GPU Sorting – The Benefits
The graphics processing unit or GPU has become an important part of most modern computer design. A GPU is a specialized form of processor that is implemented in a computer in order to ease the workload of the central processing unit or CPU. A GPU is also incorporated because, due to its design, it can perform certain graphics operations with greater efficiency than the more general purpose CPU. According to Denny Atkin, "More than 90% of new desktop and notebook computers have integrated GPUs" .
There are generally two forms of GPU, integrated and non-integrated. Integrated GPUs are found directly on the motherboard of a computer. Integrated GPUs are often cheaper than their non-integrated counterparts but that benefit is offset by performance. Often integrated GPU's are less powerful than non-integrated GPUs which are usually in the form of a graphics card. One recent example of a graphics card is the ATI Radeon HD 5970.
A graphics card consists primarily of two parts, memory and GPU. The memory is usually used to store information about each pixel (of a computer screen) until it is ready to be displayed. The GPU is similar to a CPU but it is specifically designed for performing complex geometric and mathematical calculations that are associated with graphics rendering.
GPUs can be classified, using Flynn’s taxonomy, under the single instruction, multiple data streams, or SIMD, classification of computer architectures. Generally, most common CPUs can be classified as single instruction, single data stream or SISD. Commonly SIMD is faster but less diverse, SISD is likely slower but more diverse. Thus it is often worthwhile to run certain tasks on a GPU rather than a CPU, rather graphics based or ...
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...osition Sort), and then running said algorithm in parallel, great performance enhancements can be achieved. Therefore a Graphics Processing Unit is not only a valid platform for sorting algorithms, it can excel in sorting.
A valid argument can be made that there are plenty of non-parallel algorithms that trump Bubble Sort in terms of computation time. While Heap Sort, Quick Sort, Radix Sort, and other advanced sorting algorithms can indeed, like the GPU based Odd-even Transposition Sort, destroy Bubble Sort sort times. This begs the question, how does the GPU based OETS fair against those advanced sorts?
The purpose of this paper however is not to demonstrate a superior sorting technique, rather, its purpose is to suggest that sorting algorithms can be ran on the GPU to great success. This suggests that GPUs have many applications beyond mere graphic operations.
What does any kind of order have to do with math? It’s just left to right isn’t it? Wrong, the order of operations is a specific method to figuring out the correct answer to certain problems. For those of you who do not realize what I am yammering on about, this procedure piece is about the order of operations.
The Microsoft Xbox has powerful components within that overpower any other console, including its CPU or it’s Central Processing Unit. The Xbox runs an Intel Pentium III 733-megahertz (MHz) processor. This is a lot more powerful than Nintendo Gamecube’s IBM Power PC 485-megahertz Gekko chip processor and even lower the Sony Playstation 2’s 128 bit “Emotion Engine” which is clocked around 294-megahertz. A few more components that make this console far superior to any other is its graphics processor, or GPU, which stands for Graphic Processing Unit. Microsoft had teamed up with Nvidia to create a chip that was made especially for the Xbox. The computer-based company ‘s 250-megahertz chip gives the console an amazing resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and 125 Million Polygons per Second. Sixty four- (64) megabytes (Mb) of DDRam back all this up, for great non-glitch games and smooth running. Nintendo also has a computer-based company teaming up with them to create the 162-megahertz ATI Flipper GPU Chip. This chip can only handle around 6-12 Million polygons a second and is only backed up by 43-megabytes of DDRam.
“Which is better, AMD or Intel?” is a question that is constantly debated among people involved with computers. There are many reasons to choose one side over another, as both do have their advantages and disadvantages. Intel and AMD are the most prevalent processor production companies, which in turn creates competition between the two. This question is a by-product of that competition. Only by knowing each company and what their product has to offer, can a person make a decision as to what to buy to suit their needs.
The 166 MHz graphics chip has 2 MiB embedded memory and through its 512 bit interface provides hardware polygon and NURBS rendering, hardware directional lighting, clipping, environment projection and texture mapping, texture compression and tessellation , fogging, alpha blending, depth and stencil tests, vertex blending for morphing effects, and dithering, all in 16 or 24 bit color. The graphics chip also handles image output. Specifications state that the PSP is capable of rendering 33 million flat-shaded polygons per second, with a 664 million pixel per second fill rate
The computer processor is the brain of the system. Our client requires a heavy punch, multi tasking brain. Due to his low income and student status, he does not have a large budget to put towards his computer. The AMD AthlonXP 1900 was chosen because of it's low cost and it's higher performance rating than that of the higher priced equivalent Pentium 4. The AMD AthlonXP 1900's speed is 1.6GHz. This means 1600Hz, which is a very fast processor. Amazingly, the clock speed of this processor is faster, albeit barely, than the Pentium 4 2.0GHz processor, and is much cheaper as well. This is important, as, for less cash, our student can afford a better processor.
These devices are attached to the motherboard through different connections. The output devices like monitors and printers can be used by a file server to show different files or print hard copies of files. These devices take the data from the computer and put it into a format that users can read and understand. I would like to take a moment here and go over the different kinds of monitors that a person can use as an output device. The first is the regular CRT monitors are heavy and use a lot of electric power to display objects, but are preferred by graphical artist for the color rendition. Then there are the flat panel monitors, which can use liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or a plasma display. These displays use electronically at each pixel to control the color. The input devices like a keyboards and a mouse. These inputs take the movements from the users and turn it into data that the computer can understand. (Beach,
In today’s world of advanced computer games, the requirements that computers must meet to run these games are very, very steep ones. A major requirement of almost all high tech computer games is a decent graphics card. With most of the games today being developed in 3-D, unlike the games a decade ago which were almost always 2-D, an advanced graphics card is a must to get any amount of fun from these games. Two companies that are heavyweights in the ring of computer graphics are ATI and NVIDIA.
Owning a gaming computer is one of the best investments a person can make in their life. Having a gaming computer can greatly influence one’s entertainment ranges and personal hobbies. Every gamer or anyone who occasionally games should have a gaming computer instead of a gaming console. A gaming console only provides people with basic programs and simple user interface while a gaming computer can be used for any needs one need. A gaming computer is one’s own cable box but better. Having a gaming computer you can have it fully customized to fit whatever theme you would like it to fit, can run many programs and other applications faster than a console, and can be loaded with a plethora of multiple useful programs one can use.
Softwares are instructions, commands, or data that direct the operation of computer systems. Hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other devices. Hardware such as electronic circuitry and other components of a computer use software or programs to make technology do things. Hardware is permanent and not flexible, while software or programming can easily be varied and modified. You can put an entirely new program in the hardware and make it create an entirely new experience for the user. People can change the modular configurations that most computers come with by adding new adapters or cards that extend the computer's capabilities.
In the field of computer graphics there are usually four general applications that one thinks of:
A processor is the chip inside a computer which carries out of the functions of the computer at various speeds. There are many processors on the market today. The two most well known companies that make processors are Intel and AMD. Intel produces the Pentium chip, with the most recent version of the Pentium chip being the Pentium 3. Intel also produces the Celeron processor (Intel processors). AMD produces the Athlon processor and the Duron processor (AMD presents).
So in order to give the CPU a break and help it run more efficiently, a Graphic card can be used to process the graphics portion of the processing load. Because most of today's programs are graphically oriented, the video card can help almost any program run more efficiently.
Computer Graphics is the bond between humans and computers. Computer graphics is a large field that branches into almost all fields of computer science; however its roots are young. Computer graphics has massively grown over the past 40 years and is now our primary means of communication with computer applications. Do to technological limitations in the 1950s, computer graphics began as a small, specialized field. The Whirlwind project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is marked as the origin of computer graphics (Machover 14).
It’s prime role is to process data with speed once it has received instruction. A microprocessor is generally advertised by the speed of the microprocessor in gigahertz. Some of the most popular chips are known as the Pentium or Intel-Core. When purchasing a computer, the microprocessor is one of the main essentials to review before selecting your computer. The faster the microprocessor, the faster your data will process, when navigating through the software.
A CPU has various discrete units to help it in these tasks for example there is an arithmetic and logic unit(ALU) that takes care of all the math and logical data comparisons that need to performed. A control register makes sure everything happens in the right sequence. The motherboard is the main circuit board inside the PC. All other components are either slotted into or soldered to this board.