First we had video or graphics accelerators, for video, or rendering. Then 2D/3D mentions with different performance or quality became a topic.
Then we got GPUs to say "This thing is closer to a CPU by now".
Then those were recoined into GPGPU, as in general purpose GPU, when CUDA became an important feature and again to say "This thing is closer to a CPU by now".
To the best of my recollection, the GeForce 256 was the first one that was marketed as a “GPU” and began to popularize that term for consumers.
Specifically because it did transformation and lighting calcs in (non-programmable until GeForce 3) hardware, instead of in software on the main CPU.
Yes, NVIDIA made 3D accelerators before the GeForce line. I have many of them in my collection. But (IIRC) it did not market them as “GPUs”. That term wasn’t really used yet.
First we had video or graphics accelerators, for video, or rendering. Then 2D/3D mentions with different performance or quality became a topic.
Then we got GPUs to say "This thing is closer to a CPU by now".
Then those were recoined into GPGPU, as in general purpose GPU, when CUDA became an important feature and again to say "This thing is closer to a CPU by now".
What about the NV1? It was marketed as a "3D accelerator" but was a GPU nonetheless.
To the best of my recollection, the GeForce 256 was the first one that was marketed as a “GPU” and began to popularize that term for consumers.
Specifically because it did transformation and lighting calcs in (non-programmable until GeForce 3) hardware, instead of in software on the main CPU.
Yes, NVIDIA made 3D accelerators before the GeForce line. I have many of them in my collection. But (IIRC) it did not market them as “GPUs”. That term wasn’t really used yet.
Or the Riva 128 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIVA_128