GPU或图形处理单元(Graphical Processing Unit )是任何计算机中最重要的组件之一。它是专用于处理计算机生成的视觉效果的硬件组件。当您观看视频、玩游戏或编辑照片时，您的GPU在图形的美观程度或动画的流畅度方面发挥着重要作用。
由于GPU(GPUs)工作方式的进步，它们也用于非图形用途(non-graphical purposes)。由于它们由许多简单的处理器组成，因此GPU(GPUs)擅长以极高的速度执行某些类型的任务。例如，许多视频编辑和照片处理包可以使用GPU来加速编码和转换任务。
然而，并不是所有的GPU(GPUs)都是一样的。有一类专业的、工作站级的GPU产品，表面上看起来很奇怪。它们的核心规格和性能与面向游戏玩家和普通消费者销售的GPU相差无几。(GPUs)
然而，它们的成本比那些主流卡要高得多。是什么让专业工作站卡如此特别？如果这个问题一直困扰着你，那么是时候解决这个问题了。
他们的目的是为自己买单(Meant)
要了解专业工作站显卡的作用，您需要从根本上转变态度。您需要知道的是，这些卡的设计和定价是从他们自己支付的角度来看的。
换句话说，这些卡将产生资金并迅速为客户投入其中的投资提供回报。这是您是否应该查看工作站卡的重要线索。如果您的硬件应用程序最终会产生比您最初投资更多的价值，那么它们可能不适合您。
因此，让我们看看当您为Nvidia Quadro(Nvidia Quadro)或AMD FirePro等显卡的要价高出要价时，所有的钱都花在了哪里。
软件(Software)和驱动程序认证(Driver Certification)
和测试(Testing)
在每个专业计算领域，都有许多行业标准的软件包。将AutoCAD用于设计或将Catia用于高级 3D 渲染。然后是科学模拟和数据分析程序，例如用于化学的Gaussian或用于机械工程的Simulia 。
制造专业工作站卡的公司直接与制造这些专业工具的人合作。他们试图确保硬件、驱动程序和软件完美地协同工作。为什么？因为每一分钟的停机时间都会转化为直接的收入损失。
对于购买专业卡的客户来说，时间就是金钱。与他们承受的损失相比，硬件本身的溢价价格是完全合理的！
售后服务
当然，无论对产品进行多少测试，都不存在完美。那么当事情出错时会发生什么？专业 GPU(Professional GPU)用户将尽快获得更新和修复。
他们通常还获得优先支持以快速解决他们的个人问题。对特定用途的专业产品进行认证使利益相关者有义务在产品不能像宣传的那样工作时做出正确的事情。
除了对专业卡提供更好和更长时间的支持外，通常还有仅对使用专业产品的组织开放的独家合作伙伴计划。对于任务关键型操作，通常(Often)值得。
大量特殊 RAM
虽然情况总是在变化，但中高端游戏GPU(GPUs)往往具有 6 到 8 GB 的视频内存。此内存用于存储纹理数据和GPU正确渲染图片所需的任何其他信息。
游戏卡需要多少显存主要取决于游戏纹理的详细程度以及游戏的分辨率。游戏开发人员当然非常擅长优化视频内存使用并创建适合特定要求的游戏。
专业用户的情况完全不同。他们对视频内存的使用几乎无法预测，专业工作负载可能会导致更大的内存需求。
由于这些卡用于处理非常复杂的 3D 模型或庞大的数据集，因此它们具有足够的内存非常重要。如果他们不这样做，卡将不得不开始与计算机自己的RAM交换内存内容，从而大大减慢工作速度！
因此，您会看到具有非常高内存量的专业卡。而不是 8 GBs，像 12,16 和 24 这样的数字并不少见。
这也不仅仅是纯粹的容量。与服务器和工作站RAM一样，专业GPU内存是一种特殊的纠错类型。当游戏卡上发生内存损坏时，结果通常是一个小的视觉故障或用户甚至不会注意到的微小缺陷。
当您为好莱坞(Hollywood)大片进行科学模拟、数据分析或渲染专业图形时，即使一个字节不合适也会产生可怕的后果。
增强组件
除了特殊内存之外，专业GPU(GPUs)的构建标准比消费卡已经很高的标准还要高。在引擎盖下，它们将拥有更好的电压调节组件、电容器和电路板。
GPU本身很可能会被“装箱”，这个术语指的是挑选出来的芯片特别适合高端产品线。再一次，这些专业卡的整个设计理念对任何类型的缺陷的容忍度都要低得多，这反过来又推高了它们的成本。
稳定性优于性能
游戏卡非常强调原始性能。消费者(Consumers)关心的是实现最高的图形设置，同时每秒推送尽可能多的硬件可以收集的帧数。在这种追求中，我们偶尔会遇到驱动程序不稳定或其他可能会短暂影响游戏体验的问题。
专业卡也(also )需要表现出色，但绝不以牺牲稳定性为代价。从该核心价值出发，这些卡在现实生活中的使用方式如何发挥作用。与游戏玩家喜爱的产品质量不同，但仍然值得他们要价的每一分钱。
What’s the Difference Between Consumer and Professional Workstation Graphics Cards?
The GPU or Graphical Processing Unit is one of the most important components in any computer. It’s the hardware component dedicated to processing the visuals produced by your computer. When you watch a video, play a game or edit photos, your GPU plays a major role in how pretty the graphics are, or how smoothly they animate.
Thanks to advances in how GPUs work, they are also used for non-graphical purposes. Since they consist of many simple processors, GPUs are good at doing certain sorts of tasks at incredibly high speeds. For example, many video editing and photo manipulation packages can use the GPU to accelerate encoding and conversion tasks.
However, not all GPUs are made equal. There’s a class of professional, workstation-class GPU products that seem rather strange on the surface. Their core specifications and performance aren’t far off from GPUs marketed towards gamers and general consumers.
Yet, they cost a staggering amount more than those mainstream cards. What makes professional workstation cards so special? If that question has been bugging you, it’s time to put the issue to rest.
They Are Meant to Pay for
Themselves
To understand the role of professional workstation graphics cards, you need one fundamental shift in attitude. All you need to know is that these cards are designed and priced from the perspective that they will pay for themselves.
In other words, the cards will generate money and quickly provide a return on the investment customers put into them. That’s a big clue as to whether you should even look at a workstation card. If you have no application for the hardware that will end up generating more value than you invested in the first place, they probably aren’t meant for you.
So let’s have a look at where all the money goes when you stump up the asking price for cards like the Nvidia Quadro or AMD FirePro.
Software and Driver Certification
and Testing
In every professional computing field there are a number of industry-standard software packages. Think of AutoCAD for design or Catia for advanced 3D rendering. Then there are scientific simulation and data analysis programs such as Gaussian for chemistry or Simulia for mechanical engineering.
The companies that make professional workstation card cooperate directly with the people who make these professional tools. They try to ensure that the hardware, drivers and software work together flawlessly. Why? Because every minute of downtime translates into a direct loss of income.
For the customers that buy professional cards, time is literally money. Compared to how much they stand to lose, the premium price of the hardware itself is downright reasonable!
Aftermarket Service
Of course, no matter how much testing goes into a product, there’s no such thing as perfection. So what happens when things go wrong? Professional GPU users will get updates and fixes as quickly as possible.
They also usually get priority support to resolve their individual issues quickly. Certifying a professional product for a specific use puts an obligation on the stakeholders to make things right when the product doesn’t work as advertised.
Beyond better and longer support for
professional cards, there are often exclusive partner programs that are only
open to organizations that make use of the professional products. Often worth
it for mission-critical operations.
Oodles of Special RAM
While things are always changing, mid- to high- end gaming GPUs tend to sport between six and eight gigabytes of video memory. This memory is used to store texture data and any other information the GPU needs to render out the picture properly.
How much video memory a gaming card needs is mainly determined by how detailed the game textures are and at what resolution the game is to be played. Game developers are of course very good at optimizing video memory use and create their games to fit within certain requirements.
Professional users are in a completely different situation. Their use of video memory isn’t nearly as predictable and professional workloads can lead to much, much larger memory requirements.
Since these cards are used to work with very complex 3D models or huge datasets, it’s very important that they have enough memory. If they don’t, the card will have to start swapping memory contents with the computer’s own RAM, slowing down the work drastically!
As such, you’ll see professional cards with very high memory amounts. Instead of 8 GBs, numbers like 12,16 and 24 are not uncommon.
It’s not just about pure capacity either. Just as with servers and workstation RAM, professional GPU memory is a special, error-correcting type. When memory corruption happens on a gaming card, the result is usually a small visual glitch or tiny flaw the user won’t even notice.
When you’re doing scientific simulation, data analysis or rendering professional graphics for a Hollywood blockbuster, even a single byte out of place can have dire consequences.
Beefed Up Components
Apart from special memory, professional GPUs are built to a higher standard than the already high bar set for consumer cards. Under the hood they will have better voltage regulation components, capacitors and circuit boards.
The GPU itself is likely to be “binned”, a term that refers to picking chips that have come out especially well for premium product lines. Once again, the entire design philosophy of these professional cards has a much lower tolerance for defects of any kind, which in turn drives up their cost.
Stability over Performance
Gaming cards have a very strong emphasis on
raw performance. Consumers care about achieving the highest graphical settings
while pushing as many frames per second as the hardware can muster. In this
pursuit we get the occasional driver instability or other issue that can
briefly sour the gaming experience.
Professional cards also need to perform well, but never at the cost of stability. From
that core value flows how these cards act in real life use. Qualitatively
different from the products that gamers love, but still worth every penny of
their asking prices.
