1BXxi.jpg (JPEG Image, 1024 × 4844 pixels) - Scaled (13. 82k6d.jpg (JPEG Image, 1269 × 654 pixels) How Graphics Cards Work" The images you see on your monitor are made of tiny dots called pixels. At most common resolution settings, a screen displays over a million pixels, and the computer has to decide what to do with every one in order to create an image. To do this, it needs a translator -- something to take binary data from the CPU and turn it into a picture you can see. Unless a computer has graphics capability built into the motherboard, that translation takes place on the graphics card. A graphics card's job is complex, but its principles and components are easy to understand. Think of a computer as a company with its own art department.
A graphics card works along the same principles. Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process. The graphics card accomplishes this task using four main components: Next, we'll look at the processor and memory in more detail. Understanding Chipsets: What is a Chipset, Anyway? - Gamers Nexus - Your hub for gaming hardware, news, PC builds, and reviews. Known for having the coolest-sounding naming scheme in computing, chipsets operate at the core of every build we do here at GN -- by this point, all of you know the basics: P67 is good, Z68 is better, X79 (SB-E) is expensive; the 970 is good, the 990X is great, and AM3+'s 990FX is expensive (sort of).
Great, so we have an idea of what to get relative to other chipsets, but that doesn't mean much. That's about as useful as knowing "DDR3 is better than DDR2," without truly knowing why. It's brochure knowledge. As we did with our GPU dictionary and SSD dictionary, this chipset guide will help explain what, exactly, a chipset is responsible for and what you should look for in future editions. Click to enlarge. * = Modern CPUs include memory controllers on the CPU.
Simply put, a chipset is the central architecture that dictates compatibility for processor families and other modern technologies. In original PCs, everything used to hang off of one bus (including memory). Enough theory!