Would DX11 allows Win7 to treat GPU as CPU? | The Coffeehouse

magicalclick

As of now, I am feeling the need to off load some work from CPU to GPU because those Flash games are terriblily CPU hungry. Since DX11 is required to support GPGPU, wouldn't it be nice to toggle such feature on and off to run normal programs? I am wondering if MS going to make such application or I have to find a 3rd party solution. If MS can do it, it would be the best.

TommyCarlier
I want my scalps!

GPU Computing and Windows 7

AndyC

"Normal" programs won't run on a GPU, no matter what you do. GPUs don't run x86 machine code and aren't well suited to doing so anyway (if they did, they'd be CPUs, not GPUs in the first place). Any application that wants to take advantage of a GPU for data processing is going to have to be specifically written to do so.

magicalclick

But since DX11 supports GPGPU, we can basically write a middle layer to enable that. Just traslate the x86 insctrustions to DX11 GPGPU code and off load it to DX11 cards. This is closer to Windows Core level, so, I hope MS is going to release an update for it. Just a button that says, Add GPU to CPU, and windows will treat it so. Anyway, I just don't want my Flash gaming burning my CPU, it is rather bad when my PC is going crazy for a plain looking game.

DCMonkey
Monkey see, monkey do, monkey will destroy you!

In reply to magicalclick

#Aug 28th @ 2:35 PM

You'd be better off asking Adobe to add hardware acceleration to Flash. It could then offload whatever work is actually appropriate for a GPGPU.

Actually, I believe Adobe is adding some manner of hardware accelration to Flash, though I think it's targeted towards the nVidia Tegra chipset for mobile devices.

contextfree

In reply to magicalclick

#Aug 28th @ 2:35 PM

This problem seems related to automatic parallelization or automatic vectorization. I doubt you'd have much success going from x86 -> GPU since they require very different programming models. High-level language -> CPU(s) + GPU(s) might work better, depending on the HLL. But this appears to still be an open research problem.

CreamFilling512

In reply to contextfree

#Aug 28th @ 5:25 PM

Programs for GPUs are pretty specialized, they can barely do integer math and branching for example. It's all about parallelism, running some program to calculate pixel color, and doing it for thousands of pixels similtaneously.

Turbodad

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the industry standard for GPU-based computing is OpenCL. Every major player in the field is backing it—except Microsoft, which had to come up with DirectCompute instead.

RoyalSchrubber
One. How many time travellers does it take to change a lightbulb?

In reply to Turbodad

#Sep 2nd @ 3:19 AM

It's not even de facto standard, it's as standardized as OpenGL is - it's just nvidia and ati led by apple and khronos group..

Turbodad

In reply to RoyalSchrubber

#Sep 2nd @ 4:39 AM

That's the same argument MS uses with CSS3. Yet many browsers support its features, except, of course, MSIE.

I read somewhere that MS being on board for OpenGL made life difficult for other participants as MS were pushing their own agenda. Maybe it is a good thing then that MS is not in OpenCL.

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to Turbodad

#Sep 2nd @ 6:30 AM

So, it's an "industry standard" that has no final spec and has been implemented by one vendor in an operating system that came out a couple of days ago?

Wow, talk about traction... Expressionless

intelman

OpenCL does sound pretty nice though?

Taking advantage of GPU power is pretty scattered. Nvidia CUDA, ATI Stream... I know DX 11 aims to unify this, but perhaps a multi platform solution would be of better use, get more apps out there?

I get your point, but I really do not think it is such a bad idea...

BHpaddock

In reply to Turbodad

#Sep 2nd @ 3:19 AM

Industry standard? It's one OS vendor's proprietary implementation...

CannotResolveSymbol
{insert caption here}

In reply to BHpaddock

#Sep 2nd @ 10:20 AM

That just happens to be supported by both ATI and NVidia-- essentially the whole graphics industry.

AndyC

In reply to CannotResolveSymbol

#Sep 2nd @ 10:25 AM

But so is DirectCompute, so that doesn't really make much difference. And if OpenCL follows the OpenGL model - i.e. long drawn out standards discussions with no conclusion, leading to manufacturers implementing proprietary extensions for basic functionality and thus making the whole thing about as platform independent as Bill Gates - then I'll pass, I think.

Turbodad

In reply to AndyC

#Sep 2nd @ 10:33 AM

Maybe the reason for OpenGL failures was Microsoft participation?

OpenCL working group participants are below. Two of them also support DirectCompute...

stevo_
Human after all

In reply to Turbodad

#Sep 2nd @ 11:16 AM

Uhm, isn't a working group more like "you guys might use this so join our club to help us direct the product" (bit like being someones 'friend' on facebook), doesn't microsoft have the same thing only microsoft actually even brings games dev studios into the fray to help decide how dx should evolve?

PaoloM
Hypermediocrity

In reply to Turbodad

#Sep 2nd @ 11:16 AM

Maybe the reason for OpenGL failures was Microsoft participation?

Why do you think OpenGL was a failure?

ZippyV
Fired Up

Nvidia is going to add OpenCL to their Windows drivers.

magicalclick

In reply to ZippyV

#Sep 2nd @ 2:18 PM

You mean they are going to bloat the driver with additional stuff, and people start blaming why Windows drivers are so bloated? I think I will get drivers from Windows Update then.

Dodo
I'm your creativity creator™ :)

In reply to magicalclick

#Sep 2nd @ 2:22 PM

There's no such thing that you call bloat. Heck, you wouldn't even notice. Except if you're still using 2GB harddisks perhaps...