network card vs. graphics card
This page demonstrates the differences between Network Cards and Graphics Cards by explaining their purposes and performance factors.
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Network Card
A network card is also known as a Network Adapter or Network Interface Card (NIC). It acts as the interface between a computer and network cable. The purpose of a network card is to prepare, send and control all data on the network. A network card usually has two indicator lights; one green and one orange. The green indicator light, or LED, shows that the card is receiving electricity. The orange LED indicates the network activity – the sending or receiving of data. The LED is orange when operating at 10MB/s, and red when operating at 100MB/s. In order to prepare data that needs to be sent, the network card uses a transceiver, transforming parallel data into serial data. Parallel communication is the method of transferring blocks, e.g.: BYTES, of data at the same time, whereas, serial communication is the method of transferring one bit at a time through medium. Each card has a unique MAC address, defined by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer), which assigns ranges of the addresses to each manufacturer of network cards. This allows each card to be uniquely identified among all other network cards in the world. Network cards also have settings that can be configured – among these configurations are hardware interrupts (IRQ), the I/O address and the memory address (DMA). In order to ensure that the computer and network are compatible, the card must be suitable for the computer’s data bus design, and have the appropriate type of socket for the cable. Some network cards have multiple interface connectors that can be connected using software, DIP switches and jumpers - and the most commonly used are RJ-45 connectors. So, the card must be compatible with the computer’s internal structure and must also have a connector suitable for the kind of cabling used. The Purpose of a Network Card is to prepare, send and control data on the network. Network cards convert the data sent by the computer into a form that can be used by the network cable. A network card is an expansion card (inserted into an expansion slot) as it also translates the data coming from the cable into bytes in order for the computer’s CPU to read it. It then transfers that data to another computer, controlling the dataflow between the computer and the cable. Connecting Network Cards to the Motherboard Before physically installing a network card, you should always ensure that the computer is switched off and unplugged. You must also verify that the jumpers are properly set. Network cards are capable of connecting into an ISA, PCI or CRN slot. Once you have located an available slot on the computer, you should gently push the card into the slot until it clicks and it stays in place. Once the card is in the slot, you should place a screw into the top of the card whilst holding the card in position to stop movement. Most network cards will not include cables but it is likely to find a Wake-On-LAN cable. This is used with advanced network cards, to wake the computer when network activity is present. The Wake-On-LAN cable must also be a supported feature of the computer motherboard. The cable will connect to the Wake-On-LAN, or a similar connection, on the motherboard. Once the network card has been physically installed into the computer, the case should then be placed back onto the computer and peripherals, such as the keyboard and mouse, along with the monitor and power to the computer, should all be reconnected. Next, connect the network cable to the back of the computer and then to the network outlet, hub, switch or router. Lastly, you should turn the computer on and install the drivers for the network card. Once the network card has been successfully installed, set the configuration values for the network card in the software. The method of configuring this could possibly vary, depending upon the network as well as its values. Performance Factors The factors you must consider when purchasing a network card include cable connections, the speed, the interface type and the manufacturer. If you purchase a wireless network card then you won’t have to worry about cable connections. However, some network cards are hardwired with a cable. In this case, the type of cable and the connection that your card has will need to be considered. Network cards aren’t typically sold with their corresponding cable, so you’ll need to consider the connection that your card has. For example, if your card has a RJ-45 connection, you should use an Ethernet cable, but if the card has a BNC connector, you should use a co-axial cable. When choosing your network card, you must also consider the speed of the card. An 802.11G wireless standard network card is typically preferred by most users, as it provides speeds of up to 54MB/s. Another type of wireless network card is an 802.11B adaptor, however this is becoming less common as it is slower than its 802.11G counterpart. This adaptor provides speed of about 11MB/s and is therefore more affordable. An 802.11N is an even faster network card, which provides even faster download and upload speeds. However, the 802.11N would be less cost-effective than the other two cards. When deciding what type of card to choose, the type of interface your card has is also an important factor to consider. PCI, ISA, or PCMCIA cards are of the most common network card interfaces. The kind of interface you choose largely depends upon the computer you will be installing the card into and what type of interface your computer offers. For the average PC user, the PCI card is usually recommended as it operates at a fast speed, however it can cost more than other network cards. The PCI card is placed in the PCI slot of your computer. An ISA card connects to a computer’s motherboard and is less expensive than the PCI card. However, an ISA card is typically less reliable. PCMIA cards are used in laptops and they are placed in a corresponding slot in your laptop. The last factor you may want to consider when purchasing a new network card is the manufacturer. For novice computer users especially, choosing a manufacturer that provides technical support with their product may turn out to be helpful in case you have any difficulty installing it - some manufacturers provide phone support in installing your card. You should also consider buying a card that comes with a warranty in the event of failure or damage, just to be on the safe side. |
Graphics Card
Graphics cards, also known as video cards, and graphics accelerators or display cards are computer hardware that take binary data (compressed data in the form of only two digits – 1 and 0) and convert this data into images that are displayed on the computer’s monitor. Graphics cards are external devices that can be bought and attached to the motherboard through an appropriate slot. Two of the most popular video card manufacturers are NVidia and AMD. It is expected that most manufactured computers with a dedicated card will also encompass an NVidia or an AMD card. These types must be compatible with the motherboard in order to work properly. Many video cards offer dual outputs, meaning that the card can be connected to more than one monitor at a time, allowing you to extend your desktop to cover two monitors. By using multiple monitors, tasks within the art or research realm in particular, will be much easier to accomplish. The Purpose of a Graphics Card is to assist the main processor by processing and displaying complex three-dimensional graphics. They are useful especially for computer gaming, where 3D effects must be constantly displayed. In order to increase 3D effects processing speeds, high-end computers can and may have more than one video card installed and linked together. An integrated card is a graphics card that is built into the motherboard. However, they are typically not as powerful as stand-alone or ‘dedicated’ graphics cards. Graphics cards can plug into a motherboard via several different expansion slots or ‘buses’, such as AGP, PCI and PCIe slots. Performance Factors AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) is a dedicated, high-bandwidth interface that is custom-tailored to video cards. The card’s speed should match the speed of the motherboard’s AGP interface, and AGP speeds can go up to 8X. PCI video cards are used mainly as replacements or upgrades for pre-AGP motherboards. PCI Express is the current standard graphics card, replacing the AGP bus as the interface if choice for high-end video cards due to its phenomenal data speed. These are some of the factors affecting video card performance. Graphics cards contain their own GPU, which means graphics processing unit. They also hold memory to assist the GPU, which is known as video memory. This is built into the memory card. Video memory is separate from system RAM in stand-alone graphics cards, whereas system RAM is used as video memory in integrated cards. All video cards have at least some RAM on the card. The amount and speed of the on-board RAM has a major effect on the card’s performance. For typing documents in Word, any video card with RAM could suffice. However, for image manipulation, video editing, watching DVD movies, gaming, watching HDTV, or running CAD/CAM applications, much faster RAM is needed. For these uses, an AGP or PCIE card with at least 512 MB of fast RAM (such as DDR-SDRAM) should be considered. And for high-end gaming or video editing, 1024 MB would be even better. Most high-end and a lot of mid-range graphics cards come with their own on-board cooling fans, which is another important factor that could impact on the performance of your computer when using it for video, gaming and other graphics-intensive applications. 
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