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Is this possible

E

EchoMatrix

Gawd
Joined
Feb 1, 2005
Messages
806
the graphics card of today:
pretty much has everything right? memory, bios(i think), gpu.

would it be possible to load up an entire computer off of just a video card, slightly modified? Course, i am teh n00b so maybe im missing something.
thanks
 
That is correct. I actually have a scaled down version of Windows 98 set to load into my video card's memory and from there I go. I modded an ethernet port into the side and fashioned a cable to go straight from the molex into the wall. My harddrive is made out of hopes and dreams as well. The best part is the DVD drive that I made. It uses the fan to spin the disc.
 
While it contains the most basic components of a computer system. The actual instructions supported by the GPU is very limitted and specific compared to your regular desktop processor.

With increased use of shader models the GPU is becoming less specific in nature. It is may be possible in the near future to off load some vector style processing to the GPU.

The other all layout of GPU's is similar to super computer style vector processors and the new Cell design.

Currently it is not possible to just start the video card because of the way to it is setup.
 
EchoMatrix said:
the graphics card of today:
pretty much has everything right? memory, bios(i think), gpu.

would it be possible to load up an entire computer off of just a video card, slightly modified? Course, i am teh n00b so maybe im missing something.
thanks
Click to expand...

No you can not.
 
robberbaron said:
That is correct. I actually have a scaled down version of Windows 98 set to load into my video card's memory and from there I go. I modded an ethernet port into the side and fashioned a cable to go straight from the molex into the wall. My harddrive is made out of hopes and dreams as well. The best part is the DVD drive that I made. It uses the fan to spin the disc.
Click to expand...

LOL :p

Hopes and dreams is where I started laughing my ass off.
 
I know some real kernel geeks. If there were a way to port Linux to a GPU, it would have been done already :)

That said, you CAN use your GPU(s) as vector co-processors. Slightly off topic, but pretty cool nonetheless.

http://www.gpgpu.org/
 
I've asked about practical uses of video cards before. Among the replies is a software that lets you use your GPU for very intensive audio processing. But other than that, there's nothing that would let you run other applications over the GPU.

There's a processor that came out several years ago tho. It's got Video and Audio built right into the processor chip. Would that count?
 
Sly said:
I've asked about practical uses of video cards before. Among the replies is a software that lets you use your GPU for very intensive audio processing. But other than that, there's nothing that would let you run other applications over the GPU.

There's a processor that came out several years ago tho. It's got Video and Audio built right into the processor chip. Would that count?
Click to expand...

While GPU's are still best suited to things like graphics and yes, audio, as the instruction sets get more complete there is more and more one can do on them. This is especially true in the scientific arena. Go to the gpgpu site that I posted and read some articles, it's fascinating stuff.
 
how much would you have to modify your chip to make it run xp or something?
hard wire in hd, etc
 
EchoMatrix said:
how much would you have to modify your chip to make it run xp or something?
hard wire in hd, etc
Click to expand...


It would require a completely new ISA(instruction set architecture) which means you have design the instruction set and the minimum rediesign the pipeline stages and the fetch and decode steps. This would require new silicon. Which would be impossible for any one but the actual maker of the GPU.
 
I remember reading about some university programming things that will run on GPU's and considering that a 5700 has the power of a 10Ghz P4, its pretty cool.
 
Sly said:
Found it!

MediaGX Cx5510



CPU, GPU, APU, PCI, NorthBridge, SouthBridge, all in one.

So technically, it's both a GPU and a CPU, among other things :p

@ThomasE66
Nice site.
Click to expand...

No. It doesn't have GPU capabilitites. It's just a chip with built in VGA. A GPU is a programmable graphics processing unit. Generally speaking, the Geforce (original) was the first video chip called a GPU.

Yea, gpgpu is a very interesting site. I'm playing with some of the raytracing code I found following some of the links.
 
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