Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] OpenCL FPGA Recommendation?

[Marcus Müller]

Dear Ghost,


On 04/26/2017 01:01 PM, GhostOp14 wrote:
> I tested it as a single task in OpenCL on a GPU and the performance
> was horrible so I want to get the same algorithm running on an FPGA
> and see if the performance significantly improves.
Gut feeling: I wouldn't spend any money on an FPGA implementation before
I have not understood why it worked so terribly on GPU, and have a good
reason why it should work better on FPGA. Frankly, I don't think you
realize how hard it is to properly optimize things for specific
architectures, and OpenCL on an FPGA will not be easier to "get right"
than OpenCL on a GPU.
>
> Given some high-bandwidth goals, I'm actually thinking either USB 3.0
> or PCIe would be the requirement.  I was looking at the Opal Kelly
> line like the one they have based on the Xilinx Artix-7.  I actually
> think the USB 3.0 interface if I can transfer runtime data to/from it
> at USB 3.0 speeds would be more portable (say laptop/desktop).  I'm
> still new to FPGA's so any other thoughts are much appreciated.  It
> looks like I may still have to work in Vivado and build the FPGA code
> but then I could interface with it from C++ and a GNURadio block?
Probably! Don't know the FPGA manufacturer's OpenCL tools and whether
they offer an easy-to-use interface to PC software.
>
> Am I on the right track?
Don't know – again, I'd recommend going into a much deeper analysis of
why things work badly on your CPU and GPU, and why an FPGA should make
that better.

Best regards,
Marcus