What does the CPU do in rendering a modern game?

metalmackey · 4 Jul 2010 at 17:03

Might be a stupid question but I will ask anyway

In a modern game, what does the CPU do that the GPU needs? Does the CPU render the scene with flat shaded polygons and nothing else, then the GPU adds textures, lighting, shaders ect, or does the CPU do more like texturing and lighting?

Ta

metalmackey · 5 Jul 2010 at 20:23

Hmmmmmmmm, no one knows then LOL

metalmackey · 5 Jul 2010 at 20:30

Yeah I know that, I was talking about just the graphics part

metalmackey · 5 Jul 2010 at 23:35

Hmmmmmmmm, thanks guys

If the CPU just sends commands to the GPU, then why does a slower CPU bottleneck a high-end GPU? Surely you don't need much CPU power to send commands to the GPU? Or, am I missing something?

metalmackey · 6 Jul 2010 at 14:06

I heard that on the PS3 the Cell's "special cores" can be and are used to do things the GPU can't, like shaders and other special effects. Is it true?