What does a graphics card actually do? A plain explanation
REALReal: this changes something for you today.
HARDWAREThe graphics card, or GPU, draws everything you see on screen. It is built to do thousands of small calculations at the same time.
Who needs a dedicated GPU
- Gamers who want high settings and smooth frame rates
- Video editors and 3D artists
- People running AI models locally
Who does not
For browsing, office work, online classes and streaming video, the graphics built into modern processors are enough. You save money and battery by skipping a dedicated card.
VRAM, the memory on the graphics card, matters more each year. For new games and local AI, 8GB is a practical minimum and more is better.
