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

10 Minute Task In groups research the following: What a graphics processor is Different brands of graphics cards or chips What the difference between integrated and dedicated graphics are. Differences between CPU’s and GPU’s

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….

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. 

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. 2GB GDDR SDRAM is generally considered good for 1080p gaming when combined with separate system RAM For 4K gaming or VR 4GB GDDR SDRAM or above is recommended. Again when combined with standard DDR system RAM.

Does a higher GPU speed mean it’s automatically better? 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 GPU speed mean it’s automatically better?

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 - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms Useful site: https://www.techpow erup.com/gpudb/ As always include reference’s and examples. GPU - Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms Task 1 - Complete the table below: Find a recent and up-to-date GPU for Nvidea, AMD, Intel and consoles. GPU’s: Nvidia AMD Intel Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox One X PS4 PS4 Pro Nintendo Switch Model: 1080 GTX Radeon RX Vega 64 Iris Pro Clock Speed: Cores(Shaders): RAM: Dedicated? Integrated?

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.

Polygons Face : This is what we intuitively think of as the polygon. It’s the surface that we actually see. While it has a width and height, it has no depth – it’s infinitely thin. Normal : A polygon’s normal is simply its front. The simplest way to think of this is that every polygon has a front and a back, and the normal (by default) runs perpendicular to the front of the face. This can be a little abstract until it’s seen in action (which we will examine in a little bit); but this becomes very important in situations like game creation because games (in order to draw things faster) don’t draw the backs of polygons. So, if the normal of a polygon is facing the wrong way, the polygon isn’t seen within a game engine. Normals can be further tough to understand because they aren’t shown by default when selecting a component and can be a little obscure to control. Not to worry though; we’ll spend some good time talking about them and especially getting them to face the direction they need to. Edge : A face is surrounded by edges. These edges define the limitations of the polygon and the face. These edges also exist within 3D space, but actually contain no geometry of their own – they simply help describe the geometry of the polygon. When an edge is moved, rotated, or scaled, it changes the shape of the face and thus the polygon. Vertex : Each edge has a vertex on either end of it. Vertices are one dimensional components that exist in 3D space. When a vertex is moved (one vertex cannot be scaled or rotated), it changes the length of the edges it is a part of, thus changing the shape of the polygons those edges contain. Do note, that a collection of vertices can be rotated or scaled which really is simply moving their relative location to each other. UVs : These are really less of a “what” and more of a “where.” They are a coordinate system that allows Maya (or any 3D program) to know how to attach a texture to a collection of polygons. They are not particularly modifiable in 3D space – and really need to be handled in 2D space – most particularly in something we call “texture space.”

Rasterisation Rasterization is the process of converting from polygons to pixels on the screen. It looks to determine what pixel is part of what polygon and the fills that pixel in with that polygons color or texture. As you can see the edges aren't very pretty, those jaggies are caused by the fact that the screen resolution isn't high enough to properly display the art we want. The effect is called aliasing and the process of removing it is known as anti-aliasing.

How a GPU works cont. The graphics card accomplishes these tasks 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 PCI express bus 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

Unit 20: Understanding hardware technologies for game platforms Must: Complete Sound, Display and Game Storage section of your assignment. PP and task breakdown at: jamestedder.net – Unit 20: P2/P3 Should: Start organising your work from HCI to game storage. Slim it down into one coherent document. Could: Read through the PowerPoint on Connectivity and PSU’s at jamestedder.net. Then have a go at completing the task.