O
Microsystems	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
bus	O
clocked	O
at	O
67	O
or	O
83MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
USB	B-Protocol
:	O
Although	O
mostly	O
used	O
for	O
miscellaneous	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
secondary	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
devices	I-General_Concept
or	I-General_Concept
peripherals	I-General_Concept
and	O
toys	O
,	O
USB	B-Protocol
displays	O
and	O
display	B-Device
adapters	I-Device
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AGP	B-Architecture
:	O
First	O
used	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
dedicated-to-graphics	O
bus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCI-X	O
:	O
An	O
extension	O
of	O
the	O
PCI	B-Protocol
bus	I-Protocol
,	O
it	O
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
improves	O
upon	O
PCI	B-Protocol
by	O
extending	O
the	O
width	O
of	O
bus	O
to	O
64bits	B-Device
and	O
the	O
clock	O
frequency	O
to	O
up	O
to	O
133MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCI	B-Protocol
Express	O
:	O
Abbreviated	O
as	O
PCIe	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
point-to-point	O
interface	O
released	O
in	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
it	O
provided	O
a	O
data-transfer	O
rate	O
that	O
is	O
double	O
of	O
AGP	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
should	O
not	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
PCI-X	O
,	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
PCI	B-Protocol
specification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
standard	O
for	O
most	O
modern	O
graphics	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
