GPU question

[Aleksander]

I am studying a little DirectX 11 lately and wanted to ask:
Why the gpu is the main device for graphics?
1)Because of hardware(special architecture)
2)Because of drivers(software)
3)Both

I want to know this ahead of what i am reading!

[Frick]

Graphics Processing Unit. It processes graphics. I'm not sure i understand what you want.

[johnspack]

Yes, the directx level is based on hardware, as well as software. The video card must be hardware capable of dx11 to use dx11. GTX6xx series are hardware capable of dx11.1, but earlier cards can not use dx11.1. Cards earlier than GTX4xx series, can not use dx11, only dx10. And so on.
Edit: if you are asking why the gpu does the work instead of the cpu, it's because modern graphics require a lot of power. A gpu is a 256bit cpu with ram running at 4000-5000mhz. It's basically a self contained super-computer, but it's main purpose is graphics rendering. It offloads a huge amount of work from the cpu.

[Aleksander]

ok, i didn't explain well!
Looks like you can emulate with your cpu directX11!!!
But with old gpus you just can't.
With main device I mean the fastest device for graphics
Normally the cpu can't be, so why it is gpu the main?

So what i am asking is very specific
Is it the way of some 'secret' hardware architecture which makes graphics the main device?
Or GPU, is exactly as CPU in architecture, even they have their differences, but only because of
drivers, the GPU is the main one?

[johnspack]

No, modern GPUs process data differently than cpus. They use a multi-cell approach called shaders. Usually 1000s of them. Each one is like a mini-cpu, but only can do specific tasks. It's also very specialized to render graphics. It's just much better at doing that than a cpu.

[xenocide]

Originally Posted by johnspack

No, modern GPUs process data differently than cpus. They use a multi-cell approach called shaders. Usually 1000s of them. Each one is like a mini-cpu, but only can do specific tasks. It's also very specialized to render graphics. It's just much better at doing that than a cpu.

That's an important point, most people commonly describe GPU's as "super-computers" when in fact it's just that they are incredibly niche, they are amazing at rendering images, but awful at other applications. You could basically say the same thing about CPU's, they excell at certain tasks, but fail at others. The rise in GPGPU attempts to bridge that gap.

[Wells]

Originally Posted by johnspack

No, modern GPUs process data differently than cpus. They use a multi-cell approach called shaders. Usually 1000s of them. Each one is like a mini-cpu, but only can do specific tasks. It's also very specialized to render graphics. It's just much better at doing that than a cpu.

about shader you can take wikipedia as a referral:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaders