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If you're a complete beginner in data parallel programming, and you're having trouble finding good intro material for OpenCL, it might almost be worthwhile to c

by jaffee 13y ago

If you're a complete beginner in data parallel programming, and you're having trouble finding good intro material for OpenCL, it might almost be worthwhile to check out CUDA instead. In terms of the programming model, OpenCL and CUDA are identical - significant differences don't come about until you start optimizing for specific devices. I learned CUDA first on my own, and then took an OpenCL class and found that the whole first section was completely redundant. There's also a pretty great wealth of CUDA material online and a few published books if that's your sort of thing.

jhdevos 13y ago
To add some reasons why you'd want to learn CUDA first: It turns out that simple things are a lot simpler, and take a lot less code, in Cuda than OpenCL. With Cuda, your kernel and host code will be close together in the same file. You'll need a /lot/ less boilerplate than are needed in OpenCL to accomplish even the most simple things. OpenCL exposes you to a lot more concepts, and a lot more extrinsic complexity, than Cuda. All this means just playing around a lot easier to do in Cuda. Just take a look at some simple examples in both, and you'll quickly see what I mean. Even though I'm a fan of OpenCL because it is available on more platforms, Cuda is a lot better suited as a learning platform.