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Iz-kan-reddit t1_j6m4buu wrote

Reply to comment by luxmesa in ELI5: Why do computers need GPUs (integrated or external)? What information is the CPU sending to the GPU that it can't just send to a display? by WeirdGamerAidan

To dumb it down some more, the CPU tells the GPU to draw a 45 degree line from A (pixel point 1, 1) to B (pixel point 1,000,1,000.)

The GPU puts a pixel at A, then adds 1 to each coordinate and puts a pixel there (at point 2,2.) It repeats this 999 times until it gets to B.

In this case, the math is really simple. X+1, Y+1. Rinse and repeat.

A CPU can do that simple math, but a GPU can do even that simple math faster. The more complicated the calculations are, the more advantage the GPU has, as the CPU is a jack of all trades, while a GPU is a math wizard.

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