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What is a video card (GPU) and how does it

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What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained

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GPU ( Graphics processing unit ) – More than a processor , RAM or any other part, the video
card is the most desired component for those who like to play on the computer. Also called a
GPU, it is designed to work with 3D images . There is currently a huge variety of models
produced by companies like AMD, Intel and NVIDIA.
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Today we will show you what a GPU is and how it works. We will explain why it is so di erent
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1. What is the GPU? Questions
1.1. Who coined the term GPU? My Ucf
2. GPU or video card? Which is correct?
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3. Onboard or O board, which is better?
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3.1. The advantages of the dedicated video card
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4. Inside the GPU
Networks Questions And Answers
5. What is di erent about a professional GPU?
6. CPU x GPU: understand the di erence Networks Quiz Promasti
7. GPGPU: far beyond games Question And Answer Networking
8. Cryptocurrency mining: gamers’ nightmare?
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GPUs are the parts responsible for image processing on our computers. They have hardware Questions & Answers
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components specialized in working with 2D or 3D images, in operations such as geometry
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calculation, texture mapping, pixel transformation, among others.
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The 3D images that we see in games and applications are traditionally created from what we call
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vector graphics. The GPU plots a series of coordinates (called vertices), using the connection
between these points to form the polygons of a scene. In the process, she applies textures, Wase Solution Wase Solutions

lighting and a series of complementary details to these shapes. Wase Wipro WhatsApp

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After calculating the entire scene in the virtual space, the GPU performs the rasterization Wipro Wase
process, converting the scene into pixel data. This information is then sent to our monitors, Wishing Script For Blogger
where the nal image is displayed. This process is repeated numerous times per second. Wishing Website Script YouTube
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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

Who coined the term GPU?

The acronym GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit . It was rst used in the mid-1970s to
describe graphics processors that worked independently from the CPU. Initially, there was talk
of a Graphics Processing Unit.

Later, in 1994, Sony again used the acronym to refer to the graphics processing unit of
the PlayStation video game . In 1999, NVIDIA launched the GeForce 256 card, popularizing the
meaning of GPU that we use today.

GPU or video card? Which is correct?

There are two main types of GPUs, which are the onboard and o board types. Onboard
(embedded) are those embedded in the same integrated circuit as the CPU. They use shared
resources, taking advantage of the system’s RAM memory to store the information in use.

GPUs of the o board type are those installed on a proprietary PCB, forming the dedicated video
cards. Note that the term GPU refers only to the processing unit and not the video card as a
whole!

These cards, in addition to carrying a GPU, have their own set of components, including power
systems, connectors for image output and a speci c type of video memory for graphics
operations, which we call VRAM or Video RAM (the current generation uses the GDDR6 standard
for graphics memory).

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card

Dedicated video cards are installed in special slots on the motherboard, called PCI Express. They
make a direct bridge for the exchange of information with the processor.

Onboard or O board, which is better?

Onboard GPUs are an excellent solution for compact PCs and notebooks, where maximum
integration between components is required for energy use and battery life. However, RAM
sharing and restricted space on the processor chip mean that performance is limited compared
to dedicated graphics cards.

Devices like tablets and smartphones also often use onboard GPUs. The di erence is that in
these devices it is integrated with what we call SoC (System on a chip). This part contains
practically all the components necessary for data processing, including processor, GPU, RAM,
among others.

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

Intel® Core ™ i7-11700 processor, with integrated Intel® UHD

Graphics 750 GPU

The advantages of the dedicated video card

Dedicated video cards are the most suitable for those who want high performance (especially
when it comes to games and other 3D applications). They accommodate more powerful graphics
processing units and large amounts of video memory, without having to compete for space and
other resources with the CPU.

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

Dedicated cards are powered by the PCI Express slots on the motherboard and computer
source, using speci c cables. This allows manufacturers to build more complex GPUs, which
operate at extremely high speeds, in a stable manner and without interfering with the operation
of the other components.

Another important advantage of dedicated video cards is that they are physically separated from
the rest of the PC parts. This makes it possible to install extremely robust cooling systems, which
help to sustain high performance for extended periods.

Both AMD and Intel have processor lines with onboard graphics chips. The main manufacturers
of dedicated video cards today are AMD and NVIDIA. Both o er GPU models for virtually all
market segments, including mobile, desktop and professional (workstation).

Inside the GPU

If you look at the surface of a GPU, you will see only a sheet of “metal”. But the truth is that
GPUs are very complex structures. Inside the main chip there are thousands of cores and
smaller units, responsible for doing all the required graphic processing and mathematical
calculations.

Some models, such as the NVIDIA GeForce 3090, have a staggering 28.3 billion transistors,
operating at speeds that often exceed 1,700 MHz.

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

GPU photo of an NVIDIA GeForce 1070

Each manufacturer develops its architecture thinking strategically about what types of
resources, e ects and techniques will be most used by games and other applications that make
use of graphics acceleration. That is why it is so di cult to directly compare the operation of an
AMD card with one from NVIDIA, for example, and there is no room for discussion about which
has the most clock or the most cores.

While AMD uses a nomenclature like Stream Processors or Compute Units, for example, NVIDIA
uses Cuda Cores, but these parts are not equivalent.

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

What is di erent about a professional GPU?

Most video cards available on the market are aimed at the gamer audience. Models such as
NVIDIA GeForce RTX and AMD Radeon RX are optimized to deliver maximum performance and
image quality in games, bringing features designed for this audience, such as streaming tools,
automatic overclocking, among others.

There is, however, a di erentiated category of video cards on the market, which are the
professional ones (Workstation). They are developed especially for applications such as
architecture, engineering, computer graphics, arti cial intelligence, telecommunications, large-
scale nance and scienti c research.

Although they are often built on the same architecture as the gamer sisters, professional video
cards have a series of di erentials, starting with the tested, optimized and certi ed driver for
work environments, in which stability is one of the most important parts.

Many models also come equipped with special memory, capable of correcting operational
errors. Some models are still built in the form of industrial racks, allowing mass installation,
inside dedicated servers (something especially useful for tasks such as rendering and complex
searches).

Professional AMD cards are often called Radeon PRO. The NVIDIA models belong to the Quadro
line.

CPU x GPU: understand the di erence

Although the processor (CPU) and the GPU are built from billions of transistors, the way they are
internally structured and their functions di er considerably.
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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

Processors (CPUs) have to deal with a series of distinct and generally non-repetitive tasks,
ranging from excel spreadsheets to the most varied routines in the operating system. This
requires versatility and broader compatibility. The execution of these processes also takes place
in a serial manner, one at a time.

Video cards are extremely specialized units. Its function is primarily graphic processing (2D or
3D). To do this, it uses hundreds of smaller processing units, all working on similar functions,
such as rendering polygons, textures and converting information to pixels.

GPUs tackle a large volume of tasks simultaneously, performing what we call parallel
processing. Check out a comparative table from NVIDIA on the di erences between CPU and
GPU:

CPU x GPU

To illustrate the di erence between these two pieces when it comes to image rendering, the
Mythbusters team did a really fun demonstration, which you can see below:

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6/4/2021 What is a video card (GPU) and how does it work? Explained - Trenovision

Keep in mind that the roles of these components are di erent and complementary, so it is not
possible to compare them directly in terms of performance.

GPGPU: far beyond games

GPUs do a lot more for your computer than just rendering a Fortnite game. Do you want some
examples of this? Starting with the operating systems, the most modern versions of Windows,
MacOS, Android and Linux use the graphics acceleration of the video card to render parts of the
interface and many of the e ects that we see on the Desktop, such as transparencies, window
transitions, icons, between others.

GPUs have also been widely used in video editing software (such as DaVinci Resolve and Adobe
Premiere) as they are able to speed up the rendering, encoding and decoding process. An
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example is acceleration with Intel Quick Sync technology.

Although they were developed with the purpose of accelerating 3D graphics in real time, video
cards have undergone a vast transformation in recent years. Scientists have discovered
countless ways to take advantage of GPU capabilities, using them in very complex computational
tasks.

This gave rise to the term GPGPU, General Purpose GPU, which refers precisely to the use of
technology for purposes other than simple image processing. Examples of this include projects
like Folding @ Home , an initiative that uses the computing power of millions of video cards
worldwide to simulate protein folds. The results help to discover treatments for several diseases,
such as cancer and even the Coronavirus.

Another area in which GPUs have been gaining prominence is in the automotive sector, more
speci cally in autonomous cars. The explanation for this lies in the capacity that these
processors have in recognizing the images received by the sensors and the cameras, performing
calculations in real time to dictate the route and avoid hazards along the way. In addition to
Tesla, other large companies such as Audi, Hyundai, Mercedez-Benz and Volvo have been
investing in autonomous vehicle technology.

Cryptocurrency mining: gamers’ nightmare?

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Among so many interesting applications for the GPU, one in particular is taking gamers’ sleep
away: cryptocurrency mining. The rise in the value of items like Bitcoins, Ethereum and others
has attracted a legion of investors, who put their video cards to work day and night in exchange
for fragments of those currencies.

Due to the type of calculation performed in the mining process, GPUs are much more e cient
than any other processing unit. This has led to an unprecedented shortage in the market. In
response, many GPU manufacturers are launching special models, which limit performance for
mining.

And you, what do you think of all this? Tell us how the GPU and video cards impact your day
below, in the comments!

Also Read : What is the di erence between the processor and GPU ?

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