Razvoj grafičkih kartica na osobnim računalima

Grafiĉka kartica je raĉunalna komponenta, koja naredbe i instrukcije dobivene od centralne procesorske jedinice (engl. Central Processing Unit, skraćeno CPU), dohvaća, obraĊuje te zatim šalje na perifernu izlaznu jedinicu odnosno raĉunalni monitor. Prve generacije grafiĉkih kartica na osobnim raĉunalima, imale su ulogu mosta izmeĊu CPU-a te raĉunalnog monitora, odnosno cjelokupna obrada slike se izvršavala na CPU-u. Uzlet grafiĉkih kartica dogodio se uvoĊenjem grafiĉkog suĉelja za Microsoft Windows platformu, podrškom za upravljaĉke programe grafiĉke kartice, pojavom aplikacijsko programibilnih suĉelja na Windows platformi te sve većom popularizacijom izvoĊenja igara na osobnim raĉunalima (engl. Personal Computer, skraćeno PC). Upravo ta zadnja ĉinjenica dovela je i do pojave 3D grafiĉkih kartica na osobnim raĉunalima. Igre su postajale sve kompleksnije i realistiĉnije, odnosno izvoĊenje istih zahtijevalo je sve veću i veću raĉunalnu snagu. Ta ĉinjenica tjerala je proizvoĊaĉe grafiĉkih kartica da razvijaju i uvode na svoje modele grafiĉkih kartica nove tehnologije koje će 3D igre izvoditi na optimalan naĉin. Tako je krajem prošloga stoljeća predstavljena prva grafiĉka kartica sa nezavisnim grafiĉkim procesorom (engl. Graphics Processing Unit, skraćeno GPU) koja je otvorila vrata daljem razvoju grafiĉkih kartica. U prvom redu omogućila je stvaranja programibilnog 3D cjevovoda koji je doveo do uvoĊenja tokovnih procesora na grafiĉke procesore koji su i danas srž arhitekture grafiĉkog procesora. Tehnologija tokovnih procesora omogućila je razvoj grafiĉkih kartica iznimno visokih performansi. Današnji modeli grafiĉkih kartica, osim što se koriste za izvoĊenje raĉunalne grafike, svoju namjenu su pronašle i u drugim granama raĉunalne obrade podataka kao što su obrada slika, video zapisa, kriptiranje i dekriptiranje podataka, te razne raĉunalne simulacije.The graphics card is a computer component, which gets orders and instructions from the central processing unit (CPU), then access and process given data, and finally sends it to the peripheral output unit or computer monitor. The first generation of graphics cards on personal computers (PC), had a role in the form of a bridge between the central processing unit and the computer monitor, or in other words the entire image processing was executed on a central processing unit. Ascent of graphics cards, occurred by introducing a graphical interface to the Microsoft Windows platform, support for graphics card drivers, the advent of application programmable interface to the Windows platform and the increasing popularization of running games on personal computers. Precisely, this last fact has led to the emergence of 3D graphics cards on PCs. Games were becoming increasingly complex and more realistic, and demanding more and more computing power. This fact has forced manufacturers of graphics cards, to develop and introduce in their models of graphics cards, new technologies that will run 3D games in an optimal way. At the end of the last century, the first graphics card with an independent graphics processor (GPU) was introduced, which opened the door to further development of graphics cards. Graphics card with an independent graphics processor has enabled the creation of programmable 3D pipeline that led to the introduction of streaming processors to graphics processors, which are still the core architecture for graphics processors. Streaming processor technology allowed creation of extremely high performance graphics cards. Today's models of graphics cards, in addition to performing computer graphics, are used in other branches of computer data processing, such as image processing, video, encrypting and decrypting data, and various computer simulations