The GPU or Graphics Processing Unit It is a very important component in today’s computers since it allows amazing graphics to be rendered and that, of course, users can enjoy them. Hence, if you are a big fan of video games and high-definition content, you are interested in knowing everything about it.
This component works in the same way, but mainly analyzing the computer images without considering other more general aspects.
Also, there are several types, each with its pros and cons, and today you will also know them to get the graphics card that best suits you. We will also show you the differences between it and the CPU from a computer. Finally, we will deal with the widespread concept of GPU acceleration.
What is the GPU or Graphics Processing Unit and what is it for in a computer?
This is a video component of technological gadgets (computers, TVs, smartphones…) that has the function of process graphics. In addition, it helps to send all this information to the monitor.
This is, on the one hand, interprets the data that the CPU sends it, sorts and calculates the values that are of interest to you to store everything in your own memory; for the other, performs a processing of the stored and transforms themso that the output device in question (usually a monitor) can analyze and interpret it analogically.
It is worth mentioning that it is currently including other functionalities derived from supercomputing and network management, such as TV tuning, video capture, special connectivity with peripherals…
In any case, your work includes the generation of anti-jagging, rendering, texture mapping, blurs, shadows, tessellation, specular, etc.
This component, as we have begun by saying, it is very similar to a CPU, something like the version of this for the graphical context of the computers. graphics processing unit is a coprocessor that parses images to try to lighten the load on the CPU of a team.
Thus, said load is lighter when it comes to being processed by the central unit and, therefore, it can perform its functions with more ease, without having to force it.
Physically speaking, we find a piece of hardware, called a graphics card, that includes the set of software and other elements who work in these tasks. One of them is the GPU, although it is already common to use both concepts as synonyms. After all, the processing unit is the main part of what the card is, which, we repeat, is the physical element, the hardware that contains everything.
In general, this is attached to the motherboard or motherboard, just as it is done with some of the other components of a computer. It can also be just a software and embedded chip on the board or even on the CPU, not dockable, that is, it is not a piece to be added (we will see it later when learning about the types of cards).
Some ways of calling this unit, plus graphics card (that we have already seen that they are not the same but that we have decided to give them the same meaning) yugraphics processing unit are video card, video card or graphics accelerator.
Speaking of the complete concept of graphics or video card, we cannot fail to mention that other of its parts are the GRAM, which is its graphics memory, with random access (RAMDAC), in charge of transforming a digital signal into analog, and the outputs which can be DVI, VGS, HDMI, DP…
As to Its appearance occurs in the 80s and it comes, like many other innovations in the sector, from the hand of IBM, which used an Apple computer as inspiration to achieve the development of what would be the first video card. As a curious fact, indicate that this was interchangeable. It had 4 kB and was connected to a monitor.
Operation and characteristics of the GPU in a PC
Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are designed with many processing cores working at low clock frequencies. This is the opposite procedure to that of CPUs, which have few cores but very high clock frequencies.
The computer performs an analysis of the information that the graph has sent and transforms it into information that the output device or peripheral can interpret.
Nowadays, the design of the graphics processing unit includes two main functions: pixel processing and vertex processing.
Next, we will see how each of them works:
vertex processing
This is a fairly easy job for most modern GPUs as resource consumption is minimal.
The procedure is the next: get the information of the vertices, which has already been calculated by CPU and then, process rotation, spatial order, or vertex segment that is most visible graphically. With this procedure you can continue with the pixelation.
The vertex processing is done previously by the central processor so that the space is reordered, the graph is visible and the image can start to be pixelated.
pixel processing
Right now is when the graphics themselves are processed that the user can see.
This is a fairly complex process and one that, moreover, requires a higher processing load. This occurs because all layers and effects will be applied that are necessary so that much more worked and quite realistic textures come out.
Finally, once the information from the graphics is processed in the ways we have just seen, it is taken to a monitor, which will know how to interpret it.
Types of GPUs that exist today
There are currently three types of graphics on the market that differ mainly in the way they are implemented.
Let’s see what are the main differences between them:
dedicated cards
They are the graphic units that they have more power. In addition, they have a number of features and specifications for which they are specifically prepared. Hence, they are also the most efficient. The fundamental characteristic of a dedicated card is that has a completely independent RAMwhich will only be used by the graphics unit.
A dedicated card is one that is located on the motherboard joined by a specific port, although this is not always the most operative.
Integrated graphics
built-in units use system memory to perform their own functions. In restrained computers they are the most used because they consume less. They are also used on tablets and smartphones.
The central core of these cards used to always be on the motherboard; but for the most recent models of AMD and Intel they have decided to integrate these cards in the processor itself. This has been called AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (for the AMD brand) and Intel HD Graphics (obviously for the Intel brand).
Hybrid cards
These types of cards are what we could call low cost. This is because they keep prices very low but at the same time ensure certain power levels suitable for practically all home and office equipment.
hybrid cards they share system memory, although they integrate a small amount of their own memory It is used to carry out tasks of immediate type.
With this type of cards also, system memory latency time is decreased.
What is this about GPU acceleration?
GPU acceleration has been around for quite some time, but it’s only now that this feature is being leveraged for web browsers, which is where we see it being implemented most often. with this acceleration much better performance and lower energy consumption is achieved.
Graphics Processing Unit-accelerated encoding means you can enjoy 2 to 5 times higher image conversion at the time of carrying out, worth the redundancy, a conversion of graphics or videos. Thus, the combined power of CPU plus GPU is used to speed up the performance of those analysis applications and engineering.
GPU-accelerated computing makes the GPU is assigned the work of the part of the applications where it is necessary to perform calculations in a more exhaustive way, while the lighter code runs on the CPU. This will make the user believe that the applications are running much faster.
In fact, this feature is used in the field of artificial intelligence (with news in drones and robots) and in certain applications that require high CPU consumption when solving complicated operations.
What are the differences between the CPU and a GPU?
We have talked about both throughout the entire text, but how are they different? This lies mainly in the architecture of both.
Although both elements are designed to process data, the GPU is more efficient for calculating graphic information, has been created specifically for this. It is specialized for this task and may be less efficient at others.
The CPU, being a general purpose processor, can do all kinds of calculations.since it has been designed to process data in series, being able, in fact, to work with graphic information as well.
In fact, graphics takes (graphical) work from the CPU and when a certain level of acceleration is applied to it, it can perform parallel processes in terms of graphics work.
The GPU is capable of running many more programs at the same time (in parallel), although these must be much more specific. The ability of the graphics card to carry out work in parallel can even multiply by a hundred the performance that a CPU will have when carrying out similar operations.
Regarding the physical design of a GPU, it has a greater amount of silicon, which allows it to perform very specific tasks efficiently. The CPU follows a Von Newman architecture and the GPU uses the Circulating Model, focused on parallel processing.
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