Learn in the textbookTypes and Performance of Processors
DefinitionA GPU (graphics processing unit) is a processor for graphics that uses many cores to handle, all at once, the large volume of calculations needed to draw 3D images and display video.
ExplanationDrawing repeats the same kind of calculation for every pixel on the screen, and that goes faster when many simple cores line up and calculate at the same time. The GPU takes this kind of work off the CPU, leaving the CPU free to focus on overall control and other tasks.
AnalogyIt is like a crew painting a huge mural by giving each person one square of the grid to fill in at the same time. Each person's job is simple, but with so many hands the whole picture is finished quickly.
Memory hookThe G in GPU stands for Graphics. It differs from CPU by one letter, and that first letter tells you its specialty.