SLI and CrossFire Support Definition

When a video card has SLI or CrossFire support, more than one video card can be used in the same computer. Using multiple Nvidia video cards is referred to as SLI or "Scalable Link Interface". Using multiple AMD video cards is referred to as "CrossFire". This can greatly increase performance if the program being used supports SLI or CrossFire. Otherwise performance may even become worse.

This is convenient because a computer can be built with one video card at first and still have room to upgrade without getting rid of your old card. Using two of Nvidia's card usually requires the cards to be the same model with a few exceptions. AMD, on the other hand, allows a little more flexibility as long as the first two numbers in the card's name are the same. This means that a Radeon HD 7870 can be paired up with a 7850 but not a 7750. This chart at Tom's hardware explains more about what cards can be paired together.

Check beforehand whether your motherboard supports SLI or CrossFire. Your power supply may also need to support SLI or CrossFire when pairing some of the higher end cards.

Video Card Dedicated Memory Amount

Video card dedicated memory is RAM that is embedded into the video card for its use only. Having more memory helps games with larger textures, higher resolutions and so forth to achieve better frame-rates. This memory is completely separate from the operating system's memory. Both are necessarily for smooth performance. Dedicated memory can range anywhere from 512MB's to 4GB's on a modern desktop computer.

Video Card Interface Definition

A video card's interface is the type of connection it uses to attach to the motherboard. The most modern type of interface is PCI Express 3.0 x16. Every PCI-express version is compatible with the others but they will only run as fast as the weakest part. This could be the motherboard or the video card.

PCI Express Speeds:
PCI Express 3.0 = 8Gt/s
PCI Express 2.0 = 5Gt/s
PCI Express 1.0 = 2.5Gt/s

PCI Express cards also come in different lengths as indicated by the number of lanes. The most common amount of lanes for video cards are x16.

PCI Express Lanes:
PCI Express x16
PCI Express x8
PCI Express x4
PCI Express x1

DirectX Definition

DirectX contains a number of programs that handle multimedia for things like video games. Newer versions allow for more efficient processing and can greatly increase graphics quality and frame-rates. DirectX is embedded into the video card and cannot be updated without the purchase of a new video card. The latest version is DirectX 11 and is used by the Radeon HD 5000, 6000 and 7000 series and by the Geforce 400, 500 and 600 series.

Stream Processor Definition

Stream processors are what video cards use to process the image on the screen. Doubling the stream processors can achieve very close to double the performance. Each one is similar to a core on a CPU but much less powerful. There are several other major factors in determining the final performance of a video card.

Note: Not all stream processors perform the same. Nvidia usually uses fewer but more powerful stream processors than AMD. In the end, both company's video cards perform close to the same.

Hyperthreading Definition

Hyperthreading is a technique used by Intel to help with multitasking. It makes every physical core act as two logical cores or "threads". This means that a dual core will have four threads and a quad core will have eight total. Every thread is good at doing its own task. How does the CPU accomplish this? It does this by making certain parts of the CPU work more often that would normally be underutilized. This can nearly double performance in highly optimized situations. More realistically though, it only improves performance marginally.

Integrated Memory Controller Definition

An integrated memory controller helps manage data coming from the RAM. This often comes as dual or triple channel. Using triple channel adds an extra bus that allows for faster data transfers. The integrated memory controller is rated to run at specific speeds in MHz. It is possible to benefit from RAM that runs faster than the memory controller's speed if the motherboard supports higher speeds. However, the performance increases may diminish rapidly or perform worse.

Multi-Core Definition

Multi-Core CPU's have multiple processors in them. Most CPU's come with either 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 cores. All the cores will run at the same speed. This means that if you have a quad core that runs at 3.3GHz, you will have four processors all running at 3.3GHz. Having more cores helps a lot with handling multiple tasks at one time. Some programs or games are built to fully utilize multi-core processors. Otherwise the other cores will remain idle with little or nothing to do.

Manufacturing Tech Definition

Manufacturing tech is the die size of the CPU. This is usually measured in nanometers or nm. A CPU with a smaller die size will perform better per gigahert and use less energy.

Cache Definition

Cache is very fast memory that is located in the processor chip. Cache is located in three levels: L1 being the fastest, L2 and L3 being the slowest.

• L1 is usually located on the processor die itself but is limited in the amount of space that can be used.
• L2 is more cost effective but a little slower because it is farther out from the processor die. 
• L3 can be located either on the CPU chip or the motherboard and is larger than L2 cache.

Operating Frequency Definition

Operating frequency is the clock rate or speed of a CPU. This largely affects the performance of a computer. Operating frequencies are usually measured in gigahertz or GHz.

Chassis Definition

A chassis is the case of a computer. They can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. A chassis also helps a lot with cooling the components inside it. Click here for more information about chassis.

Optical Drive Definition

Optical drives use laser lights to read or write to disks. CD, DVD, and Blu-ray drives are very common examples of optical drives. Click here for more information about optical drives.

Power Supply Definition

A power supply is the component in a computer that converts the electrical AC current to a DC current that the computer can use. The wattage of a power supply and the cords coming from it will help determine what components a computer can use. Click here for more information about power supplies.

Hard Drive or Solid State Drive Definition

Hard drives and solid state drives are responsible for storing all the information for a computer even when the power is turned off. Hard drives are cheaper and generally have much more space. Solid state drives run much faster but are significantly more expensive. Click here for more information about hard drives. Click here for more information about solid state drives.

Motherboard Definition

A motherboard or mainboard allows all other components to communicate. The ports it has will determine what you can upgrade your computer with. It is large circuit board that is mounted to the side of the case. Click here for more information about mother boards.

RAM Definition

RAM stands for random access memory. RAM is much faster than hard drives. Whenever anything gets loaded, it goes from the hard drive to the RAM. This is what happens when you start up your computer. Once something is loaded to the RAM, it runs much more smoothly. RAM is volatile memory or cannot save information permanently when the power is shut down. Once you shut down your computer, the RAM's information will be wiped and will need to be reloaded when you start your computer again. Click here for more information.

Video Card Definition

A video card or graphics card is in charge of the visuals on your screen. This allows your CPU to focus on what it does best. For most users, any modern video card will work fine. Gamers may want to invest in a larger video card. Click here for a larger explanation.

CPU Definition

A CPU is the central processing unit. It does the most critical thinking for the computer. This workload can be divided between a number of "cores". A CPU's speed is measured in gigahertz or GHz. Click here for a more in depth explanation of a CPU.