What is a GPU? | Graphics Processing Unit

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is a programmable processor specialized for rendering all images on the computer’s screen. A GPU provides the fastest graphics processing, and for gamers, the GPU is a stand-alone card plugged into the PCI Express (PCIe) bus. GPU circuitry can also be part of the motherboard chipset or on the CPU chip itself.

What does a GPU do?

“GPU” became a popular term for the component that powers graphics on a machine in the 1990s, when it was coined by chip manufacturer Nvidia. The company’s GeForce range of graphics cards were the first to be popularised and ensured related technologies such as hardware acceleration, programmable shading and stream processing were able to evolve.

A GPU performs parallel operations. Although it is used for 2D data as well as for zooming and panning the screen, a GPU is essential for smooth decoding and rendering of 3D animations and video. The more sophisticated the GPU, the higher the resolution and the faster and smoother the motion. GPUs on stand-alone cards include their own memory, while GPUs built into the chipset or CPU chip share main memory with the CPU.

What are GPUs used for?

Although GPUs are most often associated with life-like graphics in top-quality video games, they can also have their use in other industries. GPUs aren’t just good for gaming – they have business applications too.

Business applications such as AutoCAD benefit from GPUs in rendering 3D models. Due to this type of software demanding constant changes in a short period of time, the PC on which it is being rendered needs to be able to withstand the strain of the editing process. In this case, the GPU facilitates the re-rendering of the 3D models.

Another popular use of GPUs is in video editing, especially when working with huge quantities of high-resolution files, such as 4K or 360-degree videos. Editing these kinds of files can be troublesome for most standard CPUs, which is why a high-end GPU is especially useful in being able to transcode the video files at a reasonable speed.

Ray Tracing Engine

GPUs may also include hardware to accelerate ray tracing, which simulates a light source falling on objects resulting in bright areas and shadows. Fast ray tracing greatly determines realism in video games and has become mandatory for the serious gamer.

Not Just Graphics Processing

Since GPUs perform parallel operations on multiple sets of data, they are increasingly used for scientific and AI applications that require repetitive computations. For example, in 2010, a Chinese supercomputer achieved the record for top speed using more than seven thousand GPUs in addition to its CPUs.

Why GPU is Important?

The GPU of your device is so important mainly because it makes games run more efficiently and makes them look better with higher resolution graphics and improved framerates, or how many frames per second the game runs at. Higher framerates mean smoother, faster games with less stutter or freezing due to load on the CPU. The GPUs of modern smartphones are capable of rendering 3D games and a lot of effects easily and this allows developers to make better looking and more complex games as a result. The GPU also aids the CPU in its workload and makes your device more power efficient and faster altogether.

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