Evolution of GPUs by Ari S.

By starzsyn
  • Period: to

    1980s

  • Period: to

    GPUS

    made by Ari

  • NEC µPD7220

    NEC µPD7220
    The first ever GPU. This chip was developed by NEC in Japan. One of the best chips in the 1980s even while being the first. It had 30,000 to 40,000 transistors.

  • ARTC HD63484

    ARTC HD63484
    The second GPU to be made. This chip was made by Hitachi in Japan. This GPU had 60,000 transistors and ran at 8 MHz. This chip had all CRT control functions.
  • Period: to

    1990s

  • S3 86C911

    S3 86C911
    This GPU was made by S3 Graphics in Santa Clara, California. It accelerated 2D graphics and was quite fast. Unfortunately, there is not much information on this chip and it was gone from the mainstream market by 1995.

  • Consoles

    Consoles
    During the 1990's, console gaming was getting more popular. Consoles such as the Playstation, the Nintendo 64, and the SNES. These consoles had their own chips that powered the console. These chips were more powerful and allowed 3D games to become more common. This allowed PC chip manufacturers to use similar technology to add 3D gaming to PC's too.

  • Nvidia GeForce 256

    Nvidia GeForce 256
    This GPU made the term "GPU" popular. This chip was made by Nvidia in the USA. This was the strongest GPU at the time. It had 22 million transistors, far beyond any other GPU of the time. It also had lighting capabilities that other chips did not have as well as 3D improvement.
  • Period: to

    2000s

  • Geforce 3

    Geforce 3
    This chip was made by Nvidia in the USA. It was the first GPU to be able to add shading within games. This. although not being a major improvement, did improve the appearance of games. It was used on an Xbox console.

  • ATI Radeon 9700

    ATI Radeon 9700
    This GPU was made by ATI in Taiwan. It was a strong chip and Radeon was leading in the GPU market at the time. It increased 3D and shading capabilities.

  • AMD's Radeon HD 7850

    AMD's Radeon HD 7850
    This chip was made by AMD, previously known as ATI, in Taiwan. This chip was used in the Xbox One and PS4. It was a strong chip, and the best of the time. It took less power while boosting performance.

  • Nvidia and AMD

    Nvidia and AMD
    After the previous chips, Nvidia and AMD dominated the market. They come with new lines of GPU's about every year with better performance and new features. Although there is no giant breakthrough's, GPU's continue to get better and better.