Andrew Tark

Introduction

As technology has advanced, there have been inventions and innovations with
the express purpose of improving on what already exists, or being efficient with
pre-existing hardware and software. One particular piece of hardware that’s become
heavily relevant and mainstream in today’s world is the graphics processing unit,
otherwise known as the GPU. It’s become essential in the world of gaming, image and
AI processing, as well as more “modern” tasks like supercomputing and cryptocurrency.
For anybody who is confused around all the buzzwords and terminology or other people
who are curious as to how the tech behind all these industries work; and considering the
vast depth and complexity of a piece of hardware as broadly used as the GPU, the
information will be delivered and sourced from trustworthy and qualified experts. As the
aforementioned topics have exploded in popularity and become more mainstream,
there’s a lot of eyes looking to dive in and such large amounts of info can be hard to
digest; leaving the person overwhelmed . I’ll be writing this as a content creator for a
YouTube channel and the format of this document will serve as a script/outline of sorts
with content structured as: a brief history of the GPU, its relevant terminology, and its
application in today’s world.

History

The GPU is formally known as the Graphics Processing unit and is often
interchanged with graphics card, where its main purpose is to render any and all images
to a device screen. Many have come and gone, the two powerhouses that remain today,
however, are NVIDIA and AMD: with the former building their first in 1999 and the latter
getting into the GPU business after buying ATI (another graphics processor company) in
2006. The GPU has become famous with its usage in gaming because it serves as one
of the most intensive use cases for the average consumer regarding graphics and
image processing; people aren’t likely to use graphics cards for AI, machine learning, or
various scientific applications unless they’re required to (e.g. for a job or research
project). As more and more people have used the hardware for things like video
editing/rendering and content creation as social media/influencer presences increased
massively over the past couple decades. And by correlation, people that follow these
creators are likely curious of the setup that their favorite personality has; whether they’re
just curious or want to know in an attempt to emulate the content creator because they
also want to succeed.
Modern Improvements
As time has passed, the GPU has improved massively not just in performance
and features but in physical appearance and is usable in many more applications and
industries. Whereas older GPUs were smaller, drew in less power, and had no design
(only being the circuit board where the actual hardware is). Now because of Moore’s
Law, which essentially says that computers will become more powerful every two years
and we pay less for that performance, GPUs are much bulkier and carry larger cooling
solutions to offset the heat generated by internal components, the power draw is also
much bigger compared to years past. It’s because of these improvements that GPUs
have become mainstays in supercomputing and cryptocurrency mining due to the
efficiency and power they offer compared to running everything off of a CPU. Compared
to a CPU, a GPU is designed to break complex tasks and problems into smaller
“chunks” and work on them simultaneously. Hence, it becomes critical and essential to
use for complex, difficult, and tedious problems on a supercomputer or while mining
cryptocurrency.

What to look for

Critical specifications to look for in a graphics card can vary by use case but
there are a general few that apply across the board. Video RAM or VRAM for short is
memory specifically and only for the graphics card. It’s important to get a minimum
amount of memory for the graphics card because of the difference in how the GPU
handles tasks. The thermal design power or TDP is usually an indication of how much
power the graphics card will draw (with default settings) and is important for building a
PC since the GPU is the most power hungry component; which determines the kind of
power supply the user will need. Port selection determines the speed, resolution, and
cable type the user is allowed to use. As mentioned above, since the GPU’s most basic
function is to render images to a device screen, the monitor will need to support the
actual cable that will be plugged in as well as the speed/data transfer rate. This is
because more expensive and luxury monitors have higher base resolutions and faster
response times/refresh rates. More power and speed is needed to transfer resolutions
such as 1440p or 4k, in addition to keeping the monitors updated in real time (hence the
response times and refresh rates).

Conclusion

As technology has improved at such a drastic rate, graphical capabilities have

increased in wants and needs. While GPUs were an unnecessary component and
completely optional in the past, many devices like PCs, laptops, smartphones, tablets,
and gaming consoles all have some sort of a GPU to process images, render them, and
have them displayed. Especially for those looking to purchase one, it’s important to
learn what a GPU does and what a few of the important specifications are; considering
how the silicon/semiconductor industries are reeling from the pandemic and crypto
mining boom, causing GPU prices to skyrocket to several hundred percent above their
MSRP. With the new information, if the user must buy a GPU at this inflated price, they
can make an informed decision on their purchase instead of buying something they
don’t need.

Sources:

CPU vs GPU? What’s the Difference? Which Is Better? | NVIDIA Blog

What Is a GPU? Graphics Processing Units Defined (intel.com)
Graphics Card Tech Specs Explained: What Do They Mean, And Which Ones Matter
the Most? | Tech Times
Definition of GPU | PCMag
GPU Usage in Cryptocurrency Mining (investopedia.com)