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1. Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:49 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

   is it normal to call them GPUs instead of video cards? this is like calling a computer a "CPU"...

   • Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:37 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

     in reply to

     • Steveg58

     @Steveg58 there is a formal definition of a CPU, but that's narrow enough that it arguably excludes things often found on modern CPU chips, such as cache memory. older microcomputer CPUs fit the definition more neatly since they were more stripped down, and i think that understanding of the CPU equalling a chip has stuck, because it used to be fairly accurate to call something like a Motorola 68000 a "CPU", whereas a modern desktop CPU can approach being a SoC at times.

     Santa Claes 🇸🇪🇭🇰🎅 likes this.
   • Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:38 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

     in reply to

     • Steveg58

     @Steveg58 that's a fairly uncommon way of defining "CPU" in the rest of the industry, i think. you'd get a lot of people calling you flat out wrong for that.

   • Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:38 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

     in reply to

     • Steveg58

     @Steveg58 but how often do you buy the chip itself as a separate part in a mainframe? if you're always buying the CPU on some card, i can see why you'd just call the whole thing a CPU.

   • Steveg58 (steveg58@aus.social)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:46 UTC Steveg58

     in reply to

     @thor
     In mainframes and minis the CPU is the actual chip and all its supporting circuitry. I guess it is a case of differing cultural backgrounds.

   • Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:47 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

     in reply to

     • Steveg58

     @Steveg58 i mean, this is a GPU:

   • Steveg58 (steveg58@aus.social)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 12:21:48 UTC Steveg58

     in reply to

     @thor
     Well, a video card needn't have a GPU and these days many applications of a GPU do not involve video at all.

   • Thorwegian ❄️ (thor@berserker.town)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 15:52:42 UTC Thorwegian ❄️

     in reply to

     • Steveg58
     • thatguyoverthere ن

     @thatguyoverthere @Steveg58 this is what happens when processing power gets TOO cheap.

     there are probably some VERY overpowered bathroom scales out there right now, because putting an ARM chip in them is so cheap.

     Santa Claes 🇸🇪🇭🇰🎅 likes this.
   • thatguyoverthere ن (thatguyoverthere@charlestown.social)'s status on Thursday, 24-Mar-2022 15:52:46 UTC thatguyoverthere ن

     in reply to

     • Steveg58
     @thor @Steveg58 some CPUs now have onboard CPUs and include throttling code that you have to pay to disable. 🤡