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Graphics Card is one of the most important components of a gaming or professional PC. In my opinion, everyone should have a dedicated graphics card installed in their PC because integrated graphics or onboard graphics is not sufficient if you want to enjoy gaming or do some graphics or video related professional work on your PC.
Dual Slot Graphics Cards These graphics cards occupy two slots of space on your motherboard and PC case. Almost all the mid-range and high-end graphics cards are dual-slot graphics cards because they have an extra number of output ports and larger heatsink and fan for cooling. See full list on doityourself.com. Types of card and slots Modern cards use the PCI Express aka PCIe interface slot. The older and now obsolete slot is called AGP but was replaced by PCI Express around 2004. So if your PC was bought. It is best to slot it into the 16x PCIE slot, on a modern day motherboard, this is generally the first or second pcie slot from the CPU socket. You could place the GPU on other slots as well but not all the pcie slots are at 16x unless you have a. They're different standards, different slots, and different expansion card types. AGP: The Accelerated Graphics Port slot was designed specifically to handle high-end graphics adapters. It may still be found on older PCs, but today's systems use PCI-Express expansion slots to handle high-end graphics adapters.
There are different types of graphics cards available based on size, power consumption, cooling solution, budget, performance, and usage. This is because each graphics card type has its special purpose or use depending on the work and user requirements. Graphics Cards can be categorized into different types on their physical appearance too and here in this post, I am going to list down all graphics card types so that you can have a proper idea about them and can decide on which graphics card you should get for your PC.
Based on Form Factor (FF) or Size
Here are the graphics cards that are categorized on the basis of form factor and size. Some graphics cards are compact, some are slim and some occupy less space inside your PC case.
Compact or SFF Graphics Cards
Compact or Small Form Factor (SFF) Graphics Cards are shorter in length compared to other graphics cards. These graphics cards may or may not be low profile but they always have shorter length PCB. The maximum length of these SFF graphics cards is around 211mm and they can fit in most of the SFF PC cases including mini-ITX cases and mini-tower cases. So if you are building an SFF Gaming PC and have space constraints then you can go for compact graphics cards.
Must Read:Best SFF Graphics Cards for Compact Gaming PC & HTPC
Low Profile Graphics Cards
Low Profile Graphics Cards are slim graphics cards that shorter in width compared to other graphics cards. Low profile graphics cards are also known as slim graphics cards and they can fit in slim or low profile computer cases. To use them in low profile cases you have to use a half-height bracket and for use, in normal PC cases, you can use a normal or full height bracket. Low Profile graphics cards may or may not be compact but generally, most of the low profile graphics cards are compact and can fit in any small form factor PC case.
Must Read:Best Low Profile Graphics Cards for Gaming and Work
Single Slot Graphics Cards
Single Slot Graphics Cards occupies only a single slot of space on your motherboard and PC case. These graphics cards come in very handy for users with small form factor motherboard (mini-ITX or micro-ATX) because they do not want to waste an extra slot due to the graphics card. Most of the single slot graphics cards are entry-level but you can also find some powerful single-slot graphics cards on the link given below.
Must Read:Best Single Slot Graphics Cards for Gaming & Work
Dual Slot Graphics Cards
These graphics cards occupy two slots of space on your motherboard and PC case. Almost all the mid-range and high-end graphics cards are dual-slot graphics cards because they have an extra number of output ports and larger heatsink and fan for cooling. You can also find dual-slot graphics cards in the entry-level or budget segment too.
Must Read:Complete Guide to Graphics Cards Slot Width Type
Based on Cooling Solution
Here are graphics card types on the basis of cooler used for cooling the GPU, Video Memory and VRM.
Graphics Cards with Fan & Heatsink
These graphics cards come with an active cooling solution that consists of both fan and heatsink. 99% of the graphics card uses fan and heatsink for cooling the GPU, VRAM, and VRM. The number of fans may vary depending on the graphics card manufacturer as high-end graphics cards come with dual or triple fans while mid-range graphics cards come with single or dual fans. Generally entry-level or budget graphics cards come with a single fan only. Graphics Card Air Coolers can be divided into two types, which are Blower Style Cooler and Open Air Fan Coolers.
Passively Cooled Graphics Cards
These are fanless graphics cards that come only with a heatsink for cooling. Because of the absence of any active cooling devices (fan, pump), these passively cooled graphics cards are completely silent in operation. Passively cooled graphics cards are great for building a silent PC or an HTPC where you do not want any kind of interference due to noise.
Must Read:Best Passively Cooled Graphics Cards for HTPC & Work
Water Cooled Graphics Cards
These graphics cards are cooled by a water cooling unit that consists of a pump and a radiator. Generally, all water-cooled graphics cards are hybrid graphics cards in general where the GPU is cooled by water or liquid cooling unit while other components like VRAM (Video Memory) and VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) is cooled by Fan and Heatsink.
Must Read:Learn about Different Graphics Card Cooling Solutions
Water Block Graphics Cards
These are also water-cooled graphics cards but here all the components i.e GPU, VRM, and VRAM are cooled down by liquid/water or coolant. You can say that it is a pure water cooling solution but it does require an additional water cooling kit for its working.
Based on Budget & Performance
These graphics cards are classified on the basis of their performance and budget. Cheaper graphics cards have lower performance while more expensive ones deliver high-end performance in the latest games at 1080p and higher resolutions up to 4K.
Entry Level or Budget Graphics Cards
These are the cheapest graphics cards and they are not meant for playing the latest games. These graphics cards are powerful than integrated graphics solutions and are good for casual gaming, eSports gaming, video editing, photo editing, running 4K video, watching Blu-ray & FHD movies and normal work. These graphics cards costs between 50 to 100 dollars and have lower power consumption. They only require a 300W to 400W PSU for their working.
Must Read:Best Budget Graphics Cards for Gaming
Mid-range Graphics Cards
These are the most popular and best-selling graphics cards because they offer good performance at an affordable price range. Mid-range Graphics Cards are way more powerful than entry-level graphics cards and they can run the latest games on medium to high graphics settings at 1080p. Mid-range graphics cards can also be categorized into budget mid-range and higher mid-range graphics cards based on their performance and price range. These graphics cards are priced between 150 to 300 dollars or higher sometimes. These graphics cards have moderate power consumption and they require a 400 to 450W power supply for their working.
Must Read:Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards for 1080p Gaming
High-end Graphics Cards
These are powerful graphics cards and can run the latest games on very high/ultra graphics settings at 1440p and on high / very high graphics settings at 4K resolution. Almost all these graphics cards are VR Ready. These graphics cards are expensive and require a 500W or higher PSU for their working. High-end Graphics Cards are generally priced above 400 dollars or more.
Must Read:Best High-end Graphics Cards for 1440p & 4K Gaming
Ultimate Graphics Cards
Must Read:Best Single Slot Graphics Cards for Gaming & Work
Dual Slot Graphics Cards
These graphics cards occupy two slots of space on your motherboard and PC case. Almost all the mid-range and high-end graphics cards are dual-slot graphics cards because they have an extra number of output ports and larger heatsink and fan for cooling. You can also find dual-slot graphics cards in the entry-level or budget segment too.
Must Read:Complete Guide to Graphics Cards Slot Width Type
Based on Cooling Solution
Here are graphics card types on the basis of cooler used for cooling the GPU, Video Memory and VRM.
Graphics Cards with Fan & Heatsink
These graphics cards come with an active cooling solution that consists of both fan and heatsink. 99% of the graphics card uses fan and heatsink for cooling the GPU, VRAM, and VRM. The number of fans may vary depending on the graphics card manufacturer as high-end graphics cards come with dual or triple fans while mid-range graphics cards come with single or dual fans. Generally entry-level or budget graphics cards come with a single fan only. Graphics Card Air Coolers can be divided into two types, which are Blower Style Cooler and Open Air Fan Coolers.
Passively Cooled Graphics Cards
These are fanless graphics cards that come only with a heatsink for cooling. Because of the absence of any active cooling devices (fan, pump), these passively cooled graphics cards are completely silent in operation. Passively cooled graphics cards are great for building a silent PC or an HTPC where you do not want any kind of interference due to noise.
Must Read:Best Passively Cooled Graphics Cards for HTPC & Work
Water Cooled Graphics Cards
These graphics cards are cooled by a water cooling unit that consists of a pump and a radiator. Generally, all water-cooled graphics cards are hybrid graphics cards in general where the GPU is cooled by water or liquid cooling unit while other components like VRAM (Video Memory) and VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) is cooled by Fan and Heatsink.
Must Read:Learn about Different Graphics Card Cooling Solutions
Water Block Graphics Cards
These are also water-cooled graphics cards but here all the components i.e GPU, VRM, and VRAM are cooled down by liquid/water or coolant. You can say that it is a pure water cooling solution but it does require an additional water cooling kit for its working.
Based on Budget & Performance
These graphics cards are classified on the basis of their performance and budget. Cheaper graphics cards have lower performance while more expensive ones deliver high-end performance in the latest games at 1080p and higher resolutions up to 4K.
Entry Level or Budget Graphics Cards
These are the cheapest graphics cards and they are not meant for playing the latest games. These graphics cards are powerful than integrated graphics solutions and are good for casual gaming, eSports gaming, video editing, photo editing, running 4K video, watching Blu-ray & FHD movies and normal work. These graphics cards costs between 50 to 100 dollars and have lower power consumption. They only require a 300W to 400W PSU for their working.
Must Read:Best Budget Graphics Cards for Gaming
Mid-range Graphics Cards
These are the most popular and best-selling graphics cards because they offer good performance at an affordable price range. Mid-range Graphics Cards are way more powerful than entry-level graphics cards and they can run the latest games on medium to high graphics settings at 1080p. Mid-range graphics cards can also be categorized into budget mid-range and higher mid-range graphics cards based on their performance and price range. These graphics cards are priced between 150 to 300 dollars or higher sometimes. These graphics cards have moderate power consumption and they require a 400 to 450W power supply for their working.
Must Read:Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards for 1080p Gaming
High-end Graphics Cards
These are powerful graphics cards and can run the latest games on very high/ultra graphics settings at 1440p and on high / very high graphics settings at 4K resolution. Almost all these graphics cards are VR Ready. These graphics cards are expensive and require a 500W or higher PSU for their working. High-end Graphics Cards are generally priced above 400 dollars or more.
Must Read:Best High-end Graphics Cards for 1440p & 4K Gaming
Ultimate Graphics Cards
These are the top of the line graphics cards that meant for 4K gaming at the highest possible graphics settings. They also deliver the best Virtual Reality performance in VR games and VR applications. These graphics cards are very expensive and consume a lot of power. You need a 600W or higher PSU for their working. Some of these graphics cards do come with dual GPUs also. These graphics cards are priced at around 700 dollars or higher depending upon the graphics card manufacturer.
Must Read:Top Ultimate Graphics Cards for 4K Gaming
Based on Power Consumption
These are the graphics cards that are categorized on the basis of power they consume or power requirements from the PSU.
Graphics Cards without External Power
These graphics cards do not require external power from the PSU and they draw their power only from the PCI-Express x16 slot. The maximum power consumption of these graphics cards is maximum of 75 Watts. Most of the budget graphics cards do not come with external power connectors.
Must Read:Best Graphics Cards with No External Power for Gaming
Graphics Slot Types Games
Graphics Cards with External Connectors
These graphics cards require 6-pin or 8-pin or both external power connectors from the PSU. These graphics cards have power consumption greater than 75W. A 6-pin power connector can provide 75W power and an 8-pin power connector can provide up to 150W of additional power to the graphics card. These external PCI-Express power connectors are generally required by mid-range and higher graphics cards. High-end graphics cards can consume up to 250W or more power.
Based on Use or Work
Graphics Slot Types Crossword Clue
Here are graphics cards that are categorized on the basis of their use. Most of the commercial graphics cards are built for gaming while there are workstation graphics cards also which are used for professional work.
Gaming Graphics Cards
Gaming Graphics Cards are the ones that you normally see in the market or online e-commerce sites. These are commercial graphics cards and are generally meant for playing games. However, they can also be used for work involving graphics applications/software and other work like video editing, photo editing, etc. But if you want to work with high-end graphics applications or graphics designing tools then you need a professional or workstation graphics card.
Workstation Graphics Cards
Workstation Graphics Cards are also known as professional graphics cards and they are used for running high-end graphics applications or CAD, CAE, CAM software that includes AutoCAD, Solidworks, Catia, NX, Maya, etc. These graphics cards are not meant for gaming and they are more expensive than gaming graphics cards. Workstation Graphics Cards posses a lot of computational power which is measured in TFLOPS or Tera Floating Point Operations per Second. Both Nvidia and AMD offer powerful workstation graphics cards for professional use. These graphics cards are also used in high-end servers.
Pc Graphics Card Slot Types
Must Read:Best Workstation Graphics Cards for Professional Work
Graphics Card Slot Types
Have Queries?
Well, here I have explained about the various types of graphics cards based on different factors. If you have any queries about them then you can reach me by leaving a comment below.
- Jan 18, 2018 · A type II slot can hold one type II card, or two type I cards A type III slot can hold one type III card, or a type I and type II card. Most notebook computer systems come with two PC card slots that allow for the use of two type I or type II PC cards and one type III PC card. The PC card slots are stacked with one above the other. Usually ...
- The types of PCI boards: PCI - Express x16, PCI- Express x1, AGP, PCI boards. PCI boards have 2 types of slots, 32-bit slot and 64 bit slot. 32-bit slot (3.3v and 5.0v), for 64 bit (3.3v and 5.0v ...
- PCI Express 3.0 x16: 2 x PCI Express x16 slots (PCIEX4_1/PCIEX4_2), integrated in the Chipset: Supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 mode * The PCIEX4_2 slot shares bandwidth with the SATA3 4, 5 connectors. The PCIEX4_2 slot operates at up to x2 mode when a device is installed in the SATA3 4 or SATA3 5 connector.
- Mini PCI, Mini PCI-E, Mini PCI-E Half Height - Guide to Laptop Wifi Cards There are three different types of internal PCI slots for laptop and notebook computers. The traditional Mini PCI slot (shown first) , the full height Mini PCIe slot (shown second) , and the half height Mini PCIe slot (shown last) .
- Find Wholesale Pci Slot Types Suppliers, Pci Slot Types Factory & Distributor for the popular Pci Slot Types to get free quote and latest price at HKTDC
- The PCI Slots are shown in the Red box in the image. PCI slots come in several different versions including 5 volt and 3.3 volt slots, and 32-bit and 64-bit PCI-X slots. PCI slots are going away as well but are still available from some major computer manufacturers but they usually only offer one PCI slot.
- Blank Bracket Slot Cover A Back Plate Slot Cover With No Holes Cut In It. Used To Keep The Dust Out Of The Back Of The Machine. Brackets For Pc Slots L Brackets For Pc Slots Part Detailed Description Pci Slot Cover A Back Plate Slot Cover With No Holes Cut In It. Used To Keep The Dust Out Of The Back Of The Machine Blank Bracket, No Punch Out.
- For example, x16(8) means that the expansion slot is mechanically a x16 length connector, with eight PCIe lanes connected. A x16 graphics card runs at the bandwidth of the slot it is plugged into. Slots one and three use open-ended PCIe connectors, so a PCIe x16 card can be inserted.
- Here are the types of expansion slots your PC may have: PCI Express: The best type of expansion slot to have in your PC is the PCI Express, also written as PCIe. Without boring... PCI: The PCI slot is the most common form of internal expansion for a PC. Some PCs have a mixture of PCI and PCI ...
- A PCI card with 32-bit must be connected to a slot with 32-bit connectivity, similarly, a card with 64-bit must be connected with a 64-bit connectivity. The number of PCI slots in a CPU depends on the manufacturer, however, you can add a few more if you need.
- Jul 22, 2018 · Basic display modes: -mm Produce machine-readable output (single -m for an obsolete format) -t Show bus tree Display options: -v Be verbose (-vv for very verbose) -k Show kernel drivers handling each device -x Show hex-dump of the standard part of the config space -xxx Show hex-dump of the whole config space (dangerous; root only) -xxxx Show hex-dump of the 4096-byte extended config space ...
- payload, in this case a PCI Express base packet, could be data in any protocol format as PCI Express AS is protocol agnostic. The PCI Express AS protocol requires a start indicator, or comma, and an AS header that contains the PI or Protocol Interface and the routing path of the AS packet. PCI-X-AS (advanced switching) Packet format
- Find empty PCI / PCIE slots without opening computer case Sometimes you need to find what empty PCI or other slots are available on your PC without opening computer case. For example when you have only remote access to the PC, or simply don't fancy crawling under a desk and disconnecting bunch or cables.
- Mar 11, 2020 · For example, using the chart below, you can see that USB 3.0 Type B plugs fit only in USB 3.0 Type B receptacles. You can also see that USB 2.0 Micro-A plugs fit in both USB 3.0 Micro-AB and USB 2.0 Micro-AB receptacles.
- Mar 11, 2020 · For example, using the chart below, you can see that USB 3.0 Type B plugs fit only in USB 3.0 Type B receptacles. You can also see that USB 2.0 Micro-A plugs fit in both USB 3.0 Micro-AB and USB 2.0 Micro-AB receptacles. Usually, the graphics card is made in the form of a printed circuit board (expansion board) and inserted into an expansion slot, universal or specialized (AGP, PCI Express). Some have been made using dedicated enclosures, which are connected to the computer via a docking station or a cable.
- Jul 19, 2020 · The PCI slot is one of the important Motherboard components today and is vastly used to install add-on cards on the Motherboard. The PCI supports 64-bit high-speed bus. PCI Express. Also known as PCIe, these are the latest and the fastest component of the Motherboard to support add-on cards. It supports full-duplex serial bus. AGP Slot
- For example, x16(8) means that the expansion slot is mechanically a x16 length connector, with eight PCIe lanes connected. A x16 graphics card runs at the bandwidth of the slot it is plugged into. Slots one and three use open-ended PCIe connectors, so a PCIe x16 card can be inserted.
- payload, in this case a PCI Express base packet, could be data in any protocol format as PCI Express AS is protocol agnostic. The PCI Express AS protocol requires a start indicator, or comma, and an AS header that contains the PI or Protocol Interface and the routing path of the AS packet. PCI-X-AS (advanced switching) Packet format
- This USB 3.1 card lets you add two USB Type-A ports to your computer, through a PCI Express slot. It enables you to upgrade your current system by adding two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports to your computer and giving you access to data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps.
