Users Guide

32  Thermal grease
Thermal grease
Thermal grease, also called thermal gel or thermal compound, is used to
create a heat-inductive layer between a processor and heat sink. Applying
thermal grease between the processor and heat sink increases the heat
transfer from the processor to the heat sink, as the thermal grease has better
conductivity than air.
Video card
Video cards process graphics data and send video output to a display device
such as a monitor or projector.
Video cards can be of two types:
• Integrated — Often referred to as on-board video card, it is integrated
on the system board. In some computers, the video card is integrated
on the processor. Integrated video cards generally share the system
memory (RAM) and the may also utilize the processor to perform
videoprocessing.
An Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) is integrated on the same die as
the processor and provides higher data transfer rates while reducing the
power consumption.
• Discrete — Discrete video cards are installed separately on the system
board. Discrete video cards have dedicated memory on the cards
and generally provide higher performance than integrated video
cards. Thesecards are best suited for graphic intensive applications,
high-definition video games, and so on.
NOTE: When a discrete video card is installed on a computer that
alsohas an integrated video card, the integrated video card is disabled
by default. Use the BIOS setup program to select which card to use.
Switchable graphics allow computers equipped with both a low-power
integrated graphics chip, and a high-power discrete graphics card to switch
between either cards, depending on the load and requirements.