[SOLVED] Will a GPU speed up youtube/videos?

[Craig C2]

If my computer can't quite handle web browsing, and I can't upgrade the CPU (its the fastest for the socket), and I'm maxed out on RAM, will adding a GPU make displaying websites, jpegs and videos any faster? Maybe the card can free up CPU resources needed for all the javascript? Assume I'm using a 4K monitor, and not gaming.

This is where it gets more complicated... I'm planning for like 6 years from now when my new i9-9900k with integrated graphics is becoming slow. I need to factor a possible GPU into buying the power supply and liquid-cooling requirements.

I also love the TOR browser, and I heard somewhere that GPUs are really good at crypto. For that matter, could a GPU assist software-based AES SSD encryption? Really noob question, I know.

Is there any reason to buy a graphics card in the future when my rig is bogged down by tons of javascript, even though I'm not a gamer, but use a huge monitor?

 

[Lutfij]

Even if you're looking at 6 years down the road, we're going to need to know what you're currently working with. List your full system's specs like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

If we're supposed to go by hypothetical/random specs, then possibilities are either endless or highly limited. In reality, we can look towards your current specs and then plan ahead accordingly.

 

[Craig C2]

To clarify, I'm planning on buying the following:
i9-9900k, water-cooled, no OC
Asus WS Z390 Pro
2x8GB 3200MHz
SATA SSD
Slackware Linux, TOR/Firefox

I need to know if the integrated graphics would be adequate in 6 years, and if not, would a GPU help. Just basic web surfing, with lots of crypto (HTTPS, TLS, AES software full-drive-encryption).

 

[DSzymborski]

You can still do that stuff on a ten-year-old integrated GPU.

If, for some odd reason, developments in the field mean that an integrated GPU isn't adequate for very basic stuff in six years, then you should buy a very cheap GPU in six years, not today.

 

[-Fran-]

Well, going on a limb and assuming you ARE using a GPU that has OGL2.x support and DX9c+, any browser that has "Hardware Acceleration" support should off-load some tasks to it. Keep in mind that "off-loading" does not mean "make it go faster". If you have a really slow GPU, it may actually hinder the rendering of pages and other content.

Have a read on the Chrome side of things: https://www.lifewire.com/hardware-acceleration-in-chrome-4125122

Also, I don't know of any Browser engine that off-loads JS processing to the GPU, as it's a scripting language that really doesn't fit there.

As for your crypto question. Yes and No. For all cryptographic duties, the CPU is used unless it's a GPU-specific usage from specialized software. Yes, GPUs are better at general purpose crypto duties, but for specific AES encryption supported for hard drives and on-the-fly encryption (think HTTPS, SSH, etc), most modern CPUs have dedicated hardware paths ("mini-CPUs") for such tasks that require software support for their usage.

If you just want a PC that can display web-pages in a responsive manner, install ad-block. Most pages behave like fat dogs otherwise and they can really do a number on the CPU/GPU as they load a ton of garbage and use a lot of bandwidth.

Cheers!

 

[Craig C2]

If you just want a PC that can display web-pages in a responsive manner, install ad-block. Most pages behave like fat dogs otherwise and they can really do a number on the CPU/GPU as they load a ton of garbage and use a lot of bandwidth.

That's really good advice.