Graphics Processor Graphics Processing Unit P2 Understand hardware technologies for game platforms Graphics Processor Graphics Processing Unit P2 - Graphic processor: types; speed; cache; address/data bus; two-dimensional (2D) and three- dimensional (3D) processor, eg pixels, polygons, nurbs; speed; graphics memory

What is a Graphics Processor? The GPU renders images, animations and video for the computer/console/devices screen. GPUs are located on plug-in cards, in a chipset on the motherboard or in the same chip as the CPU. Can you think of any brands that make GPU’s?

Nvidia Also Intel….

CPU vs GPU - Differences A CPU consists of a few cores optimized for sequential serial processing. A GPU has a massively parallel architecture consisting of thousands of smaller, more efficient cores designed for handling multiple tasks simultaneously.

GPU Forms Integrated Graphics Processor – Utilizes a portion of a computer's system RAM. IGPs can be integrated onto the motherboard as part of the chipset, or within the same die as CPU (like AMD A PU or Intel HD Graphics). Dedicated Graphics Processor - A dedicated GPU is not necessarily removable, nor does it necessarily interface with the motherboard in a standard fashion. The term "dedicated" refers to the fact that dedicated graphics cards have RAM that is dedicated to the card's use, not to the fact that most dedicated GPUs are removable. 

GPU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms – Task 1 Put together/add to a table containing the latest/recent high end processor from Nvidia, AMD and Intel for Pc’s. Then include Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4(You could include other gaming platforms if you wish) GPU specs. Include brand of GPU, model name, clock speed, cores, RAM and if it is Dedicated or Integrated in your table. As always include reference’s and examples

Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process. How a GPU Works The GPU decides how to use the pixels on the screen to create the image. It then sends that information to the monitor through a cable. Creating an image out of binary data is a demanding process.

How a GPU works cont. To make a 3-D image, the graphics card has to: Create a wire frame out of straight lines. Rasterizes the image (fills in the remaining pixels). Then it also adds lighting, texture and colour. For fast-paced games, the computer has to go through this process about sixty times per second. Without a graphics card to perform the necessary calculations, the workload would be too much for the computer to handle.

How a GPU works cont. The graphics card accomplishes this task using four main components: A motherboard connection for data and power A processor to decide what to do with each pixel on the screen Memory to hold information about each pixel and to temporarily store completed pictures A monitor/TV connection(e.g HDMI) so you can see the final result

GPU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms – Task 2 Introduce GPU’s, what they are and how they work then include GPU speed(Does faster clock speed mean it is faster?), Cores(Include the differences with CPU cores), RAM and Capacity(e.g GDDR) and mention the FSB including Address and data bus. Using the work you have done for Josh, what is a Pixel? What is a Polygon? Research and discuss the graphics cards from your table which is better and why? As always include reference and examples

GDDR vs DDR DDR(Double data rate) SDRAM(Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory): Standard used for most PC’s. Currently on type 4(DDR 4). Graphics DDR SDRAM (GDDR SDRAM): A high bandwidth  interface designed for use in graphics cards, game consoles and high-performance computation. Superior to standard DDR but expensive in comparison. Currently on type 5(GDDR 5)

RAM Capacity Memory(RAM) comes in various sizes as we have seen. 4GB is generally considered good for general computing. 8GB ideal. Currently for gaming it is considered that 8GB is the minimum needed and seen as 16GB as ideal.

Does a higher CPU speed mean it’s automatically better? GPU Speed A GPU's clock speed rate is a measure of how many clock cycles a GPU can perform per second. A CPU with a clock rate of 2.0 GHz can perform 2,000,000,000 clock cycles per second. Does a higher CPU speed mean it’s automatically better?

Address/ data bus Buses are circuits on the motherboard that connect the GPU to other components. There are many buses on the motherboard. A bus moves instructions and data around the system. The bus that connects the GPU to the memory is called the front-sided bus (FSB) or system bus.

Address/ data bus The FSB contains two types of bus: Address bus - When the computer processor needs to read or write from or to the memory, it uses the address bus to specify the physical address of the individual memory block it needs to access (the actual data is sent along the data bus).The address bus only sends data in one direction - from the GPU to RAM. Data bus - this sends data to the memory or receives data from the memory. Data can flow both ways along the data bus. A data bus simply carries data.