What is a graphics card?SharedDedicated / DediziertConclusion
Most of the tasks your MacBook does is done by the CPU. If complex graphic tasks have to be mastered, this can be overloaded. Graphics cards then provide the help needed to take on the graphics part of the workload. If you use a lot of graphics software, a graphics card is essential. But which do you choose? We’ll tell you here.
What is a graphics card?
Your MacBook's graphics card, or GPU, is responsible for all graphics tasks. This means that the processor does not have to take over these tasks and your MacBook continues to work smoothly. Practically all software has graphical components. So your graphics card helps all software to work more efficiently. The difference, however, is greatest with image editing software and 3D programs. These often cannot be used at all without a good graphics card.
Shared
Less powerful MacBook models have a shared ("shared" or integrated ) graphics card. It shares the memory of your MacBook with its CPU. This is no problem for editing your vacation photos or writing a report. If, on the other hand, you cut long films, you will find that this is taking a lot of effort out of your MacBook. If you have an Intel UHD or Intel Iris Plus in your MacBook, then you have a shared graphics card. These models are less suitable for complex video editing or 3D software.
Dedicated / Dediziert
Do you often edit films? Or do you work with resource-hungry software like Photoshop or AutoCAD every day? Then you need a dedicated graphics card. You can find one in the 15- and 16-inch models. The graphics cards in the Apple MacBook Pro are manufactured by AMD. You can recognize them as AMD Radeon Pro 5500M or AMD Radeon Pro 560X, for example. The more memory a graphics card has, the better it is at processing graphic data. This memory is also known as VRAM (Video RAM).
Conclusion
A graphics card is especially important if you use a lot of graphics programs. A dedicated graphics card is better than a shared one in this case. For the best performance, you also choose a model with the largest possible memory. Still undecided? We have selected the best products. You can find them as Coolblue favorites on the website.