Most personal computers comes installed with some sort of graphics processing unit. (GPU). Basically the graphics processing unit controls the quality of display shown on the monitor screen.
If you use your PC to do soft jobs such as typing or watching HD movies the PC would likely be fitted with an integrated GPU. This type of GPU uses resources from the PCs central processing unit. The main disadvantage of integrated GPUs is that they are not that powerful and when you use a heavier program such as a 3D application the whole system will slow down.
A dedicated GPU comes with his own processor and VRAM and does not draw resources from the CPU. Your PC will need a dedicated GPU if you’ll be using it for powerful 3D applications HD video editing and high end video gaming.
Types of GPUs available
There are many types of GPUs available but the two most prominent types are those made by Nividia or AMD. These two major GPU makers are very good and you can’t choose between them. However, Nividia gpu’s have a slight edge. GPUs come in videos grades and models to suit your needs. There are high-end GPUs and low-end ones. Things to look out for when purchasing a suitable GPU includes:
- Video memory or VRAM: the more powerful a GPU is, the more VRAM it will have. Also check the VRAM speed too; The higher the better.
- Clock speed and memory bus: as with the VRAM, the higher the processor speed and amount of memory bus the better the GPU is.
- Size: high-end GPUs are very large in size. Take note of this, you must purchase a GPU that can conveniently fit inside your PC.