Available Quote by Mark Cerny
“If you look at the portion of the GPU available to compute throughout the frame, it varies dramatically from instant to instant. For example, something like opaque shadow map rendering doesn't even use a pixel shader, it's entirely done by vertex shaders and the rasterization hardware - so graphics aren't using most of the 1.8 teraflops of ALU available in the CUs. Times like that during the game frame are an opportunity to say, 'Okay, all that compute you wanted to do, turn it up to 11 now.'”
About This Quote
Source Talk: GDC 2022, 2022
Unused GPU capacity during rendering can be repurposed for extra visual effects, boosting performance when needed.
In simple terms: Idle graphics power can be used for extra effects.
Key Takeaway
Leverage spare compute for enhancements.
Themes
performance
efficiency
graphics
resource management
optimization
Mood
technical
analytical
optimistic
Type
technical
educational
strategic
When to use this quote
- game engine design
- dynamic scaling
- visual effects pipelines
- hardware profiling
Key Concepts
computer architecture
real‑time rendering
parallel processing
Questions to Reflect On
- When is it safe to increase compute?
- How to balance quality and resource use?
A Different Perspective
Extra load may cause thermal or power issues.
