POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.pov4.discussion.general : GPU usage : Re: GPU usage Server Time
14 May 2024 02:19:46 EDT (-0400)
  Re: GPU usage  
From: clipka
Date: 4 Mar 2009 16:10:00
Message: <web.49aeed4adc9638ab26f6761f0@news.povray.org>
Saul Luizaga <sau### [at] netscapenet> wrote:
> I have to desagree, Ihave seen examples on some web pages how the GPU
> beat the crap out of a CPU (FPU included) on certain calculations, I was
> reading about "GPUs as a powerful co-processor" or something like that.
> Those calculations were prety complex for 3D geometry solving and other
> stuff I don't recall well, was like a year or so ago.

Unfortunately, the keywords here are "CERTAIN calculations", and "CO-processor"

Or, to put it another way: There is *some* reason why we're not yet running
computers with GPUs *instead* of CPUs.

GPUs excel in specialized bulk data processing (they can be reprogrammed to
change their specialization nowadays, but that still doesn't invalidate this
statement), while CPUs provide for more flexibility.

I could imagine an approach to write a raytracing engine that could quite easily
"outsource" bulk data to a GPU; however, POV does *not* use this approach, and
can't be made to without a virtually complete rewrite.

I think I'm repeating myself, but anyway: Your proposal seems a nice idea, yet
probably has a too low benefit/effort ratio for the average POV user to place
it anywhere high on the development agenda.


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