All computers have video cards but the vast majority are either soldered directly onto the motherboard or installed as a separate add-on card placed in an empty AGP, PCI, or PCI-e slot. Today there is another option, external video cards that plug into the computer via a USB connection. These new external video cards are intended primarily for power users and those that want to run multiple monitors. By moving the image processing functions outside of the PC these GPU's can provide great performance benefits for everyday users as well. This article attempts to explain a bit about exactly what external video cards can and can not do to improve the overall experience of using a computer.
Benefits of External Video Cards and GPU's
While external GPU's are equally at home on a desktop computer they are being targeted at gamers with laptops due to the traditionally lackluster performance of most integrated laptop video cards. In most cases laptop GPU's share the laptop's physical memory, degrading performance and making processor intensive games suffer in quality. With an external card doing the video rendering most laptops will experience a significant boost in overall Frames Per Second (FPS) when playing games.
Adding an external video card is incredibly easy with most plugging directly into the computer's USB port (USB v2.0 ports are needed for the best performance). Some, such as the Asus XGstation connect using a the ExpressCard slot built into most newer laptops (card not included) to provide users with even more power as well as the flexibility of being able to overclock the card. The Asus also provides dual DVI connections for running two separate monitors at the same time. This makes such external GPU products excellent for not only gamers but also for professionals wanting to provide audiences with crisp, high definition video and other graphical presentations. Such high demand processing would force any internal GPU to produce high amounts of heat. With external video cards heat is not an issue due to the dedicated cooling devices found on most units.
Drawbacks to External Video Cards and GPU's
While the performance benefits of an external video card are very enticing, such GPU's are not for everyone. Primary among their drawbacks is the fact that a user must haul around another device in addition tot the laptop. Most external GPU's also require a dedicated power connection and ship with a bulky transformer. Lastly, while many units are fairly slim and lightweight, high end units such as the aforementioned XGstation are rather bulky and may not fit nicely into an existing laptop bag.
These drawbacks aside, external video cards can make a huge difference in enjoyment of a laptop computer when using demanding applications. Costing far less than the cost of replacing a laptop, external GPU's are poised to be very popular accessories for avid gamers and professionals who want the best performance without a lot of hassles.
