A graphics accelerator (also known as a video accelerator or GPU) is a specialized microprocessor or part of a computer system that is designed to perform operations related to graphics and video processing.

The main task of the graphics accelerator is to process and display graphical data on the screen, which includes rendering 2D and 3D graphics, texture mapping, performing complex graphic effects and image conversion.

The device of the graphics accelerator
Graphics accelerators consist of the following components:

• computing cores. Graphics accelerators contain many computing cores (from several hundred to thousands) that work in parallel. These cores are capable of performing many simple computing operations simultaneously;
• memory. Graphics accelerators usually have their own high—speed memory – VRAM. It is used to store graphic data, textures, frame buffers and intermediate calculation results;
• the SIMD architecture. GPUs usually have a SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) architecture. This means that they are able to execute the same instruction simultaneously on multiple data elements;
• a textural unit. Graphics accelerators contain special texture units that process textures and apply them to the surface of objects;
• shaders. Shaders are programs executed on the GPU that control the rendering process and provide the implementation of various effects, lighting and materials;
• rasterizer. A rasterizer is a part of the GPU that converts vector data such as vertices, lines, and triangles into a bitmap image that can be displayed on the screen;
• output to the screen. Graphics accelerators can control the output of graphical information to the screen, which includes control of video outputs, monitors and other output devices.

Advantages of the graphics accelerator
Compared to integrated graphics, graphics accelerators have a number of advantages.

• Efficiency. Graphics accelerators are designed to solve complex graphics processing tasks and have higher performance compared to integrated graphics.
• Memory. Unlike integrated graphics, which uses shared memory with the processor, graphics accelerators have dedicated memory, which allows you to process graphics faster and more efficiently.
• Quality. Graphics accelerators support higher resolutions and reproduce more detailed and realistic images, providing a better visual experience.

The impact of graphics accelerators on visual computing
Graphics accelerators have significantly influenced visual computing due to high performance and parallel computing capabilities, which makes it possible to efficiently process and display complex graphics and video.

Here are some of the main aspects of the impact of graphics accelerators on visual computing.

• Graphics and Game Acceleration. Graphics accelerators improve performance in games and applications with demanding graphics. They can handle complex 3D models, rendering, lighting and effects.
• Visual quality improvement. Graphics accelerators allow you to improve the quality of graphics and video by processing textures, smoothing edges, anisotropic filtering and other graphic techniques.
• Video and multimedia processing. Graphics accelerators have specialized capabilities for processing video data, including decoding and encoding various formats, as well as applying filters and effects to video.
• Scientific and engineering visualizations. In the field of scientific and engineering computing, graphics accelerators are used to create visualizations of complex data and calculation results.
• Virtual and augmented reality. Graphics accelerators play a key role in creating compelling visual effects in virtual and augmented realities.
• Medical and scientific visualization. Graphics accelerators are used in medical and scientific research to visualize medical data and simulate biological processes.