Graphics processor

See also: GPU

A graphics processor (in English GPU for Graphics Processing Links) is a Microprocesseur present on the graphics cards within a computer or of a video Game console. Part of work usually carried out by the principal Processeur is thus delegated to the graphics processor which takes care of the operations of graphic data display and handling. The processors of the modern graphics cards are very powerful thanks to a highly parallel structure (see material Accélération) which makes them more effective for a broad pallet of graphic tasks like returned the 3D, in Glide, Direct3D, in OpenGL, the management of the video memory, treatment of the video signal, decompression MPEG, etc

Few companies work on the design of such processors: NVIDIA, AMD via its subsidiary company ATI, Intel Corporation, the manufacturing main thing of graphics processors, and S3 Graphics (of VIA Technologies) are divided more than 90% of this strongly disputed market. Let us quote also Matrox, 3DLabs, and XGI. Manufacturers (Asus, MSI, PNY…) then give the responsability themselves to propose graphics cards integrating these processors.

Operation

It is initially necessary to know what are the Vertex, i.e. data items of the geometry in three dimensions, points between which will be traced the arètes of an object (the vertexes are the tops of the objects in three dimensions). The processor builds the object multidimensional. If the objects are in two dimensions, or that it is about vidéos, the data are directly sent to the window of posting.

To accelerate calculation, the processor calculates the invisible vertexes (hidden by other vertex, by the faces of an object or other) and removes them not to have to manage them.

The graphics processor then applies to the faces of the objects textures drawn to the hard drive thanks to the Pixel Pipeline. The graphic engine then sends to the processor data on lighting of the polygons, that this one is given the responsability to implement to light the scene. Then, the graphics chip applies to the image the various filters (Anticrénelage or anisotropic Filtrage), and sends the result to the window of posting, which “flattens” the image to post it with the screen.

Operating systems

Windows Vista

Vista from Microsoft draws from the power of the graphics processor in order to have effects 3D, this system names Aero. It is not necessary, it is possible to decontaminate it, to the operation of Windows Vista but wants to bring user-friendliness to the interface and ergonomics.

It is to be noticed that the protection measures (DRM) of commercial contents (films HD) of Vista require such a computing power for the figuring-deciphering of these contents that the power of the current graphics cards is not enough there, and that the principal processor must thus be put at contribution. Critical of the DRM

MacOS

The system of Apple was the first to use the power of the graphics card in order to manage posting, 2D or effects 3D.

Gnu/Linux

Under the GNU/Linux systems, the modules XGL then AIGLX for Xorg make possible the drawing of a window in an environment 3D. What allows the projects Compiz and its fork Beryl, amalgamated in Compiz Fusion to create an office type-setter 3D by using the functionalities 3D of the graphics processors. These offices often take the shape of a cube, whose faces are Virtual offices

In a general way, Xorg uses graphic acceleration 2D or 3D when pilots are available for the material. But if the free pilots tend to look after acceleration 2D as much that 3D, the pilots owners ATI and NVidia concentrate on acceleration 3D. The use of an office type-setter thus makes it possible to improve fluidity with these pilots.

These offices type-setters are generally only managers of fenètres, they are only part of a Environnement of office. They thus should jointly be used with KDE, Gnome, XFCE or any environments of offices which make it possible to use another manager of window.

example with Xgl and compiz.

See too

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