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Video card pipelines determine how quickly a video card can process data on the screen. More pipelines mean faster processing and smoother motion in movies and games. Other factors to consider include memory bus, onboard memory, and GPU clock speed. When shopping for a graphics card, compare specs and look for discounts and customer reviews.
Video card pipelines are part of the internal structure of a graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU is the video card equivalent of a motherboard’s computer processing unit (CPU). The number of pipelines built into the GPU partially determines how quickly the video card can process the data on the screen.
While the number of pipelines isn’t important for word processing, spreadsheets, or other text-based tasks, it features prominently when it comes to graphics. Watching DVDs on a computer, streaming video, and playing games all require intensive processing or filling up the screen quickly. In these cases, the number of video card pipelines helps make the difference between a brilliant experience and a poor one.
Pipelines allow the video card to process pixel data in tandem along parallel lines. A rough analogy would be a broadband connection with plenty of room for more than one frequency or “lane” to carry data. The more real estate, the more data lanes are possible. Similarly, the more pipelines on a video card, the more data can be processed in parallel, leading to faster screen filling.
For example, if one video card has eight pipelines and another has 16, all other things being equal, the card with 16 pipelines will be twice as fast. This makes for smoother motion in both movies and games and a more realistic three-dimensional experience.
Another feature to consider besides pipelines is the memory bus. Most cards today have 128 or 256 bit buses. Onboard memory can be of several types: for example, DDR2 is slower than DDR3, while DDR4 is even faster. Finally, there’s the GPU clock speed. Just like a CPU, a GPU can have slow or fast clock speeds. The most popular chipsets are manufactured by nVidia as GeForce series and by Array Technologies Incorporated (ATI) as Radeon series.
Taking all these factors into consideration, a decent video card will have a combination of features that work together for good performance. The nVidia-based GeForce 6800GT series was the gaming card of choice for nearly two years after its release in the fourth quarter of 2004. A 256-bit bus with 16 pipelines, 256 megabytes (MB) of DDR3 memory, and clock speeds speeds of 350-450 megahertz (mHz) gave it a bandwidth of 32-35 gigabytes per second (GB/ps).
The newer and more modestly priced GeForce 7600GT series has a slower 128-bit bus and only 12 pipelines, but compensates with a higher clock speed, matching the 6800GT’s performance on many benchmarks. The 7600GT series supports the latest technologies, including Microsoft’s Vista operating system, and classifies as a solid mid-level card. The ATI equivalent is the Radeon X1650XT.
As of Fall 2006, cutting-edge gaming cards feature not one, but two GPUs. This doubles the pipelines, bus and memory, delivering bandwidth of just over 76 gigabytes per second. The price of these cards, however, is likely to put off all but the most avid gamers.
When shopping for a graphics card, compare the specs. The most expensive card in its class isn’t always the best choice. The number of pipelines, memory bus, memory type, and clock speed matter; and make sure the card supports the latest graphics software engines. To save money, keep an eye out for discounts and coupons. Online customer reviews are also helpful.
