GPU (graphic processing unit)

GPU Stands for "graphic processing unit". A GPU is a processor that is designed to handle the graphical operations. This includes both 2D and 3D calculations, although GPUs excel at rendering 3D graphics.

History

Early computers did not include GPUs, which meant that the CPU had to handle all standard computations and graphics operations. As software requirements increased and graphics became more important (especially in video games), there was a need for a separate processor to render graphics. On August 31, 1999, NVIDIA introduced the first commercially available GPU for a desktop computer, called GeForce 256. It could process 10 million polygons per second, allowing it to download a significant amount of graphics processing from the CPU.

The success of the first graphics processing unit prompted both hardware and software developers to quickly adopt GPU support. Motherboards were manufactured with faster PCI slots and AGP slots, designed exclusively for graphics cards, also became a common alternative. Software APIs such as OpenGL and Direct3D were created to help developers use GPUs in their applications. Today, dedicated graphics processing is standard - not only on desktops PCs - but also in smartphones, laptops, and video game consoles.

Function

The primary purpose of a GPU is to render 3D graphics, which consist of polygons. Since most polygonal transformations involve decimal numbers, GPUs are designed to perform floating point operations (as opposed to integer calculations). This specialized design allows GPUs to render graphics more efficiently than even the fastest CPUs. Relieving graphics processing to high-powered GPUs is what makes modern gaming possible.

While GPUs are excellent at rendering graphics, a GPU's raw power can also be used for other purposes. Many operating systems and software now support GPGPU or general computation on graphics processing devices. Technologies such as OpenCL and CUDA allow developers to use the GPU to assist the CPU in non-graphics computations. This can improve the overall performance of a computer or other electronic device.

Submitted November 14, 2019 at 11:09PM by cbitssexp https://ift.tt/3535qQD