How does the graphics processor in pc. How does a graphic card work. View application video memory usage

Hello, dear users and fans of computer hardware. Today we will discuss what integrated graphics are in the processor, why they are needed at all, and whether such a solution is a discrete alternative, that is, external video cards.

If we talk from the point of view of the engineering plan, then the integrated graphics core, universally used in their products by Intel and AMD, is not a video card as such. This is a video chip that was integrated into the CPU architecture to fulfill the basic duties of a discrete accelerator. But let's deal with everything in more detail.

From this article you will learn:

Appearance story

For the first time, companies began introducing graphics into their own chips in the mid-2000s. Intel started developing with Intel GMA, however, this technology showed itself rather poorly, and therefore was unsuitable for video games. As a result, the famous HD Graphics technology is born (currently the latest representative of the line - HD graphics 630 in the eighth generation of Coffee Lake chips). The video core based on Westmere architecture made its debut as part of the Arrandale mobile chips and desktop ones - Clarkdale (2010).

AMD went the other way. At first, the company bought out ATI Electronics, the once-awesome graphics card manufacturer. Then she began to pore over her own AMD Fusion technology, creating her own APUs - a central processor with an integrated video core (Accelerated Processing Unit). The first generation chips debuted as part of the Liano architecture, and then Trinity. Well, the graphics of the Radeon r7 series for a long time was registered as part of laptops and netbooks of the middle class.

The benefits of embedded solutions in games

So. Why do we need an integrated card and what are its differences from a discrete one.

We will try to make a comparison with an explanation of each position, having done everything as reasonably as possible. Let's start with a performance such as performance. We will consider and compare the most relevant solutions from Intel (HD 630 with a frequency of a graphics accelerator from 350 to 1200 MHz) and AMD (Vega 11 with a frequency of 300-1,300 MHz), as well as the advantages that these solutions provide.
Let's start with the cost of the system. Built-in graphics can save quite a lot on the purchase of a discrete solution, up to $ 150, which is crucial when creating the most economical PC for office and use.

The frequency of the AMD graphics accelerator is much higher, and the adapter’s performance from reds is much higher, which indicates the following indicators in the same games:

As you can see, Vega 11 is the best choice for inexpensive "gaming" systems, since the adapter's performance in some cases reaches the level of a full-fledged GeForce GT 1050. And in most network battles, it shows itself perfectly.

Currently, only the AMD Ryzen 2400G processor comes with this graphics, but it is definitely worth a look.

Option for office tasks and home use

What are the most common requirements for your PC? If you exclude games, you get the following set of parameters:

• watching movies in HD-quality and videos on Youtube (FullHD and, in rare cases, 4K);
• work with the browser;
• listening to music;
• communication with friends or colleagues using instant messengers;
• application Development;
• office tasks (Microsoft Office and similar programs).

All these items work perfectly with the integrated graphics core at resolutions up to FullHD.
The only nuance that must be taken into account without fail is the support for video outputs by the motherboard on which you intend to install the processor. Specify this point in advance so that there are no problems in the future.

The disadvantages of integrated graphics

Since we figured out the pros, we need to work out the shortcomings of the solution.

• The main disadvantage of this venture is performance. Yes, you can, with a clear conscience, play more or less modern toys at low and high settings, but graphics lovers will definitely not like this idea. Well, if you work with graphics professionally (processing, rendering, editing videos, post-production), and even on 2-3 monitors, then the integrated video type will definitely not suit you.

• Moment number 2: the lack of its own high-speed memory (in modern cards it is GDDR5, GDDR5X and HBM). Formally, the video chip can use at least up to 64 GB of memory, but will it all come from where? Right, from operational. So it is necessary to build the system in advance in such a way that the RAM is enough for both work and graphic tasks. Keep in mind that the speed of modern DDR4 modules is much lower than GDDR5, and therefore more time will be spent on data processing.
• The next disadvantage is heat dissipation. In addition to its own cores, another process appears on the process, which, in theory, warms up no less. You can cool all this splendor with a boxed (complete) turntable, but get ready for periodic underestimations of frequencies in especially complex calculations. Buying a more powerful cooler solves the problem.
• Well, the last caveat - the inability to upgrade the video without replacing the processor. In other words, to improve the integrated video core, you will literally have to buy a new processor. Doubtful benefits, right? In this case, it is easier to purchase a discrete accelerator after some time. Manufacturers like AMD and nVidia offer great solutions for every taste.

Summary

Integrated graphics is a great option in 3 cases:

• you need a temporary video card, because there was not enough money for an external one;
• the system was originally conceived as super-budget;
• you create a home multimedia station (HTPC), in which the main emphasis is on the built-in core.

We hope that one problem in your head has become smaller, and now you know why manufacturers create their own APUs.

In the following articles we will talk about such terms as virtualization and not only. Keep up to date with all relevant topics related to iron.

The integrated graphics processor for both gamers and undemanding users plays an important role.

The quality of games, films, watching videos on the Internet and images depends on it.

Principle of operation

The graphics processor integrates into the computer's motherboard - this is how the integrated graphic looks.

Usually use it to remove the need to install a graphics adapter.

This technology helps to reduce the cost of the finished product. In addition, due to the compactness and undemanding power consumption of such processors, they are often installed in laptops and low-power desktop computers.

Thus, the integrated GPUs have filled this niche so much that 90% of laptops on the shelves of US stores have just such a processor.

Instead of the usual video card in the integrated graphics, the auxiliary memory of the computer itself is often an auxiliary tool.

True, this solution somewhat limits the performance of the device. Nevertheless, the computer itself and the GPU use the same memory bus.

So such a “neighborhood” affects the implementation of tasks, especially when working with complex graphics and during the game process.

Kinds

Built-in graphics has three groups:

1. Graphics with shared memory - a device based on shared memory management with the main processor. This significantly reduces the cost, improves the energy saving system, but degrades performance. Accordingly, for those who work with complex programs, embedded GPUs of this kind are more likely to not work.
2. Discrete graphics - a video chip and one or two video memory modules are wired to the system board. Thanks to this technology, the image quality is significantly improved, and it also becomes possible to work with three-dimensional graphics with the best results. True, you will have to pay a lot for this, and if you are looking for a high-power processor in all respects, then the cost can be incredibly high. In addition, the electricity bill will increase slightly - the power consumption of discrete GPUs is higher than usual.
3. Hybrid discrete graphics - a combination of the two previous types, which ensured the creation of the PCI Express bus. Thus, access to the memory is carried out both through soldered video memory, and through operational. With this solution, manufacturers wanted to create a compromise solution, but it still does not mitigate the shortcomings.

Manufacturers

Large companies, as a rule, are engaged in the manufacture and development of embedded graphic processors, and many small enterprises are connected to this area.

Make it easy. Find Primary Display or Init Display First. If you don’t see something like this, look for Onboard, PCI, AGP or PCI-E (it all depends on the installed buses on the motherboard).

Choosing PCI-E, for example, you turn on the PCI-Express graphics card, and turn off the integrated integrated video card.

Thus, in order to enable the integrated video card, you need to find the appropriate parameters in the BIOS. Often the switching process is automatic.

Disable

Disabling is best done in BIOS. This is the simplest and easiest option, suitable for almost all PCs. An exception is perhaps some laptops.

Again, find Peripherals or Integrated Peripherals in BIOS if you are working on a desktop.

For laptops, the function name is different, and not always the same. So just find something related to the graphics. For example, the necessary options can be placed in the Advanced and Config sections.

Disconnection is also carried out in different ways. Sometimes it’s enough just to click “Disabled” and put the PCI-E video card first in the list.

If you are a laptop user, do not be alarmed if you cannot find a suitable option, you may not have such a function a priori. For all other devices, the rules are simple - no matter how BIOS itself looks, the filling is the same.

If you have two video cards and they are both shown in the device manager, then the matter is quite simple: click on one of them with the right side of the mouse and select “disable”. However, keep in mind that the display may go out. Most likely, it will be so.

However, this is a solvable problem. It is enough to restart the computer or software.

Perform all subsequent settings on it. If this method does not work, roll back your actions using safe mode. You can also resort to the previous method - through BIOS.

Two programs - NVIDIA Control Center and Catalyst Control Center - configure the use of a specific video adapter.

They are the most unpretentious in comparison with the other two methods - the screen is unlikely to turn off, through BIOS, you too will not accidentally knock down the settings.

For NVIDIA, all settings are in the 3D section.

You can choose your preferred video adapter for the entire operating system, and for certain programs and games.

In Catalyst software, an identical function is located in the Power option in the “Switchable Graphics” sub-item.

Thus, switching between GPUs is not difficult.

There are various methods, in particular, through programs, and through BIOS. Turning one or another integrated graphics on or off may be accompanied by some malfunctions, mainly related to the image.

It may go out or distortion may just appear. Nothing should affect the files themselves in the computer, except that you did something in the BIOS.

Conclusion

As a result, integrated GPUs are in demand due to their low cost and compactness.

For this you have to pay the level of performance of the computer itself.

In some cases, integrated graphics are simply necessary - discrete processors are ideal for working with three-dimensional images.

In addition, industry leaders - Intel, AMD and Nvidia. Each of them offers its own graphics accelerators, processors and other components.

The latest popular models are Intel HD Graphics 530 and AMD A10-7850K. They are quite functional, but have some flaws. In particular, this refers to the power, productivity and cost of the finished product.

You can enable or disable the graphics processor with the built-in kernel either through BIOS, utilities and various programs independently, but the computer itself can very well do it for you. It all depends on which video card is connected to the monitor itself.

Modern graphics cards, by virtue of the demands from them of enormous computing power when working with graphics, are equipped with their own teamcenter, in other words - a graphics processor.

This was done in order to "offload" the central processor, which, due to its wide "scope", is simply not able to cope with the requirements that moderngame industry.

Graphic processors (GPUs) in terms of complexity are absolutely not inferior to central processors, but due to their narrow specialization, they are able to more efficiently cope with the task of processing graphics, building an image, and then displaying it on a monitor.

If we talk about the parameters, then they are very similar to the GPUs of the GPUs. These are parameters already known to everyone, such as the processor microarchitecture, clock frequency   core work, manufacturing process. But they have quite specific characteristics. For example, an important feature of the GPU is the number of pixel pipelines (Pixel Pipelines). This characteristic determines the number of processed pixels per cycle of the GPU robots. The number of these pipelines can vary, for example, in the graphic chips of the Radeon HD 6000 series, their number can reach 96.

The pixel pipeline is engaged in calculating each subsequent pixel of the next image, taking into account its features. To speed up the rendering process, several parallel pipelines are used that calculate different pixels of the same image.

Also, the number of pixel pipelines affects an important parameter - the speed of filling a video card. The fill rate of the video card can be calculated by multiplying the core frequency by the number of pipelines.

Let's calculate the fill speed, for example, for an AMD Radeon HD 6990 graphics card (fig. 2)   The GPU core frequency of this chip is 830 MHz, and the number of pixel pipelines is 96. With simple mathematical calculations (830x96), we conclude that the fill rate will be 57.2 Gpixel / s.

Fig. 2

In addition to pixel pipelines, there are also so-called texture units in each pipeline. The more texture units, the more textures can be applied in one pass of the conveyor, which also affects the overall performance of the entire video system. In the aforementioned AMD Radeon HD 6990 chip, the number of texture sampling blocks is 32x2.

In GPUs, one can distinguish another type of conveyor - vertex, they are responsible for calculating the geometric parameters of a three-dimensional image.

Now, let's look at the step-by-step, somewhat simplified, process of pipeline calculation, with the subsequent image formation:

1 - th stage.   The data on the vertices of the texture goes to the vertex pipelines, which are involved in calculating the geometry parameters. At this stage, the T&L unit (Transform & Lightning) is connected. This unit is responsible for lighting and image transformation in three-dimensional scenes. Data processing in the vertex pipeline takes place due to the vertex shader program (Vertex Shader).

2 - oh stage.   At the second stage of image formation, a special Z-buffer is connected to cut off invisible polygons and faces of three-dimensional objects. Next, the process of filtering textures takes place, for this pixel shaders enter the “battle”. OpenGL or Direct3D software interfaces describe standards for working with three-dimensional images   . The application calls a certain standard function OpenGL or Direct3D, and shaders perform this function.

3rd stage.   At the final stage of image construction in pipeline processing, data is transferred to a special frame buffer.

So, we just briefly reviewed the structure and functioning principles of graphic processors, information, of course, is “not easy” for perception, but for general computer development, I think it will be very useful :)

Modern devices use a graphics processor, which is also referred to as a GPU. What is it and what is its working principle? GPU (Graphics is a processor whose main task is the processing of graphics and floating-point calculations. The GPU facilitates the work of the main processor when it comes to heavy games and applications with 3D graphics.

What is it?

The GPU creates graphics, textures, colors. A processor that has multiple cores can run at high speeds. The graphic has many cores that operate primarily at low speeds. They do pixel and vertex calculations. Processing of the latter mainly occurs in the coordinate system. The graphic processor processes various tasks, creating a three-dimensional space on the screen, that is, objects in it move.

Principle of operation

What does the GPU do? He is engaged in processing graphics in 2D and 3D. Thanks to the GPU, your computer can perform important tasks faster and easier. The peculiarity of the GPU is that it increases the calculation speed at the maximum level. Its architecture is designed so that it can process visual information more efficiently than the central computer CPU.

He is responsible for the location of three-dimensional models in the frame. In addition, each processor filters the triangles included in it. It determines which ones are in sight, deletes those that are hidden behind other objects. Draws light sources, determines how these sources affect color. The graphics processor (what it is - described in the article) creates an image, displays it to the user on the screen.

Efficiency

What determines the efficient operation of the GPU? Temperature. One of the problems with PCs and laptops is overheating. That is what becomes the main reason why the device and its elements quickly fail. Problems with the GPU begin when the temperature of the processor exceeds 65 ° C. In this case, users notice that the processor starts to run weaker, skips clock cycles in order to independently lower the increased temperature.

The temperature regime of 65-80 ° C is critical. In this case, the system reboots (emergency), the computer shuts down on its own. It is important for the user to ensure that the temperature of the GPU does not exceed 50 ° C. Normal is considered t 30-35 ° C in idle time, 40-45 ° C at many hours of load. The lower the temperature, the higher the performance of the computer. For the motherboard, video card, case and hard drives - its own temperature conditions.

But many users are also worried about the question of how to reduce the temperature of the processor in order to increase its efficiency. First you need to find out the cause of overheating. This may be a clogging of the cooling system, dried thermal grease, malware, overclocking of the processor, raw BIOS firmware. The simplest thing a user can do is replace the thermal grease that is on the processor itself. In addition, you need to clean the cooling system. Experts also advise installing a powerful cooler, improving air circulation in the system unit, and increasing the rotation speed on the cooler's graphics adapter. For all computers and GPUs, the same temperature reduction scheme. It is important to monitor the device and clean it on time.

Specificity

The graphics processor is located on the video card, its main task is the processing of 2D and 3D graphics. If a GPU is installed on the computer, then the device’s processor does not do unnecessary work, therefore it functions faster. The main feature of the graphic is that its main goal is to increase the speed of calculating objects and textures, that is, graphic information. The processor architecture allows them to work much more efficiently, process visual information. An ordinary processor cannot do this.

Kinds

What is a graphics processor? This is a component that is part of the video card. There are several types of chips: built-in and discrete. Experts say that the second copes better with its task. It is installed on separate modules, as it is distinguished by its power, but it needs excellent cooling. Built-in graphics processor is in almost all computers. It is installed in the CPU to make power consumption several times lower. It cannot be compared with discrete ones in power, but it also has good characteristics and demonstrates good results.

Computer graphics

What's this? This is the name of the area of \u200b\u200bactivity in which computer technology is used to create images and process visual information. Modern computer graphics, including scientific, allows you to graphically process the results, build diagrams, graphs, drawings, and also make various kinds of virtual experiments.

Using constructive graphics, technical products are created. There are other types of computer graphics:

• animated;
• multimedia;
• art;
• advertising;
• illustrative.

From a technical point of view, computer graphics are two-dimensional and three-dimensional images.

CPU and GPU: the difference

What is the difference between these two designations? Many users are aware that the graphics processor (which is described above) and the video card perform different tasks. In addition, they differ in their internal structure. Both CPU and GPU - which have many similar features, but they are made for different purposes.

The CPU executes a certain chain of instructions in a short period of time. It is made so that it forms several chains at the same time, splits the flow of instructions into many, executes them, then merges them again into a single whole in a specific order. The instruction in the stream depends on those that follow it, so the CPU contains a small number of execution units, here the main priority is given to the speed of execution, reducing downtime. All this is achieved using the pipeline and cache memory.

The GPU has another important function - rendering visual effects and 3D graphics. It works easier: it receives polygons at the input, performs the necessary logical and mathematical operations, and outputs pixel coordinates at the output. The work of the GPU is the operation of a large stream of different tasks. Its peculiarity is that it is endowed with a large but slower operation compared to the CPU. In addition, modern GPUs have over 2,000 execution units. They differ among themselves by methods of access to memory. For example, a graphic does not need large cached memory. The GPU has more bandwidth. To explain in simple words, the CPU makes decisions in accordance with the tasks of the program, and the GPU performs many identical calculations.