Does GDI use GPU

[Siegfried Heintze]

Do calls to the GDI use the GPU or do we have to use DirectShow or openGL
for that?

[Remy Lebeau]

"Siegfried Heintze" <sieg...@heintze.com> wrote in message
news:eVADGPIE...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> Do calls to the GDI use the GPU

http://blogs.msdn.com/tmulcahy/archive/2009/02/11/windows-and-video-memory.aspx

"In XP GDI is GPU accelerated to various degrees depending on how the OS
is configured or the device driver (for details see Hooking Versus Punting:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms799743.aspx). In Vista, GDI is not
GPU accelerated however the performance difference is usually not
perceptible by the user. In Windows 7, some limited GPU acceleration for GDI
was added to enable some video memory optimizations. Direct3D and WPF are
GPU accelerated on all 3 OS's. Direct2D is GPU accelerated too, but it is
currently available on Windows 7 only. Microsoft has announced that it will
releasing Direct2D on Windows Vista, and it will be GPU accelerated there
too.
"The Desktop Window Manager uses GPU acceleration, so apps on Windows
Vista and Windows 7 benefit automatically. For example, when you drag a
window in XP the app receives a request to redraw the window. In Windows
Vista and Windows 7, the DWM maintains a copy of the window contents in
graphics memory, so the app doesn't need to redraw the window."

> do we have to use DirectShow or openGL for that?

Usually, yes.

--
Remy Lebeau (TeamB)

[anothergol]

I think the GDI could be accelerated in WinXP, but not in Vista (since
everything routes to DirectX).
GDI isn't good at anything but filling rectangles and drawing text, though
(oh wait, it can't even fill rectangles properly, the good old trick to fill
rectangles fast enough [without selecting crap brushes] being to.. draw text
[not kidding])

[rep_movsd]

I am pretty sure BitBlts are accelerated if not anything else...

[Paul Baker [MVP, Windows Desktop Experience]]

Did you try searching the Internet?

I figured some of the GDI was hardware accelerated and I know things changed
in Windows Vista and DWM, but I really didn't know much more. So I searched
on "DirectX Vista GDI" and found a wealth of knowledge, for example:

DirectX Developer Blog : Comparing Direct2D and GDI
http://blogs.msdn.com/directx/archive/2009/09/29/comparing-direct2d-and-gdi.aspx

Paul

"rep_movsd" <rep....@gmail.com> wrote in message
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