NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture by NVIDIA is sensational!

A frame (or an image in English) is a still image which, when shown successively with others, creates the illusion of motion in a video or video game. Imagine an animation book where each page represents a step in a movement: each page is a frame, and when you flip through them quickly, it gives the impression that the drawings come to life. 

In the context of a video game, a frame represents everything that is displayed on screen at a given moment: characters, environments, visual effects, and so on.

FPS stands for “Frames Per Second” (frames per second) in English. It refers to the number of frames the computer or console can generate and display on screen each second. The higher this number, the smoother the action feels. For example:

• At 30 FPS, the game is playable, but movements can look a bit choppy.
• At 60 FPS, the experience is smooth and enjoyable.
• At 120 FPS or more, smoothness is at its best and becomes especially noticeable in competitive games.

FPS depend on the power of the graphics card, the processor, and the display. A card like the RTX 5000, thanks to technologies such as DLSS 4, can reach impressive figures—for example, 240 FPS in 4K—even in very demanding games.

4K is a screen resolution—i.e., the number of pixels displayed on a screen. In 4K, there are 3840 pixels across and 2160 pixels down, for a total of around 8.3 million pixels. This represents a far higher density of information than lower resolutions such as the 1080p (Full HD), which has 1920 x 1080 pixels (around 2 million pixels).

A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or graphics card in English, is a specialised component for processing images and computations related to graphics. It is designed to handle complex tasks, such as rendering video games, 3D rendering, or even calculations related to artificial intelligence.

In a game, the GPU handles specific tasks:

• Graphics rendering: Drawing each frame, managing shadows, reflections, textures, and special effects such as ray tracing.
• Physics calculations: Simulating realistic movements of objects, particles, or fluids.
• Performance optimisation: Technologies like DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) or shaders reduce the compute workload to display high-quality images with high FPS.

High-resolution features such as the 4K, or advanced technologies such as ray tracing, require billions of calculations per second to display smooth, detailed images. Modern GPUs, like the NVIDIA RTX 5090, are designed to meet these demands with incredible performance.

The CPU (Central Processing Unit), or central processor in French, is the computer’s brain. It is responsible for all general processing tasks and carries out the instructions of programmes. In other words, it coordinates all the computer’s operations, whether it’s managing the operating system, software, or the interactions between hardware components.

Main CPU functions:

1. Data processing : It runs the calculations needed to make software, games, or applications work.
2. Task management : The CPU controls coordination between components, such as communication between the GPU, the RAM (random-access memory), and peripherals.
3. Sequential execution : Unlike the GPU, which processes thousands of tasks at the same time, the CPU is optimised to handle a small number of complex tasks in sequence.

The CPU plays a crucial role in:

• Managing game systems : Enemy artificial intelligence, trajectory calculations, and physics handling.
• Player-world interactions : Detecting the player’s actions (clicks, movement) and sending them to the GPU for graphical rendering.
• FPS : Although the GPU often determines visual performance, an overly slow CPU can limit the number of FPS, especially in games with lots of artificial intelligence or complex, open-world environments.

Shaders are small computer programmes used by the GPU to define how pixels, textures, and surfaces should appear on screen. They play a central role in graphical rendering by managing the appearance of objects, including their colour, brightness, shadows, or reflections.

Shaders make it possible to simulate realistic effects by calculating how light, textures, and materials interact in a scene. For example, they can render a shiny metallic object, a reflective water surface, or a worn, detailed wall. They are essential for producing immersive, convincing images. 

Shaders also allow raw geometric shapes to be transformed into immersive, realistic environments. 

In modern games, such as those using ray tracing, shaders play a central role in handling lighting effects and complex materials. 

For example, the RTX Neural Shaders introduced with the RTX 5000 use AI to go even further, enabling texture compression or the simulation of cinematic effects with increased precision.

Graphics artefacts are visual anomalies or imperfections that appear on screen when a scene is rendered incorrectly by the GPU. These artefacts can show up as distorted textures, flickering, strange lines, or even abnormal transitions between images (for example, ghosting or tearing).

They harm the visual quality of an experience and can be caused by technical limitations, software bugs, or hardware that doesn’t work as expected.

The new RTX 5000 graphics cards, with their Blackwell architecture, include several technologies to reduce graphical artefacts:

• DLSS 4 with Transformer models: Improves visual stability and reduces issues such as ghosting or flickering in moving scenes.
• RTX Neural Shaders: Optimises textures and materials to prevent visual anomalies caused by excessive compression.
• Flip Metering Hardware: Enables better handling of generated images, reducing tearing and improving smoothness.
• Optimised response times: Thanks to Tensor cores and improved ray-tracing capabilities, rendering complex scenes is more precise and smoother.

Ghosting, or the phantom effect, is a visual anomaly where previous images remain partially visible behind a new image displayed on the screen. This creates a kind of trail or blur behind fast-moving objects, as if a persistent shadow lingered behind them. 

It’s caused by screens that are too slow or by poor GPU–screen synchronisation. To avoid it, you need fast displays and technologies such as G-Sync. 

The RTX 5000 cards, with tools such as DLSS 4, stabilise images to eliminate these trails and deliver crisp, smooth graphics.

Ray tracing is a graphics rendering technique that simulates the behaviour of light realistically, creating immersive reflections, shadows, and lighting. 

Unlike traditional methods, it follows the path of light rays through a scene to calculate their interactions with surfaces (reflections, transparency, indirect light). 

This technology delivers photorealistic graphics, but it’s extremely resource-hungry. 

Modern GPUs, such as the RTX 5000, include dedicated cores to accelerate these calculations in real time. The result is a visual experience that’s markedly more immersive and realistic.

The HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a technology that improves image quality by increasing the dynamic range of colours and brightness. 

Unlike SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), HDR can display deeper blacks and brighter whites, while revealing more detail in both dark and bright areas. This makes images more realistic and immersive, especially for films, video games and native HDR content. 

A encoder is a hardware or software component used to transform raw data (such as uncompressed video or audio) into a compressed format optimised for storage or streaming. 

For videos, it converts raw images into a compressed file (such as H.264 or H.265), while maintaining optimal visual quality with a smaller file size.

Overclocking involves increasing the operating frequency of a component, such as a CPU or a GPU, beyond its factory specifications. This can improve performance—for example, by speeding up calculations or increasing FPS in games. 

However, this practice can lead to overheating and higher power consumption, requiring good cooling to avoid damaging the hardware. Overclocking is often used by enthusiasts to maximise the power of their PC. 

Although effective, it must be carried out carefully to remain stable and safe.