Using OpenCL to use iGPU for non-graphic activities

[pitprok]

While reading about the 4770k i stumbled upon this paragraph

 

 

"You can always use OpenCL and code against the HD 4600 graphics
OpenCL allows you to utilize the graphics processor to do non-graphics related activities(GPGPU is vernacular)
The graphics processor used can be a discrete card or it can be integrated in the CPU."


Any idea how much someone would benefit from this and how it can be done ?

[pitprok]

Highly parallelizable problems usually have a big boost in performance when using GPUs, just like Folding@Home, media encoding, weather prediction, physics simulations and stuff like that.

AMD is exploring those benefits with Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) and its compiler, that you can read more details here. For general purpose and platform independent applications, you can use OpenGL Mathematics or ArrayFire libraries.

Can it be used to boost day to day activities like editing and gaming ?

[pitprok]

Yes, they can be used, but that depends on how programmers implemented the program. You can't run common x86 program on GPUs, if that's what you're trying to ask. To take advantage of the GPU they need to be coded using Cuda or OpenGL stuff.

Only AMD is trying to make that transparent to the programmer using theur modified compiler to choose where what kind of stuff is going to be processed.

So my Intel 4770k isnt going to work like that ? Or is it just harder than with AMD ?

And btw is there a way to enable this in order to happen or does it happen automatically ?