In the queue we have quite an important characteristic of the video card - it's a type of memory. And it is important because two completely identical graphics cards, but with different types of video memory, will differ very significantly in performance.
Therefore, when choosing a video card , you also need to be guided by this parameter. This we will certainly consider in the framework of this article on real examples. Also, once again we destroy the myth of the dependence of the memory type of the video card on the type of RAM in the same system.
When the video card is properly configured, with its support, you can select the desired number of colors. Meet some standards in the market! This is the standard that displays the resolution of the video plus the supported colors. One of the significant differences between them is precisely the supported resolution.
Despite the numerous brands and models, buying a new video card is not that difficult. Following my advice and performing a good search before deciding on a new model, it's easier to get into a brand and model that will fit your needs!
Video memory GDDRх. What is it?
GDDR (graphics double data rate memory) is a subset of volatile dynamic memory, which is intended for use in video cards. GDDR differs from DDR (RAM), although the principles and technologies for them are common. Among the main differences can be distinguished: a lower consumption of GDDR, compared to DDR, in addition, GDDR uses special methods of managing the I / O buffer, to improve throughput. And also a lot of other improvements. That is, you can call video memory GDDR a more advanced type of memory than ordinary memory (DDR).
In this small tutorial, we explain the main differences between these two types of memory. This tutorial is an extended topic in the book; for a deeper understanding of the subject, we recommend reading. On video cards with higher performance, the integrated graphics controller in the graphics processor uses several 32-bit channels. On a video card with a 256-bit track, eight chips will be used.
This configuration is called a shell. However, such chips do not yet exist commercially. There are "external clock" memory and "clock data." "External clock" is used to send commands and addresses. The "data clock" is twice the "external clock" of memory and is used for data transmission.
To date, the main type of memory for video cards is GDDR, namely - GDDR3 and GDDR5.
Perhaps, for clarity, we will go through all generations of GDDR memory, indicating their main differences. This is necessary in order to understand why it is better to give preference to a video card with GDDR5 memory type, rather than GDDR3:
GDDR - the first generation of graphics memory with a double data transfer rate.
Efficiency of energy consumption
This reduces the information path. Each additional gigabyte per second of bandwidth starts consuming too much energy to represent a reasonable, effective or cost-effective solution for designers and consumers.
The Legacy of Industry Innovations
The amount of memory is often used as a marketing tool by brands, because they know that the general public has to think that they need as much as possible.Myth: cards with 2 GB of memory are faster than cards with one GB. Unsurprisingly, brands are equipping their entry-level cards with excessive memory, because everyone can believe that a card with larger memory will be faster. Let's be clear: the memory capacity of the graphics card does not affect its performance, if the game settings do not completely saturate it.
GDDR2 is a version that is based on normal DDR2 RAM and differs from it, only the above improvements. Has higher frequency indicators, compared to GDDR. Similarly, the comparison of RAM DDR and DDR2.
GDDR3 is the further development of graphics memory. It is also built on DDR2 memory modules. Technologically, this type of memory is very similar to GDDR2, but due to more efficient consumption and heat dissipation, it was possible to increase clock frequencies .
What can I use to get additional video memory? To answer this question, we must already know what memory is. By simplification, we arrive at the following four applications. Load textures Collective buffer buffer Copy the depth buffer Accept other elements necessary for rendering the image. Naturally, the size of the textures loaded into the memory depends not only on the game, but also on the graphic settings. On the other hand, the textures needed to render a particular scene must remain in memory.
A graphic buffer is used to store an image when it is rendered before or while it is being sent to a display device. Therefore, its amount of memory depends on the definition of the screen and the number of buffers. Since some anti-aliasing modes increase the number of pixels that need to be displayed, they proportionally increase the amount of required video memory. From this perspective, anti-aliasing based on rendering is particularly complex, as needs are increased by sampling.
GDDR4 is a type of memory that has not gained popularity and has become just a transition stage from GDDR3 to GDDR5. Again, it is based on the same DDR2. And once again from the main changes - increased frequencies and improved power consumption.
GDDR5 is finally the most advanced and last mainstream version, among generations of video memory. Due to the fact that it is built on DDR3 memory, the number of transmitted bits per clock is doubled (from 2 to 4) compared to GDDR3 and GDDR4. With the advent of GDDR5, it became possible to increase the memory bandwidth by half compared to GDDR3, without increasing the bus.
Additional buffers also occupy video memory. Thus, a large amount of video memory allows. Play in higher definitions Play with better textures Play with strong anti-aliasing based on rendering. The amount of video memory required is determined primarily by the definition to which it plays: naturally, the higher it is, the more needs there are. The second factor is the use of one of the types of smoothing described above. Assuming that one plays with equivalent settings from one game to another, other factors are less important.
Choosing a video card GDDR3 or GDDR5
Taking into account the above factors when choosing a video card, it is worth, if possible, to give priority to video cards with GDDR5 memory on board, because with an equal memory bus, we get twice throughput.
RAM is an important component that plays on reactivity and ease of use. In an equivalent processor, the larger the amount of RAM, the more the laptop will quickly cope with heavy or multiple tasks. We will indicate in this title that the system is of great importance. Up to 3 GB of RAM, no problem. Only the first one can really make full use of 4 GB of RAM and much more. At present, in addition to netbooks, the standard is 3 GB. The latter consumes a little less energy, but it costs more.
Take a couple of real graphics cards, which are all identical, but different types of memory:
1. Asus Radeon HD 6670 GDDR5 (128 bit);
2. Asus Radeon HD 6670 GDDR3 (128 bit);
But the results of tests easycom with the participation of these two video cards:
The advantage of HD 6670 with GDDR 5, as in the artificial tests 3Dmark, and in the real game load is quite clearly traced.
The frequency of RAM also plays a role. But this is also a function of what the processor supports. Otherwise, you will need to remove the already installed module and replace it with a larger one. Please note that some brands will void the warranty when replacing a component.
The graphical scheme, of course, affects the graphics performance, as well as autonomy. If you never play, any graphics card is suitable, even those that are built into the chipset of the motherboard. It is often difficult to get an idea of the performance of graphics chips. Knowing that the built-in chipset is less efficient than the dedicated entry-level card is not enough. To give you an idea, we advise you to look at our price comparison and click on "Define criteria" in blue.
Independence of types of RAM from the type of GDDR5 memory within the same system
There was a tendency of questions regarding the compatibility of memory types of the video card and types of RAM in one computer. I would like once again to dispel these doubts (from those who doubt). As such, compatibility types of video memory and RAM is not the principle.
You will see a theoretical classification of graphics chips, from the least powerful to the most powerful. Speaking of a graphics card or a set of chips, it is often a question of allocated memory and shared memory. Special memory is one that is integrated into the graphics part. The shared memory often corresponds to the specifications of the allocated memory constructors added to a certain amount of RAM from the random access memory. Graphics chips, when they need more memory than the one they integrate, we really can borrow a little from the main RAM.
A video card with GDDR5 memory type (as we remember it built on DDR3 modules) and DDR2 memory can be installed in the system. Everything will be compatible and work fine. Concerning the video card, there can only be an incompatibility with the older AGP bus (and the corresponding slot) on the motherboard, but there are very few such motherboards, but about backward compatibility PCI-express, I think almost everyone has heard.
For example, for a video card with a dedicated dedicated 512 MB and a total capacity of 79 GB, the total total capacity of 79 GB corresponds to 512 allocated 28 GB, taken in RAM. At the moment, if RAM is 3 GB, 72 GB is available for the rest of the system, if, of course, the graphics part consumes everything that it can. The same reference to a graphics card can have different allocated and shared memory.
But be careful, the type of memory does not match the link to the video card. Some laptops are equipped with two graphic parts. In general, these are models focused on mobility or model of players. First, there is a built-in graphics chipset or graphics part built into the processor, and a dedicated graphics card. Typically, this is an entry-level model that provides increased performance compared to an integrated chipset or integrated graphics. Switching is mostly done manually.
GDDR5-type video memory, technologically appropriate type of RAM DDR3 SDRAM.
As you can see from the definitions, the difference between GDDR3 and GDDR5 is in the technical features of each type of video memory. The correspondence between different generations of RAM SDRAM creates a basic set of differences. GDDR is the memory of graphics systems that have a graphic, and it physically dissolves on the board, and is not expanded by discrete slats. In the rest GDDR and DDR are similar, only with the amendment on generations. So, GDDR3 in operation is identical to DDR2, and GDDR5 is DDR3.
But in most cases it's about working together two dedicated video cards to improve performance, especially in games. They are usually ultra-portable, which is accompanied as an option by an external video card built into the docking station. Thus, the user can use a standalone ultraportable stand-alone device and connect an external graphics card when she needs increased graphics performance, for example, at home. You can consult our test for this type of solution through.
The maximum effective data transfer rate in GDDR3 memory is 2.5 GHz, GDDR5 has 3.6 GHz, so in the resource-intensive applications the fifth generation of video memory shows obviously better results, naturally, under conditions equal. For one clock cycle, GDDR5 transmits twice as many data bits as GDDR3: 4 vs. 2. The special feature of this type of memory can be considered the separation of data transmission frequencies: 2 bits of addresses and instructions at CK frequency and 4 bits of data at WCK frequency are transmitted per clock cycle. Another important technical difference is the power supply voltage: the third generation requires 2 V, while the fifth requires 1.5 V. So GDDR5 seems more energy efficient and faster.
Classification by speed and throughput
Each of them has its own application in the field of informatics and technology. It is not very popular and was used on banks of video cards. Your video card has several functions. But what is the memory bandwidth? Only he has his own RAM: the memory of the graphics card.
To calculate, these blocks must communicate with the memory card and use a memory bus for this. The wider the memory bus, the more information it can transfer simultaneously. This is a function of the width of the bus, which you will find everywhere on video cards. Thus, the bus can simultaneously have 32 bytes.
With GDDR3 went on sale in 2004 and still remain the chassis product, adjusted for updates of the lines. Video cards with GDDR5 appeared on the shelves of stores in 2008, and to date almost the entire hi-end segment is equipped with this type of memory. When the amount of memory and functionality of the card is equal, GDDR5 is somewhat more expensive than GDDR3.
They read it everywhere, even at home. Well, it's a misuse of language. Okay, and bandwidth in all this? Well, now that we've laid the foundation, we can better explain this. And each transmission includes no more than a certain number of bytes. In addition, the useful memory will be 4 GB, because the data is duplicated, so they take up twice as much space.
How does memory bandwidth affect video game performance? The difference between 5% and 20%, on average about 13% less productivity and 25% less buses. But let's not forget that the transition from 192 to 256 bits provides a greater gain than, for example, from 384 to 512 bits, because in the first case the bandwidth is much more limited.
- GDDR2 (DDR2) - is the most common DDR2, performed in another case to achieve higher clock speeds when working in the video card. For the first time it was used in the GeForce FX5800Ultra video card, currently it is used only in entry-level video cards
- GDDR3 - the electrical differences from GDDR2 are of a fundamental nature and are in the presence of internal termination and other improvements, but this memory has nothing to do with DDR3, since four-fold internal pre-selection is similar to DDR2 (ie the memory cells themselves work at four times less frequency, than the effective frequency of data transfer, and the clock frequency of the interface (which is usually considered the clock frequency of memory), respectively, is half this frequency (also similar to "normal" DDR2).
Despite the relative "antiquity" (First used in the GeForce 6800Ultra), this type of memory is still the main one for nVidia graphics cards (Including the newest GeForce GTX 285), and is also used as a unified RAM in the Xbox360 gaming console. - GDDR4 - differs from GDDR3 primarily in the presence of an eight-fold prefetch, like "normal" DDR3, and, therefore, the ability to work at even greater clock speeds with the same manufacturing technology. Currently, this type of memory is practically removed from production and replaced with GDDR5. It was used only in ATI video cards, first of all in Radeon HD3870.
- GDDR5 is the most modern and fastest type of video memory, the radical difference from GDDR4 is the separate clocking of data and address lines - the addresses are transmitted in DDR (Double Data Rate) mode at CK frequency, and data is transmitted in DDR mode at WCK frequency, which in two times higher than the first; For one clock cycle, this memory transmits 2 bits of addresses and 4 bits of data. Also, GDDR5 memory is characterized by the availability of effective means to reduce power consumption, and is now used in all productive video cards AMD and nVidia. By the way, these manufacturers indicate different frequencies for memory - Nvidia indicates the frequency of WCK, and AMD - the frequency of CK.
TheDifference.ru determined that the difference between GDDR3 and GDDR5 is as follows:
- GDDR5 is the latest generation of DDR SDRAM graphics memory.
- GDDR5 is faster than GDDR3.
- GDDR3 corresponds to the type of DDR2 memory, GDDR5 corresponds to DDR3.
- The maximum effective frequency of GDDR5 is higher.
- GDDR5 is more energy efficient than GDDR3.
- Video cards with GDDR5 are more expensive and belong to the middle and higher segments.
