A GPU is a unit inside of a computer that process graphics. Short for graphics processing unit, a GPU provides visual power for your computer. In most cases, a GPU is integrated alongside a CPU. In all, GPUs are extreme importantcies in video gaming. They play a key role in performance along with the CPU. Derived from early graphics chips,the first GPU was invented by the company NVDIA in 1999. It was known as the GeForce 256, integrading geometry and rasterization for real-time 3D. It also integrated transformation, lighting, and rending on a single chip. With these positive traits, the first GPU was able to perform complex 3D tasks from the CPU, which is still why its still in use today. This revolutionized 3D gaming, reducing the CPU's workload and allowing for more advanced mechanics. The GPU itself functions using many smaller processing cores. These cores are assigned to do multiple math operations at once. This is very unlike the CPU, which instead uses few cores to operate. The GPU uses these smaller cores to complete mumch larger tasks, processing them all at the same time. This archeitecture is extrememly effective with completing tasks that require repeated actions. Examples of these actions can include matrix in math, AI, or geometric calculations in graphics. The main difference between CPUs and GPUs are the cores. While GPUs have thousands of cores used for simplier intruction, CPUs have fewer, more powerful cores. This is why the GPU is mainly used for graphic calculations and why the CPU is used for general functions.