On this board is where the GPU and other components like the RAM (random access memory) are located. This substrate is made out of fiberglass filaments and epoxy to make sure that it is non-conductive whole being strong, lightweight, and heat-resistant. All graphics cards fundamentally have the same general, overall design: a highly specialized processor, on a circuit board filled with … chips and electronic opponents.” (Evanson, Techspot, 2020.) Most graphics cards have some kind of cooling system, most commonly “copper pipes coming off of into multiple rows of aluminum fins” (Evanson, Techspot, 2020.) These aluminum fins direct the heat generated from the graphics processing unit into the shroud of the card where, “the fan just directs air down into the fins.” (Evanson, Techspot, 2020.) Under the cooling system is the printed circuit board or “PCB” made from FR-4 non-metallic substrate with resin insulation. The basic anatomy of a graphics card is as follows.

Not only is the acquisition of the necessary raw materials unethical and harmful to the environment, but so are the manufacturing and formulation processes required to assemble the Nvidia RTX 30 Series GPUs.

Both the acquisition of raw materials and manufacture of chemical components for graphics cards are toxic to the environment and should be mitigated with processes such as chemical recycling. These major components each require individual environmentally detrimental resource collection and refining methods.

Nvidia Founders’ Edition GPU Raw Materials Acquisition and ManufactureĪ graphics card is made of four basic sections, a printed circuit board (PCB) on which all the components mount, the graphics processing unit (GPU), the heat sink with fins and heat pipes and the injection molded shroud with fans.

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