Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
video circuit uses. For systems with integrated chipset video, you need to find out which integrated
chipset the system uses. This allows you to have the following:
• A better comparison of the card or system to others
• Access to technical specifications
• Access to reviews and opinions
• The ability to make a better buying decision
• The choice of card manufacturer or chipset manufacturer support and drivers
Because video card performance and features are critical to enjoyment and productivity, find out as
much as you can before you buy the system or video card by using the chipset or video card
manufacturer's website and third-party reviews. Poorly written or buggy drivers can cause several
types of problems, so be sure to check periodically for video driver updates and install any that
become available. With video cards, support after the sale can be important, particularly for 3D
gaming. Therefore, you should check the manufacturer's website to see whether drivers for your
video card have problems rendering your favorite games or working with your favorite software and
how often updates are available.
Note
Sometimes, newer drivers for a particular video card or chipset render newer 3D games and
programs better than older games and programs. If you are using the latest driver and older
games or programs aren't playing as well as they should, consider downgrading to an older
version of the driver.
NVIDIA is strictly a producer of GPUs, while AMD supplies GPUs to other vendors and produces
cards using its own GPUs. NVIDIA and AMD both create video card reference designs, which the
various card manufacturers use to develop their own specific cards. Because each card manufacturer
can customize or modify the designs as it chooses, two cards that use the same graphics chipset may
differ in features as well as in actual performance. This means a variety of video cards use the same
chipset; it also means you are likely to find variations in card performance, software bundles,
warranties, and other features between cards using the same chipset.
Although vendors might make modifications to the reference designs provided by NVIDIA and AMD,
you can use the drivers provided by the GPU manufacturers for your GPU if the card or motherboard
vendor does not provide updated drivers on a timely basis.
For the most detailed information about your GPU, I recommend using GPU-Z, a freeware utility
available from
www.techpowerup.com
. GPU-Z provides extremely detailed version about your
computer's GPU (including GPUs built into chipsets and processors), such as name, build technology,
bus interface, DirectX support, RAM size, component temperature, BIOS version, driver version,
rendering support, number of shaders, pixel and texture fill rates, overclock speeds (if overclocked),
and so on (see
Figure 12.2
)
.
