You've surely heard that the new model of such and such graphics card has been released and you may have wondered whether you need such a card or not.
It's not always clear who really needs a graphics card. Let's first analyze what a graphics card is and whether it is necessary for your computer.
The difference between integrated and discrete GPU
The title of this article is somewhat of a trick question since every desktop and laptop computer needs a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Without the GPU, there would be no way for your monitor to work and display what is going on inside your motherboard and by extension inside your PC. The real question is not whether you should have a GPU or not, but whether you should have a separate GPU or not.
Integrated GPUs: Most motherboards today come with a graphics card integrated into them or even into the CPU. For decades, motherboard manufacturers have included a simple and not particularly powerful GPU on the motherboard chipset, ready to use and requiring no additional hardware. In the last six years, the GPU has been integrated into the CPU instead of the motherboard.
The integrated GPU is a great solution because it's free (and hassle-free). We don't even have to worry about it. A large segment of consumers buy a motherboard and a CPU (or a pre-assembled computer from a retailer) and simply connect it to their monitor.
The integrated graphics card is also very energy efficient, as it uses very little power. And thanks to their standardization, you will rarely encounter any driver or compatibility issues. On a modern Windows machine, it will be the last thing you will have to worry about.
Of course, the integrated graphics card also has its drawbacks. First, it is weak. It is basically intended for the needs of a user who reads e-mail, searches the Internet, writes documents, watches movies up to HD resolution, plays simple games and at most uses some design program. It is not aimed at people who do more demanding things like playing modern games. Run a modern game on a system with an integrated GPU and you have a good chance of seeing it drop frames or even worse, be unable to load the game.
Additionally, an integrated GPU consumes all of your CPU and RAM resources. This means that any graphics-heavy task, such as watching a high-resolution 3D video, or playing a 3D game, or something similar, will consume a large chunk of your system resources and potentially bring your computer to its knees.
Discrete GPU: On the other side of the GPU spectrum, there are graphics cards which are separate boards or if you prefer separate hardware that is used solely to handle graphics processing. When you hear someone say “I bought a new graphics card for my computer” or “I need a new graphics card to play Super Soldier Simulator Shoot Shoot 9000”, they are talking about a separate dedicated GPU.
The biggest benefit of a dedicated GPU is performance. Such a dedicated graphics card has a sophisticated computer chip designed for the task of graphics processing. In addition, the GPU also has its own dedicated RAM (which is usually faster and better optimized than your general system RAM). The GPU increases performance not only in its obvious graphics tasks (like playing the latest generation of video games), but also makes image and video editing tasks, such as in Photoshop, smoother and faster.
In addition to boosting your computer's graphics performance, discrete GPUs typically offer a wider and more modern variety of video ports than your motherboard. While your motherboard may have only offered you a VGA output and a DVI port, discrete GPUs typically provide you with additional ports like HDMI or even dual ports (like two DVI ports, which allow you to easily connect multiple displays).
All of this sounds good, right? Much better performance, more ports, multiple displays. But before you rush out to buy one, read the other side of the coin. The downside of a discrete GPU is first and foremost the cost. A mid-range GPU can cost anywhere from $250 to $500, and top-of-the-line models can reach $1,000 (although they're rarely worth the price-performance ratio). Single-board graphics cards offer you everything an integrated graphics card does, but they give you the ability to have two displays, costing around $50-100.
Additionally, for the vast majority of cards you will need a free expansion slot on the motherboard, and not just any old slot, but a PCI-Express x16 slot (see above) as well as a power supply with enough excess power (GPUs are power hungry) and with the appropriate power connectors for it (if it is quite bulky and requires more power than the PCI slot can provide).
Speaking of power, increased power consumption in electronics means increased heat, which is why high-end GPUs have a huge fan to keep them cool. When buying a discrete GPU, be prepared for more noise and more heat, and you may even need to upgrade your computer case along with its central fans to keep things cooler. Even if you don't need to upgrade your case to increase airflow, you may still need to change it if you have one that doesn't fit the extra card (like in mid-tower cases, for example).
So, do you need a discrete GPU?
Considering the pros and cons of each solution when it comes to your computer's graphics, you may be wondering if you should take the plunge and purchase a separate graphics card.
While the process of choosing a graphics card that suits your needs is quite complex and you may have to spend a lot of time comparing card specs and features in hopes of getting the best price-performance deal possible, deciding whether you should buy a discrete GPU is quite simple. Let's look at two questions that really matter in the decision-making process.
Question 1: Can you, with your current card and its settings, handle the games and graphics applications you use?
The first and foremost reason people buy a discrete GPU is for gaming. You don't need a discrete GPU to watch a video (even in HD). You don't need a discrete GPU for your email, word processing, or any Office suite-type application. You don't even need one for big games, as today's integrated graphics cards are much better than their counterparts from decades past.
But you need it for games that require a lot of computing power, so you can see their 3D titles in all their glory. Want to play Skyrim with dozens of mods and add-ons, while at the same time enjoying its graphics without the slightest flaw? You need a decent discrete GPU. Are you planning to buy any high-end game title coming out this year and want to enjoy it on your new 4K monitor without the image flickering? You need a great discrete GPU.
Graphics cards are also useful for some non-gamers. If you do photo editing (not just cropping and setting white balance, but intensive Photoshop work), video editing and editing, or any kind of graphics editing (3D art, design, etc.), then you definitely need to buy a discrete GPU.
Question 2: Can your current settings support the number of displays you want?
Although most people buy a GPU for gaming, there are also a sizable number of users who buy a dedicated graphics card in order to expand the number of displays on their computer.
Adding additional displays to your computer without a discrete graphics card is likely to produce unreliable results. Some motherboards support the use of multiple video ports (for example, they have a VGA port and a DVI port and you can change a setting in the BIOS to use both), but most motherboards do not. Other motherboards allow you to keep the integrated graphics port enabled and add a simple discrete GPU so you can have an additional port, but most do not.
The solution for multi-monitor enthusiasts is a discrete GPU with enough video ports to cover the amount and range of monitors they want to use. If you want to see on two or more monitors without straining your computer or fiddling with BIOS settings, the easiest way is to simply buy a discrete graphics card. It doesn't have to be expensive, just have the number and type of ports you need.
