What is inside a graphics card?

Graphics cards are one of the most important components of a gaming rig. All 3D rendering workloads in video games are handled by the graphics processing unit (GPU). These pieces of cutting-edge technology have made virtual environments possible in the first place.

Video cards have come a long way since they were introduced in the late '80s as a discrete component of the gaming system. Before the era of discrete GPUs, all graphics workloads were handled by the CPU. However, handing the task over to a different chip helped improve the efficiency of graphics-rendering pipelines.

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Components inside a graphics card

A blown-up view of a graphics card (Image via Sportskeeda)

A graphics card packs several components under the hood. The list includes the PCB on which the GPU, VRAM modules, and VRMs sit. Alongside those, it also pack cooling hardware to keep the graphics card under optimal temperatures while under load. The usual cooling hardware includes heatsinks and fans.

Apart from these, the graphics card also includes protective shrouds, backplates, RGB lighting hardware, and anti-sag brackets.

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The printed circuit board (PCB)

The PCB of a GTX 780 GPU (Image via Wikipedia)

PCB is the most important component of a video card, and it packs the parts that are responsible for the task of 3D rendering. The PCB mainly has the following parts on it:

1. The GPU: The graphics processing unit is the small chip in the center of the PCB. It is mainly responsible for all 3D rendering workloads and is the most valuable part of a graphics card.
2. Power connectors: The power connectors sit on the PCB, and are tasked with receiving power from the power supply unit (PSU) and channeling it through the circuit.
3. VRAM modules: The VRAM modules mostly sit around the GPU chip. They are one of the most important components of the GPU as they store and transfer the rendered video data.
4. Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs): The VRMs are essential for ensuring steady power delivery to the GPU die and VRAM modules. Most of them also need high-quality cooling to maintain optimal temperatures.
5. Video output connectors: The video output connectors, namely HDMI and DisplayPort modules, also sit on the PCB.

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The cooling hardware

The heatsink of a GPU (Image via Made in China)

Video cards these days come with increased heat outputs. Thus, they need hefty cooling hardware to maintain optimal temperatures. The cooling hardware involves a heatsink and fans driving the air into them for heat dissipation.

Heatsinks are aluminum fins that are fed with copper heat pipes coming from the cold plate, which sits on the GPU die. Heatsinks also have contact points on VRMs and VRAM modules, and they add to most of the graphics card's weight.

The fans on the video card are specially designed to blow air into the heatsink, and thus their blades are mostly scythe-shaped to fit this purpose.

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Protective hardware

A GPU backplate from EKWB (Image via Amazon)

Apart from the components listed above, video cards come with some protective gear to prevent the delicate PCB and aluminum heatsinks from getting damaged. The efficiency of the heatsinks can drop if bent, and the GPU might stop working if parts of the PCB get damaged.

Thus, the graphics card is surrounded by a plastic shroud in places of immediate contact, increasing the visual appeal. However, this plastic shroud is a necessary evil as it covers the heatsink up and reduces thermal dissipation efficiency.

Most modern video cards also pack a plastic or metal backplate that protects the bottom of the PCB and increases the visual appeal. Most GPUs also come with a metal protective cover to shield the video output ports.