A summary of some concepts of GPU

A summary of some concepts of GPU

Record some understanding of the GPU related knowledge, colloquial more, to help understand. Intro

The computer is generally said that integrated graphics cards or independent graphics, the real difference is the GPU. The integrated video card is using Intel's GPU, while the standalone video card is using an additional GPU. All know that the GPU is processing images, life needs a little better GPU is generally in playing 3D games, using PS to do the map. When you add a standalone graphics card with a high GPU, how can you use it? Generally in the windowns under the independent video card is required to install the driver, then the large game and PS software can be used directly. But the different models of the graphics card with different models of the GPU, why as a user does not feel the use of the difference, there will be only speed to distinguish. This stems from windows to do a unified interface, different graphics drivers for the Windows system to achieve a unified interface, so that the game and PS software only in accordance with the standard interface to call to complete the use of the GPU.

From a developer's point of view this involves several parts: the operating system, the unified interface, the GPU hardware, the application. They are on the Windows platform: Windows,direct3d, nvidia, Photoshop. For the unified interface ",direct3d is exclusive to Windows, others are OpenCL (Apple led), OpenGL (open source community), and so on, where OpenGL is the mainstream of linux/android. With that in place, when you want your program to use the GPU for rendering graphics, the search material uses the XXX OpenGL instead of the XXX GPU.

Since I am not a developer on a Windows system, the above example is also because it is the desktop operating system that is currently used most, as a pointcut. The use and understanding of the GPU will be sorted out based on OpenGL. using OpenGL

When locked to understand and use the GPU based on OpenGL, the first step is to find a demo, based on pure software and GPU rendering test.

In fact, the OpenGL upper layer again encapsulates such as "glx" for "x Window system", mainly used in Linux desktop systems; OpenGL ES (OpenGL for Embedded Systems) is mainly used in embedded devices, including Android. For example, on a Mali-400 MP's GPU home page, you can see the standard it supports for "OPENGL ES 1.1 and 2.0".

。。。 (To be continued)

Reference:
1. The difference between OpenCL, OpenGL and DirectX