Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Motherboard chipset integrated video
—This is video circuitry integrated into the
motherboardchipset.Becauseitsharesthesystemrandomaccessmemory(RAM)and
other components, it provides an economical solution that also uses less power (ideal
for laptops).
•
Processor integrated video
—This is video circuitry integrated into the processor,
either as a separate die within the processor package or directly in the processor die.
This form of integrated video also shares the system RAM and requires a mother-
board with specific chipsets and video interface connectors on-board. Because chipset
or processor-based integrated video shares the system RAM and other components, it
hasthelowestcostofanyvideosolution.Performanceisgenerallylowerthanthatofa
separate card-based adapter, especially for 3D gaming or other graphics-intensive ap-
plications. Resolution and color-depth options are also more limited than those avail-
able with add-on video cards. Because it is economical on power, integrated video is
used in many laptops for improved battery life. Many desktop systems with integrated
video also allow the installation of a discrete video plug-in card as an upgrade.
The term
video adapter
applies to either discrete or integrated video circuitry. The term
graphics adapter
isessentiallyinterchangeablewith
video adapter
becauseallvideocards
developed except the original IBM monochrome display adapter (MDA) can display
graphics as well as text.
Note
AMD no longer uses the ATI brand name for either chipsets or video chips. Instead, AMD
uses the RADEON brand name for consumer level video products, and Fire GL for profes-
sional level workstation video products.
Integrated Video/Motherboard Chipsets
Althoughbuilt-invideohasbeenastapleoflow-costcomputingforanumberofyears,un-
til the late 1990s, most motherboard-based video simply mounted discrete video compon-
ents on the motherboard. The performance and features of discrete video are essentially
the same whether it is soldered into the motherboard or plugged in via an expansion card.
In most cases the built-in discrete video can be upgraded by adding a video card. Some
older motherboard-based discrete video implementations also had provisions for memory
upgrades.
However, in recent years, the move toward increasing integration on the motherboard has
led to the development of motherboard chipsets that include video support as part of the
chipset design. In effect, the motherboard chipset takes the place of most of the discrete
video card components and uses a portion of main system memory as video memory. The
