When it comes to PC gaming every gamer strives to achieve a smooth gaming experience. There is nothing better than firing up the latest AAA gaming title and adventuring and fragging in all of its lag-free glory.

The most important piece of hardware inside your PC when it comes to gaming is the graphics card, also known as a video card or GPU.

This often begs questions such as What exactly is a graphics card, what video card do I have and why is it so important when it comes to gaming? 

Well, today we are going to take a beginners 101 dive into the world of graphics cards and see if we can shed some light on these questions.

What is the purpose of a graphics card?

When you fire up your computer and your AORUS FI27Q-P Gaming Monitor comes to life, all the imagery that you see has to be sent from your computer to your monitor somehow. This is where the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) comes in.

The GPU is responsible for taking the information from your computer and rendering it as an image on your monitor. This is done by converting the data products by your computer into a signal that your monitor can actually understand, resulting in the vibrant imagery that we gamers love.

There are two forms of graphics processing units available to users, Integrated Graphics and Discrete Graphics.

Integrated graphics are built into the motherboard itself and provides video connectivity options, such as HDMI, at the back I/O panel. Integrated graphics provide enough power to display basic graphics on your monitor but are not powerful enough for high-end gaming. Integrated graphics are best suited for applications such as watching video content, general internet browsing, and productivity.

Discrete graphics is what we know as graphics cards. These are dedicated cards that are installed in the computer and provide much more graphics processing power than integrated graphics. This is what all gamers need in their gaming system.

Graphics cards are the key driver for delivering Frames Per Second in video games, which is one of the key metrics when it comes to video game performance. This is where dedicated graphics cards shine by delivering much higher FPS when gaming which means that you can play new games at higher graphics quality settings.

What is Frames Per Second?

Frames per second, also known as FPS, are one of the major factors when it comes to PC gaming. It refers to how many frames, or images, your graphics card is able to render each second when you are gaming. The higher number of times that an image can be displayed per second, the smoother the animation and motion are that you see on screen.

In a nutshell, the higher the FPS you can squeeze out of your graphics card, the smoother the gaming experience you will have. If you have low frames per second being produced by your graphics card then you will often experience lag or jittering while gaming which breaks the immersion and also puts you at a disadvantage in competitive gaming. 

Generally, you want to aim to achieve a constant 60fps when gaming as this provides you with a consistently smooth and lag-free gaming experience. This is especially important when it comes to competitive games such as "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" as your frames per second reflect on how well your reaction time is in the heat of battle. Someone playing at a smooth 120+fps will have a much quicker reaction time compared to someone with only 30fps.

The more powerful graphics card, AORUS GeForce RTX™ 3090 XTREME 24G, that you have, the more FPS you can output.

How is a graphics card connected to your computer?

As a graphics card is a discrete GPU you will need to install the card into your computer. Thankfully the installation process is very simple. As always it is best to consult your motherboards instruction manual but generally, the installation process is the same.

In the case of the Z490 AORUS MASTER or B550 AORUS MASTER, you simply need to open up your computer case and connect the graphics card to the PCIe expansion slot. You want to add the graphics card to the expansion slot that offers the best bandwidth which will be outlined in the owner’s manual.

The graphics card will provide you with a range of connectivity options that you use to connect to your gaming monitor. Graphics cards will come with a range of outputs such as HDMI, Display Port, and USB-C which allow you to connect a range of displays and even multiple monitors to your PC.

Need a few more FPS in games?  Why not overclock?

Overclocking hardware is a PC enthusiast’s go-to when it comes to squeezing a little bit extra performance out of their computer hardware. What used to require a lot of technical know-how with manual adjustments of voltages etc. through the BIOS has been made much more user-friendly and safe thanks to overclocking software produced by graphics card manufacturers. 

AORUS provides the AORUS Engine software that allows you to easily manage clock speeds, voltage, fan performance, and power delivery in order to gain some additional FPS out of your GPU. Care should be taken when overclocking your GPU, but thanks to AORUS Engine the process has never been simpler.

If you are wanting a card with a little more power behind it but you are not confident with overclocking the GPU yourself, a good option is to buy a card that has already been overclocked for you by the manufacturer, such as the AORUS Radeon RX 6800 XT MASTER TYPE C 16G.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. The graphics card is one of the most important pieces of hardware that you have sitting in your computer. It is the key item that has been responsible for all of those late-night gaming sessions and incredible moments in gaming that you have enjoyed. 

Hopefully, you now understand a little bit more about how they function and why they are so important to PC gaming.

Learn More：

Beginners 101 – What is a Motherboard

Beginners 101 – What is RAM

Beginners 101 – What is SSD and HDD Storage

Tips for choosing：

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing Your New Graphics Card

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing RAM

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing SSD and HDD Storage

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing a Power Supply

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips When Purchasing a Computer Case

Beginners 101 – 5 Tips for purchasing a CPU cooler

Beginners 101 – 5 tips to get started as a video game streamer