A buffer is a portion of physical memory used to store information for later movement. A screen buffer holds information sent to the display screen. It’s separate from video memory and system cache. The screen buffer collects information from various sources and allows progressive images. Video memory is the physical memory a video card uses to collect information before sending it to the main system.
A buffer is a portion of a computer’s physical memory used to store information as it moves from one location in the system to another. A screen buffer is a buffer that specifically holds information that is sent to the system’s display screen. Buffers as a whole are used to organize data and ensure that it moves from one place to another efficiently. The screen buffer shares many similarities with both video memory and system cache, but is separate from both.
When a computer is running, it has different types of memory. Most of these fall into two categories: virtual and physical. Physical memory is actually found in a memory storage system, such as random access memory (RAM) modules attached to the motherboard. Virtual memory is low-priority but still important information that your system writes to your hard drive to free up space.
Buffer is a general term that describes a portion of physical memory where information is stored for later movement. This information is important, but is not yet in use. Since a computer system can hold information in many different places, buffering allows all those systems to send important information to one place in anticipation of its need. Then, when the information is called into use, it’s all together and ready to go into active memory.
A screen buffer collects all the information to describe what will be displayed on the system screen. This information comes from a variety of sources, such as the system itself, user input devices, cameras, and running programs. More than one screen buffer is often assembled to allow progressive images to be displayed without lag.
The screen buffer is easy to confuse with two other key systems: the system cache and video memory. A system cache is active information that your computer keeps on hand for constant use. The cache has the same basic properties as a buffer, but the buffer is emptied after use whereas the cache is not. The computer assumes that once it uses the information stored in the buffer, it will no longer need it.
Video memory is the physical memory a video card uses to collect information before sending it to the main system. To take the strain off the computer’s processor, modern video cards are able to process and collect video information without interacting with the main computer. This information is stored on the card until it is needed and then sent to the screen buffer.
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