As part of the multimedia course we take about the graphics card a lot. But what difference does a decent graphics card make?
Well a CPU can do one thing at a time, even multi core machine can only manage up to 8 things at a time. However, a GPU can mange hundreds of calculations at the same time. I wonder how we could demonstrate that?
Description of features of graphics cards for output of video, including:
- role of DAC
- role of DSP (to allow hardware decoding of data stream including MPEG files)
Well I finished setting up the new machines today, and even as I type this, the network should have finished installing software on them and is shutting them down.
I took one of the machines out for a bit of a test to see what it could do, but before I comment on that, lets look at the specs.
The machines are in a slimline case and look OK for a HP. I loaded up most of the games that were too slow for my old machines; warsow, world of padman, etc. I set the graphics options to max and had a look at the frames per second – rock solid on 75+FPS, which means they should be fast enough for anything we want to do.
One thing though, the desktops are only reporting 3GB, why is that and what can we do about it?
Quite a few people have been asking about self building a PC. Its a good way to get more bang for your buck. There are a number of websites and articles. I liked this article, it covers all the main points well. The only piece of advice I would give you, if you plan to build a machine is to set a budget and stick to it. Five or ten pounds here and there adds up to hundreds of pounds of over spend.
Also before you turn it on, check everything again (esp the graphics & CPU coolers) and look out for loose screws that might have dropped into the case. Lesson 3 in the article has some tests you can run if you can’t get life into your system.
Well Crysis 2 is out and it gives me a chance to talk some more about resolution and graphic quality. The video below shows the same levels on a PC and 360. The video has been captured in HD from both sources and can be best seen if maximised to full screen (make sure to turn up the quality to see the differences). Pay attention not just to the level of detail on both platforms but also to the background, everything in a game needs to be rendered in real time by the CPU & GPU. Could it be that the 360 is starting to show its age?
WARNING Youtube videos, comments and posts often contain unsuitable language and material that may be age sensitive. They are out with the school’s control and should be viewed with caution.
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