Computer's memory..or.. graphic card...which one?

[gsteg]

When viewing pictures online, which memory is being taken up? the computer's memory or the graphic card's memory? Thanks!

 

[zerozero]

Your RAM

 

[gsteg]

so only when i'm playing games where the graphic card will use it's memory?

 

[koldapu]

yeah i agree the computer ram . . .

its really inadequate . . .

but for editing and stuff like that (video), its the graphic

 

[didi]

for gaming, the game use both gaphic card n system ram to run.

 

[gsteg]

for gaming, the game use both gaphic card n system ram to run.

so that explains why i sometimes lag. i only have 256MB of SDRAM

 

[Kangaroo]

It depends totally on how a program has been written, whether it will access your RAM or VGA card.

Most Windows applications access RAM and leave the VGA card alone, this is because the programmers have no idea whether you are using a X800 XT or onboard graphics.

It will be a new era for computing when there are programs that utilize your entire system performance no matter what it is doing, web surfing or gaming.

Keep in mind that your monitor is connected to your VGA card, so anything you see goes through your VGA card anyway

 

[ShoobieRat]

Kangaroo is right.

Web applications (such as IE) can use a little of both, though. HTML, cookies, picture files, and all the stuff that is loaded to your machine, is run from RAM. The web-browser itself, and the actual "drawing" of the pictures and viewing of the HTML, is done by your graphics card. The graphics card does its work on its own memory (unless it runs out, then it starts grabbing system RAM).

In today's world (especially if yer running WinXP) you should have no less than 512mb RAM, and yer video card should have no less than 64mb (though 128 is becoming standard).