A+ Core 1: Graphics Cards, Displays, Cables, and Video Output

Essential Question:

How do graphics cards generate images, and how do different display technologies, resolutions, and ports affect performance and compatibility?

🔑 Vocabulary (Students Copy)

GPU — Graphics Processing Unit; renders images, video, and animations.

iGPU (Integrated GPU) — built into CPU, lower performance.

dGPU (Dedicated GPU) — separate card with its own cooling and VRAM.

VRAM — video memory used by the GPU (GDDR5, GDDR6).

Refresh Rate — how many times a display updates per second (Hz).

Resolution — number of pixels on the screen (1920×1080).

Frame Rate (FPS) — how many frames the GPU outputs per second.

Tearing — mismatch between FPS and refresh rate.

V-Sync/G-Sync/FreeSync — technologies to reduce tearing and stutter.

HDMI / DisplayPort / DVI / VGA — video output ports.

📘 Focus Notes — Thursday (Students Copy Word-for-Word)

1. What the GPU Actually Does

The GPU is responsible for: