GPUs: A Closer Look

  • Authors:
  • Kayvon Fatahalian;Mike Houston

  • Affiliations:
  • Stanford University;Stanford University

  • Venue:
  • Queue - GPU Computing
  • Year:
  • 2008

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Abstract

A gamer wanders through a virtual world rendered in near- cinematic detail. Seconds later, the screen fills with a 3D explosion, the result of unseen enemies hiding in physically accurate shadows. Disappointed, the user exits the game and returns to a computer desktop that exhibits the stylish 3D look-and-feel of a modern window manager. Both of these visual experiences require hundreds of gigaflops of computing performance, a demand met by the GPU (graphics processing unit) present in every consumer PC.