OpenCL Results: Photoshop CS6 And WinZip
With all of our baseline testing out of the way, we're now able to gauge the effect of OpenCL acceleration in the applications that support it.
Switching on the feature in Photoshop CS6 has a profound effect on AMD's Llano-based chip, so long as you're using one of the six filters currently accelerated.
It'll be interesting to see whether Core i3s and Pentiums based on Ivy Bridge will support OpenCL. The API is supported by HD Graphics 4000 and 2500. However, on all Sandy Bridge-based parts, it's simply emulated by the processing cores. This could remain a massive advantage for AMD as OpenCL-optimized applications continue surfacing, particularly in the mainstream space where Intel has a bad habit of cutting important features in the name of differentiation.
We found something similar with WinZip 16.5. Upgrading from version 15.5 to 16.5 already had a massive impact on AMD's performance. To be clear, Intel got a great speed-up as well.
But because 16.5 supports OpenCL on compatible AMD platforms, we can turn the feature on in Corel's settings screen and watch the A8 catapult into a commanding lead. Really, this is GPU acceleration at its best.
