What are GPUs?

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Noob333

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Is a GPU a kind of super advanced graphics card? Do you still need a CPU in order for your computer to run if you have a GPU? What is the difference between a GPU and Graphics Card?
 
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they don't make motherboards anymore with built in gpu's. this was a thing of the past when they were not very strong. i'm sure there are old models still available to buy but nothing new being made.

the cpu can have a gpu built in and many do. the intel cpu's have them as do the amd "APU's". this is known as an igp or integrated graphics processor. they are generally very weak and good for anything but gaming. an igp is good enough to stream movies or surf the web or do basic office work but not good enough for gaming.

the amd APU's have much stronger gpu's built in and can actually game at low-mid settings at 1080p resolution. the newest ones have roughly r7-240/250 level graphics built in vs intel whose igp is many times weaker...
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Gpu stands for graphic processing unit graphic / video / 3d / vga cards are all the same & they're called Gpu & yes you still need a Cpu to run the pc without a cpu the computer won't run & without a Gpu the pc would still run but with the IGP/Apu
 
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Thanks, that helped some I still have a few questions though if you don't mind answering. It says on Wikipedia "In a [PC], a GPU can be present on a video card, or it can be embedded on the motherboard or—in certain CPUs—on the CPU die". Which was helpful. Can you have a GPU on your Motherboard or CPU Die and not have a graphics card? How does an embedded GPU on your PC or on your CPU Die stack up to a graphics card?
 
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The Gpu is the brain of the the video card , & there are two types of graphic cards one is dedicated & the other one is a chipset the built in / on board / intergrated chipset doesn't have it's own dedicated video memory it shares with your computer ram , which use to be builtin on your motherboard but now they're built in to the Cpu when you use a dedicated discrete video card the built in one automatically gets disabled back then you had to go to the bios & disable the built in one manually but those days are over
 
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they don't make motherboards anymore with built in gpu's. this was a thing of the past when they were not very strong. i'm sure there are old models still available to buy but nothing new being made.

the cpu can have a gpu built in and many do. the intel cpu's have them as do the amd "APU's". this is known as an igp or integrated graphics processor. they are generally very weak and good for anything but gaming. an igp is good enough to stream movies or surf the web or do basic office work but not good enough for gaming.

the amd APU's have much stronger gpu's built in and can actually game at low-mid settings at 1080p resolution. the newest ones have roughly r7-240/250 level graphics built in vs intel whose igp is many times weaker and pretty useless for anything gaming related.

if you wish to game, then you'll want a discrete card with a dedicated gpu for best performance. to see how one card stacks up against another refer to tom's gpu chart that ranks them in order of performance http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

you can see it has the intel igp's on the list with only the newest iris pro 6200 igp having any power though it is still pretty weak for gaming purposes.
 
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Solution
The embedded GPU's (can be called IGP- Integrated Graphics processer) are generally not as good, you can get away with playing less demanding games with them, like League Of Legends and Cities Skylines on lower settings (not quite full HD).

Off subject slightly but Intels new Iris Pro 6200 IGP Is actually as good as a low end graphics card and shows great promise for the future. For now it's only available on a CPU that's FAR too expensive.

If you wanted to play games nearing PS4 levels you'd need a graphics card
 
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So let me know if I am understanding this correctly. GPU is the chipset that works your graphics. Dedicated GPUs have their own memory such as graphics cards that have their own memory which is an advantage. Integrated GPUs are either embedded into your motherboard or CPU die. Both of those piggyback off of your RAM sticks. And, Integrated GPUs CAN run graphics on your computer without needing a dedicated GPU (graphics card). Is that all correct? And then one final question are integrated GPUs, besides the issue that they piggyback off your RAM, are Integrated GPUs any worse than dedicated GPUs in terms of performance? I know it depends on what dedicated GPU or integrated GPU your comparing but, I am just speaking in general. Oops didn't see those other 2 responses I will read them now.
 
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The dedicated discrete video card's v-ram take's the video buffering load off your computer's ram onto itself & the Gpu takes the Cpu's graphic processing load onto itself
 
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I guess we all know to the reason why Amd's Apus are better it's because Amd own's a graphic card company & Intel does not but Intel's cpu are better than Amd's cpu & Nvidia's Gpu are better than Amd's gpu so an Intel processor paired with a good Nvidia Gpu is better than Amd & Amd's gpu ( the graphic card model matters a weak graphic card with higher video memory wouldn't utilize it )
 
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I already have a PC that I used PCPartsPicker to find out the parts for. I bought a graphics card because I was a gamer. A friend of mine is thinking about building a computer but, there are things you can do to spend no money on for the build and then buy a nicer one later you know what I am talking about? Like using a handme down monitor as your display or like using Linux OS instead of Windows OS. And, I was curious what other original costs I could save him. Just so he could get a quality working computer for cheap and then when he saved up enough money he could buy the good stuff. I think I fully understand GPUs now. Thank you all! You were all extremely helpful. Also, side note my CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. But, my motherboard has "Integrated AMD Radeon R7/R5 Series Graphics in A-series APU". Not 100% sure what that means but, I never needed it, I have always used my Graphics Cards for graphics. Thanks a lot!!
 
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The onboard graphics don't support all the features offered by DirectX, and even if they did, they wouldn't support the latest version. DirectX and OpenGL, have introduced many features that are not supported by onboard graphics
 
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So, that would be something that would prevent him from being able to game basically. But, not prevent him from doing simple things like run check email, use skype, and other basic computer things.
 
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The Amd processor's Apu can run with an Amd Gpu at the same time give you more fps in some games & decreasing the fps in some
 
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I have my AMD motherboard GPU and a AMD discrete GPU. I don't think they work in tandem. I believe I would have had to gotten a CPU with AMD integrated graphics to have the one on my motherboard do anything. Not really sure and it doesn't really matter as I have a good discrete GPU that has 3 gigs memory on it.
 
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you're just a bit confused about what you have :) you have an amd APU which means the gpu you think is on your motherboard is actually part of the cpu. the video outputs and such are part of the motherboard since this is how the igp talks to your monitor where your graphics card has its own outputs to talk to the monitor with.

your friend can save some cash and still be very capable if he also goes with an APU and no graphics card. this will save a bunch of cash early on and allow for a better gpu later on when he has the cash for a separate card. a lot of people knock the APU's since the intel cpu's are better but the fact is they are still very usable. you have one and do you feel like you got screwed? of course you don't 😀 for a decent system now that will still game some yet is still upgradable later on i like the APU's. if you want some help with a build for your friend. just start a thread with what is needed and what the budget is.

also if you are not in the US, then a couple sites we can look at for parts would help us pick a system you can actually buy locally and not a wish list based on US prices. we're always happy to help with a solid build for your money.
 
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I may be confused... but I know my CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. This is a link to where I got my motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157516&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=. This is a link to where I got my CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113379&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=. I have done research on my CPU before purchasing it a few months ago and I am pretty sure it doesn't have integrated graphics.
 
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Whoooooops sorry put the wrong links here is the actual links for my build sorry.
-Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157394&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
-Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113286&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=\
I was looking at my first build that I made on PCPartsPicker. I don't have any integrated graphics on my CPU or motherboard sorry about the mix up. I ended up buying the parts that were in my second build list.
 
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edit : good to know you did your homework and the fx-6300 is a nice cpu for a budget build. that mobo does not have built in gpu but does have the outputs built in for an APU to use if you had decided to go that way.

either way the offer still stands to help with a budget build for your friend if you are looking for some help. the APU a10 series is pretty much an x4 870k with an igp built in so it is still a decent cpu once a separate card is installed.
 
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