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Today in DCC Workstation
3D
Graphics Cards for DCC
Intro,
Why Accelerate?, What
to Look For, PCI vs. AGP
Entry-Level,
Low-Cost, High-Speed 3D Acceleration: Sub $300 Cards
Mid-Range,
High-Speed 3D Acceleration: Sub $1000 Cards
High-End,
Maximum 3D Acceleration: Cards Over $1,000
WHAT
TO LOOK FOR
When
looking for a graphics accelerator you should look at the processor chip(s)
being used, the bus technology (i.e. AGP or PCI), how much memory is on-board,
whether this memory can be upgraded, and the operating systems and APIs
supported - as well as any special features such as a TV tuner, video
conferencing and multiple monitor support, and specific software certifications.
The amount of
memory is very important for top-of-the-line performance, as is the type
of memory used. VRAM is the best all-round high-resolution graphics memory.
It is also the most expensive. For 3D acceleration, SGRAM (Synchronous
Graphics RAM) and SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) are better, and somewhat
cheaper. Synchronous RAM is synchronized to the system clock and therefore
runs faster than DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and EDO (Extended
Data Output) DRAM. There is also WRAM (Windows RAM, which is cheaper than
VRAM and provides good 3D display acceleration.
Confused yet? Let's just say that the price/performance gamut runs upwards
like this: from DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, WRAM and SGRAM to VRAM. That said,
it depends on what acceleration you are looking for - 2D, 3D or a good
combination of both. Some cards use a combination of RAM in order to address
this dual need at a reasonable cost.
The amount of RAM required depends on the applications you will be using
and the size of your monitor. For video, 3D and graphics work, an 8MB
card would be the bare minimum, but even most low-end consumer graphics
accelerators now come standard with 16 or 32MB. For high-end 3D animation,
a card can contain a combination of different RAM types (texture and frame
buffer) equaling upwards of 80 to 100MB.
Graphics cards contain a special CPU chip(s) designed specifically for
graphics and video processes. It processes instructions faster than the
system's main processor can by itself. Most graphics card manufacturers
use graphics processors made by specialized accelerator chip companies.
They then design a board around this chip and write their own drivers
for different operating systems, differentiating their product from other
manufacturers. The most common chips to be found in 3D graphics accelerators
for DCC workstations come from companies who also make their own graphics
cards such as Intense 3D, 3Dlabs,
Evans & Sutherland, and Matrox,
as well as a few who specialize in chip development such as nVidia
and S3.
Lead
on to PCI vs. AGP
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