gCPU vs APU

[Idontcare]

i'll be using APU for the time being, if only for the specificity. Until all cpu's being sold contain a gpu as well, it is worth differentiating with a different term.

Once expectations of parallel vector function in a cpu are default, we can go back to just cpu.

or split the difference:
apu vs cpu = bpu aBc
cpu vs gpu = epu cdEfg

Do you refer to Sandy Bridge chips as APU's? What about Clarkdale?

 

[gorobei]

Do you refer to Sandy Bridge chips as APU's? What about Clarkdale?

for discussion purposes, for me: apu =~ any single chip cpu/gpu, ideally with some additional function beyond just graphic display(i.e. quicklink, etc).

so single die cpu + gpu not included. must be single chip. As for SandyBridge, intel is obviously reluctant to subscribe to any amd terminology and has yet to market an equivalent term with any zeal. Probably because they would just like everyone to stick with cpu as it is their historical wheelhouse and their highest regarded conotation.

if you want to be contrarian, you could just define APU as "all processing unit" or "amalgamated" or "absolute" just to take some of the control from amd marketing punts.

 

[taltamir]

I still think that a APU is a fitting term.

1) it does graphics which isnt a normal cpu task.

Ever heard of "software rendering"? A lot of lower end graphics are rendered in the CPU.
What this does is do graphics better than traditional CPU... yet significantly worse than a traditional GPU.

2) the gpu part of the cpu, is probably bigger than the int cores part.

So is the floating point unit, the IMC, the PCIe controllers, the ... you get the picture.

3) GPGPU acceleration.

GPGPU = General Computing on GPU. This is where the GPU can run generic code just like a CPU can. Modern GPUs all have GPGPU capability. The ability of the CPU to run code as a GPU that is running code as a CPU is rather redundant...

benefits of a new term:
1) people dont buy a cpu, find out it doesnt have a gpgpu abiltiies/GPU in it.
(not all CPUs are APUs, and a cpu isnt just a cpu, if the differnce between them is this big)

1. Not all CPUs have SSE3, 4, NXbit, IMC, etc etc.
2. You could just say CPU w/ HD3200 graphics (which is what they are already doing; only they are saying APU with HD3200 graphics)
3. You do not run the risk of a mixup because they use completely different sockets.

 

[podspi]

I bet when they were originally designing the chips, the engineers came up with something like ACPU (Accelerated Central Processing Unit) and marketing decided it was too clunky. 😀

 

[PreferLinux]

All modern CPUs have vector processing capabilities: MMX, SSE, AVX, and such like.

 

[Joseph F]

I'll just use CPU as eventually all (or most) CPUs will have GPUs on-die and CPU+GPU/APU/whatever will become an extinct term. Just like AMD stopped marketing Athlon CPUs as "Athlon 64" because virtually all CPUs nowadays have 64-bit support.

 

[Idontcare]

I'll just use CPU as eventually all (or most) CPUs will have GPUs on-die and CPU+GPU/APU/whatever will become an extinct term. Just like AMD stopped marketing Athlon CPUs as "Athlon 64" because virtually all CPUs nowadays have 64-bit support.

^ well said, succinctly captures my position as well :thumbsup: