Nearly all modern electronic devices include graphics capabilities of some form, and the range of features and performance can be incredibly vast.
© GETTY IMAGES/ANDREW BROOKES
The PC has gone through a lot of changes, branching out in myriad ways and names. But whatever they’re called, every computing device needs certain features: CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, the mainboard, and power. Take any one of those away, and the functionality plummets or fails. How much capability you need from each component varies by the intended use case.
Our focus for this state of the PC investigation will be on the GPU, specifically integrated graphics solutions. The GPU replaced the lesser video controllers of early PCs, which in turn replaced the punch cards of a bygone era. Whatever the name or complexity, the purpose is to output something useful.