5 Most Important Tips When Choosing the Best VGA
Video Graphics Array aka VGA is one of the components that must be optimized for PC and laptop users for graphic design or heavyweight gaming purposes. VGA serves as the basic component that processes visual data to be transferred to the monitor. VGA gaming is capable of producing high frame rates at high resolutions, which results in clear, sharp, and smooth images without lag. This condition can certainly increase the excitement of gaming more maximally. However, the exorbitant price of a gaming VGA is certainly a consideration that must be considered before buying this component.
VGA itself is divided into two types, namely VGA On-Board and VGA Add-On (or often referred to as VGA Card). On-Board VGA is a built-in graphics reading system from the motherboard, while VGA Card is an additional VGA that can be removed and installed as needed. This type of VGA works independently without relying on RAM capabilities, therefore the selection of a high-quality VGA Card is certainly very important for a gamer or graphic designer.
5 Most Important Tips When Choosing the Best VGA
So, to maximize your choice, try looking at some of the important tips below before buying a VGA Card for your PC/laptop!
• Compatibility check
The motherboard is the basic ingredient in designing a PC or modifying a laptop for the performance we want. The problem is, every motherboard has some list of GPU VGA Card support that must be adjusted. Therefore, it is mandatory to know the GPU series that can be used in the motherboard before you buy all types of components, including VGA cards. In addition, also make sure that your monitor screen is capable of supporting high-resolution graphics which will be able to compensate for VGA performance for perfect results.
• Prioritize on GPU
Laptops have a brain known as the central processor unit aka CPU, while the brain of VGA is the graphics processing unit or GPU. If the CPU processes data and general commands from the computer/laptop, the GPU functions in managing and executing graphic data spontaneously when the gaming or graphic design process is running.
To get a VGA Card with a high GPU can be seen from the GPU Chip series listed on the product. The higher the series, the better. For example: Nvida GeForce GTX 1080 is better than GeForce GTX 1050 series.
• Check Clock Speed
Clock speed in VGA indicates the speed at which the GPU executes graphics data that is transferred to the screen, with clocking units from MHz to GHz. There are several things that affect the speed of the GPU in the VGA Card such as the number of cores, the size of the core, the speed of memory operation, the type and architecture of the VGA. The higher the clock speed can produce performance with less lag.
• Check Memory Type and Bandwidth
The type of memory is quite crucial in choosing a VGA Card. There are several types of memory cards, but the most common and effective for VGA is DDR or GDDR type memory. To get the best graphics processing performance, it is highly recommended to use the latest DDR or GDDR types in each era, such as DDR5 and GDDR7 which will be released in 2020.
In addition, it is also important to optimize the VRAM bandwidth on the VGA. Similar to RAM, Video RAM or VRAM serves as a temporary storage medium when the computer/laptop is executing graphics. The higher the value, the higher the frame rates, so the video graphics look smoother and more realistic. As a rule, VGA cards for gaming usually have a width of 128 bits with 2GB GDDR5.
• Check Specifications and Budget
Of course, you have to carefully check the requirements of the game or software that you will execute with the new VGA Card. Also keep in mind that there will be no end when discussing which is better, AMD or Nvidia. Both brands have their respective advantages, and it doesn’t matter which one you want to use, as long as the VGA Card you choose is in accordance with the specifications, compatible with the motherboard, has a GPU, clock speed, and high memory capacity, plus it fits the budget. .