Specifications

Video Display Technologies
879
Figure 15.6 A cross-section of a typical plasma display.
Video Adapter Types
A monitor requires a source of input. The signals that run to your monitor come from a video adapter
inside or plugged into your computer.
The three ways computer systems connect to either CRT or LCD panels are as follows:
■ Add-on video cards. This method requires the use of an AGP or a PCI expansion slot but provides
the highest possible level of performance, the greatest amount of memory, and the largest choice
of features.
■ Video-only chipset on motherboard. Performance is generally less than with add-on video cards
because older chipset designs are often used. Although many systems with the LPX design used
this type of video, it has fallen out of fashion on recent systems. Mid-range and high-end note-
book computers typically use a discrete video chip instead of integrated video.
■ Motherboard chipset with integrated video. This has the lowest cost of any video solution, but perfor-
mance can also be very low, especially for 3D gaming or other graphics-intensive applications. Reso-
lution and color-depth options are also more limited than those available with add-on video cards.
However, new motherboard chipset designs from video-chipset makers such as NVIDIA (nForce,
nForce2, and nForce3 series) and ATI (RADEON IGP) perform significantly better than other mother-
board chipsets but still achieve results comparable to low-end add-on video cards. Most low-end and
some mid-range notebooks use this type of video instead of a discrete video chip on the motherboard.
Most systems that use Baby-AT or ATX motherboards typically use add-on video cards, whereas the
obsolete LPX, the new Mini-ITX, and most current NLX and Micro-ATX motherboards typically use
some type of motherboard-based video. Many of the most recent low-cost computers built on the
Micro-ATX, Flex-ATX, NLX, or Mini-ITX form factor use motherboard chipsets that integrate video from
Intel, NVIDIA, VIA, or other vendors. Systems with integrated video (either with video chipsets or
motherboard chipsets that include video) usually can be upgraded with an add-on video card, but some
do not include an AGP slot, which is best suited for high-speed video today.
◊◊ See “Integrated Video/Motherboard Chipsets,” p. 898.
◊◊ See “3D Chipsets,” p. 922.
Chapter 15
RED GREEN BLUE
Cover glassDielectric layer Display electrode
MgO layer
Phosphor triad (RGB)
Address protective layer
Address electrodes
Rear plate glass
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