graphics/video cards
Graphics (a.k.a. video) cards add the function of rendering 3D scenes and 2D graphics. They are expansion cards which allow the computer to transfer graphics to a display device such as projectors and monitors. Many modern computers do not need graphics cards because they have Graphics Processing Units (or GPUs) included in the motherboard. Even though GPU units make computers cheaper, they are not yet powerful enough to run the latest computer games.
When purchasing a graphics card, it its important to choose one that is capable of being displayed on your monitor. Some monitors cannot support higher resolutions and can only show lower resolutions. The second point to consider is the card's on-board memory. All graphics cards work hard to render your images onto your screen. These images are commonly large files with great amounts of data that it needs to process. The faster your card is, the more RAM that will be required to process the images.
References: Information and Software Technology (by David Grover)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_card
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-graphics-card.htm
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/componentprofiles/p/p_video.htm
When purchasing a graphics card, it its important to choose one that is capable of being displayed on your monitor. Some monitors cannot support higher resolutions and can only show lower resolutions. The second point to consider is the card's on-board memory. All graphics cards work hard to render your images onto your screen. These images are commonly large files with great amounts of data that it needs to process. The faster your card is, the more RAM that will be required to process the images.
References: Information and Software Technology (by David Grover)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_card
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-graphics-card.htm
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/componentprofiles/p/p_video.htm