5 Types of Video Cards

Video cards are essential computer peripherals used in various ways, such as playing high definition video and rendering objects when editing an image or a video file. A good video card allows you to have the ultimate gaming experience when playing your favourite computer games. There are various types of video cards available in the market nowadays, and it is necessary to differentiate each type so as to make the right decision when purchasing a video card. There are 3 major video card connection types, namely PCI, AGP and PCI-Express. PCI express is widely used and is becoming the standard connection type for most of the video cards emerging from the market today.

1. Onboard Video Card

Onboard video cards are standard video cards that come along with the motherboard of your computer. It is a low-end video card capable of displaying web pages and low-capacity games. Onboard video cards do not have a dedicated memory of its own; instead, it shares memory with your computer system. Onboard video cards are ideal for those who are using the computer for basic purposes only, such as word processing and web applications. This type of video card cannot be upgraded, and once you add another video card, your onboard video card will be disabled automatically.

2. Value Video Card

A Value video card is one step better than onboard video card. It is capable of displaying web applications and is an essential element for a faster word processing task and other simple computer functions. Unlike onboard video cards, a value video card has its own dedicated memory. However, value video cards cannot support newer video games and high definition playback of HD videos.

3. Enthusiast Video Cards

Enthusiast video cards are the latest video cards in the market. It can support playback of high definition videos and is capable of playing the newest computer games that need high frame rates per second. Enthusiast video cards are also capable of rendering objects when video editing. It has its own dedicated memory of up to 2 gigabytes or more and dual processors and is ideal for high physics processing. Enthusiast video cards are the most expensive video cards for computers.

4. Mainstream Cards

Mainstream video cards are the predecessors of enthusiast video cards. When a video card is replaced in the market with a newer, faster and better video card, the previous video card is then categorized as a mainstream video card. Depending on the model of the mainstream video cards, it is also capable of all the functions of the enthusiast video cards. The only limitation, however, is that it is not capable of playing newer PC games, which requires better and faster video cards.

5. Multiple Video Cards

Multiple screen video cards are video cards capable of handling display of up to four or more computers. It is ideally used in computer functions that need multiple application displays, such as but not limited to, disaster management, FOREX update and traffic management.