You have decided to buy a computer. Walk along the shopping arcade, look at the price tags, get acquainted with the characteristics. And the question arises: what is a GPU? Often you see this combination of letters, but you don't see the meaning. Let's try to explain.
GPU - what is it, and how is it different from a CPU
GPU stands for "graphics processing unit", or graphics processor. It is a separate device for a game console, computer, camera. Responsible for rendering graphics, performs it. The GPU copes with this task remarkably, due to the pipeline architecture specially designed for these purposes. Modern GPUs are much better at handling graphics than their counterparts, classic central processing units (CPUs).
Currently, the GPU is used as a 3D graphics accelerator, but in exceptional cases it can be used for computations. The following distinguishes the GPU from the CPU:
- architecture: it is aimed to the maximum at high speed of calculating complex graphic objects and textures;
- relatively low set of commands.
The colossal computing power is explained precisely by the peculiarities of the architecture. Along with modern CPUs containing multiple cores (2/4/8, which was already considered a breakthrough), the GPU was originally designed as a multi-core structure. There are hundreds of cores here!
The difference in architecture also explains the difference in the principle of operation. If the CPU architecture is designed for sequential data processing, then the GPU was originally designed to work with computer graphics, therefore it is designed for massive, but parallel computations.
Each of these architectures has its own advantages. The CPU is much better at performing sequential tasks. For huge amounts of processed information, the GPU has an advantage. The main condition is that parallelism must be observed in the task.
Now you know a lot about GPUs, what a GPU is, and you can even tell your friends.
Good day to all, my dear friends and guests of my blog. Today I would like to talk a little about the hardware of our computers. Please tell me, have you heard about such a thing as a GPU? It turns out that many people hear such an abbreviation for the first time.
No matter how trite it may sound, but today we live in the era of computer technology, and sometimes it is difficult to find a person who has no idea how a computer works. So, for example, it is enough for someone to realize that a computer works thanks to a central processing unit (CPU).
Someone will go further and find out that there is also a certain GPU. Such an intricate acronym, but similar to the previous one. So let's figure out what a GPU is in a computer, what they are and what differences it has with a CPU.
Not a big difference
In simple terms, a GPU is a graphics processing unit, sometimes referred to as a video card, which is partly a bug. A video card is a ready-made component device, which includes the processor we are describing. It is capable of processing commands to generate 3D graphics. It is worth noting that it is a key element for this, the speed and various capabilities of the video system as a whole depend on its power.
The GPU has its own distinctive features compared to its cousin CPU. The main difference lies in the architecture on which it is built. The GPU architecture is built in such a way that it can process large amounts of data more efficiently. The CPU, in turn, processes data and tasks sequentially. Naturally, you shouldn't take this feature as a minus.
Types of GPUs
There are not many types of graphics processors, one of them is referred to as discrete, and is used on separate modules. Such a chip is powerful enough, therefore, it requires a cooling system consisting of radiators, coolers; in especially loaded systems, liquid cooling can be used.
Today we can observe a significant step in the development of graphic components, this is due to the emergence of a large number of types of GPUs. Whereas previously any computer had to be equipped with discrete graphics in order to have access to games or other graphics applications, now this task can be performed by IGP - an integrated graphics processor.
Almost every computer (with the exception of servers) is now equipped with integrated graphics, be it a laptop or desktop computer. The video processor itself is built into the CPU, which can significantly reduce power consumption and the price of the device itself. In addition, such graphics can be in other subtypes, for example: discrete or hybrid-discrete.
The first option implies the most expensive solution, soldering on the motherboard or a separate mobile module. The second option is called hybrid for a reason, in fact, it uses small video memory, which is soldered on the board, but at the same time it is able to expand it at the expense of RAM.
Naturally, such graphics solutions cannot catch up with full-fledged discrete video cards, but already now they show quite good results. In any case, the developers have a lot to strive for, perhaps such a decision is the future.
Well, on this I have, perhaps, everything. Hope you enjoyed the article! I look forward to seeing you again on my blog. Good luck to you. Bye Bye!
Processors and GPUs are very similar, they are both made of hundreds of millions of transistors and can handle thousands of operations per second. But how exactly are these two important components of any home computer different?
In this article we will try to tell you in a very simple and accessible way what is the difference between a CPU and a GPU. But first, you need to consider these two processors separately.
The CPU (Central Processing Unit or Central Processing Unit) is often called the "brain" of the computer. Inside the central processor there are about a million transistors, with the help of which various calculations are performed. Home computers typically have 1 to 4 core processors with a clock speed of approximately 1 GHz to 4 GHz.
The processor is powerful because it can do anything. A computer is capable of performing a task because the processor is capable of performing that task. Programmers have achieved this thanks to the wide instruction sets and huge lists of functions shared across modern central processing units.
What is GPU?
A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a specialized type of microprocessor optimized for very specific computing and displaying graphics. A GPU runs at a lower clock speed than a CPU, but has many more processing cores.
You can also say that a GPU is a specialized CPU made for one specific purpose - video rendering. During rendering, the GPU performs simple math calculations over and over again. A GPU has thousands of cores that will run concurrently. Although each GPU core is slower than a CPU core, it is still more efficient for performing the simple math required to display graphics. This massive parallelism is what makes the GPU capable of rendering the complex 3D graphics required by modern games.
Difference between CPU and GPU
The GPU can only perform a fraction of the operations that the CPU can, but it does so at incredible speed. The GPU will use hundreds of cores to perform urgent computations for thousands of pixels while displaying complex 3D graphics. But to achieve high speeds, the GPU must perform the same operations.
Take the Nvidia GTX 1080 for example. This card has 2560 shader cores. Thanks to these cores, the Nvidia GTX 1080 can execute 2560 instructions or operations in one clock cycle. If you want to make the picture 1% brighter, then the GPU can handle it without much difficulty. On the other hand, a quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU can only execute 4 instructions per clock cycle.
However, CPUs are more flexible than GPUs. Central processing units have a larger instruction set, so they can perform a wider range of functions. CPUs also operate at higher maximum clock speeds and have the ability to control the input and output of computer components. For example, the central processing unit can integrate with virtual memory, which is required to run a modern operating system. This is exactly what the GPU cannot do.
GPU Computing
Even though GPUs are designed for rendering, they can do more. Graphics processing is just a kind of repetitive parallel computation. Other tasks like Bitcoin mining and password cracking rely on the same kinds of massive datasets and simple math calculations. This is why some users use video cards for non-graphics operations. This phenomenon is called GPU Computation or GPU Computing.
conclusions
In this article, we have compared CPU and GPU. I think it became clear to everyone that GPU and CPU have similar goals, but are optimized for different computations. Write your opinion in the comments, I will try to answer.
The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is an electronic device designed for the construction and processing of 2D or 3D images and their subsequent display on the screen. GPUs are widely used in desktop computing systems, mobile phones, servers, and game consoles.
GPU Applications Modern graphics chips are installed on computer graphics cards or integrated into motherboards in order to save space on the computer.
GPUs enable efficient processing of computer graphics, making them the most used type of chip for displaying graphics information on the screen. For the first time, the term GPU was used in 1999 by Nvidia at the presentation of the GeForce 256 video card, which at that time was the most productive board of the company. The model's processor could process about 10 million graphics polygons per second. Function The GPU consists of special transistors, most of which are used for processing 3D images. Initially, graphics processors were created with the aim of speeding up the construction of textures and the speed of processing graphics polygons by computers, but later graphics cores learned to perform geometric calculations, which also accelerated the speed and quality of displaying images. Recent developments in the GPU include enabling support for programmable shaders, a technology to reduce the effects of overlapping image elements on top of each other. Also, new graphics processors are able to more accurately reproduce colors on the monitor. Modern graphics cards support video streaming from a variety of sources connected through dedicated interfaces. GPU Types Graphics cards can be divided into three types: discrete, embedded, and hybrid. Discrete video cards are installed in a separate slot on the motherboard of a computer or portable device (laptop) through a special interface (for example, PCI-Express or AGP). This type of GPU has the most powerful performance characteristics due to the special structure of the video module and its power indicators. Also, if necessary, a discrete video card can be easily replaced with a board of another model. Technologies such as SLI or CrossFire allow multiple video cards to be combined to further improve graphics performance. Embedded GPUs are used in portable devices and have modest computational performance due to the board's small size, thermal complexity and structural features. Hybrid graphics cards are a new class of adapters intended to replace on-board and discrete modules. The new technology is being created with the aim of increasing the speed of data exchange with the system RAM and the processor to improve graphics performance in general. The hybrid card can be built into the motherboard, but at the same time operate on the basis of the technology of discrete PCI-Express video cards.
Hello friends.
Do you like to play realistic games on your computer? Or watch a movie in a quality that clearly shows every little thing? So, you have to imagine what gpu is in a computer. Don't you know anything about him? My article will help you get rid of this misunderstanding ;-).
GPU is not a video card
The combination of letters, unknown to many, implies the concept of "graphics processing unit", which in our language means a graphics processor. It is he who is responsible for reproducing the picture on your hardware, and the better its characteristics, the better the image will be.
Have you always believed that it performs these functions? You are, of course, right, but it is a complex device, and its main component is just the graphical percent. It can also exist independently of the vidyuhi. We'll talk about this a little later.
GPU: not to be confused with CPU
Despite the similarity of the acronyms, do not confuse the subject of our conversation with (Central Processor Unit). Yes, they are similar, both in name and function. The latter can also reproduce graphics, however, it is weaker in this matter. Yet these are completely different devices.
They differ in architecture. The CPU is a multipurpose device that is responsible for all processes in the computer. To do this, he has enough of a few, with the help of which he sequentially processes one task after another.
In turn, the GPU was originally designed as a specialized device for performing graphics rendering, processing textures and complex images at high speed. For such purposes, it was equipped with a multi-threaded structure and multiple cores so that it could work with large amounts of information at a time, and not sequentially.
In view of this advantage, the leaders among the manufacturers of video adapters have released models in which graphics processors can become an improved replacement for the central one. The nVidia brand calls this device the GTX 10xx, and its main competitor AMD, the RX.
Types of graphic processes
So that you can navigate the GPU market, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the types of this device:
- Discrete. Included in the video adapter. It is connected to the motherboard through a specially designated connector (most often PCIe or AGP). Has its own random access memory. Are you a demanding gamer or do you work with complex graphic editors? Take a discrete model.
- Integrated (IGP). Previously, it was soldered into the motherboard, now it is built into the central processor. Initially not suitable for playing realistic games and heavy graphics programs, but new models cope with these tasks. However, keep in mind that such chips are somewhat slower, because they do not have personal RAM and access the CPU memory.
- Hybrid graphics processing. This is 2 in 1, that is, when both the first type and the second type of GPU are installed in the computer. Depending on the tasks performed, either one or the other is included in the work. However, there are laptops in which 2 types of devices can work at once.
- External type. As you might guess, this is a graphics processor located outside the computer. Most often, this model is chosen by laptop owners who find it difficult to cram a discrete video card into their hardware, but really want to get decent graphics.
How to choose?
When choosing a video adapter for yourself, pay attention to the following characteristics:
- Clock frequency. Indicated in megahertz. The higher the number, the more information the device can process per second. True, not only it affects its performance. Architecture matters too.
- The number of computing units. They are designed to handle tasks - shaders responsible for vertex, geometric, pixel and general-purpose calculations.
- Filling speed (fill rate). This parameter can tell how fast the GPU can render the image. It is divided into 2 types: pixel fill rate and texel rate. The first is influenced by the number of ROP units in the processor structure, and the second - by texture units (TMU).
Usually, in the latest GPU models, there are fewer first blocks. They write the pixels calculated by the video adapter into buffers and mix them, which is cleverly called blending. TMUs fetch and filter textures and other information required for scene alignment and general calculations.
Geometric Blocks
Previously, no one paid attention to them, because virtual games had simple geometry. This parameter was taken into account after the appearance of tessellation in DirectX 11. Don't you understand what I mean? Let's go in order.
It is an environment (set of tools) for writing games. To help you navigate the topic, I will say that the latest version of the product is the 12th, which was released in 2015.
Tessellation is the division of a plane into parts to fill them with new information, which increases the realism of the game.
Thus, if you want to plunge headlong into the atmosphere of Metro 2033, Crysis 2, HAWX 2, etc., consider the number of geometric blocks when choosing a GPU.
Memory
Are you going to get a new graphics card? This means that you need to take into account a few more characteristics of the RAM:
- Volume. The importance of RAM is somewhat overestimated, as not only its capacity, but also its type and properties affect the performance of the card.
- Tire width. This is a more significant parameter. The wider, the more information the memory can send to the chip and vice versa in a certain time. A minimum of 128 bits is required to play games.
- Frequency. Also determines the throughput of the RAM. But keep in mind that memory with a 256-bit bus and a frequency of 800 (3200) MHz is more productive than with 128 bits at 1000 (4000) MHz.
- A type. I will not overload you with unnecessary information, but I will only name the optimal types for today - these are GDDR 3rd and 5th generations.
A little about cooling
Are you planning to install a powerful chip? Immediately take care of additional cooling in the form of radiators, coolers, and if you are going to regularly squeeze all the juices out of the device, you might think about a liquid system.
In general, keep an eye on the temperature of the vidyuhi. The program can help you with this. GPU-Z etc., which, in addition to this parameter, will tell everything about the device.
Of course, modern video cards are equipped with a protective system that does not seem to allow overheating. The temperature limit is different for different models. On average, it is 105 ° C, after which the adapter turns itself off. But it is better to save the expensive device and provide auxiliary cooling.
