GPUs - Graphics Processing UnitsMinh Tri Do DinhMinh
Do-Dinh@student
atVertiefungsseminar Architektur von Prozessoren, SS 2008Institute of Computer Science, University of InnsbruckJuly 7, 2008This paper is meant to provide a closer look at modern Graphics Processing Units
It explorestheir architecture and underlying design principles, using chips from Nvidia’s ” Geforce” series asexamples
1 IntroductionBefore we dive into the architectural details of some example GPUs, we’ll have a look at some basic conceptsof graphics processing and 3D graphics, which will make it easier for us to understand the functionality ofGPUs1
1 What is a GPU
A GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is essentially a dedicated hardware device that is responsible for trans-lating data into a 2D image formed by pixe