Patent ID: 8654135

Claim:
A method for storing in a graphics processing unit (GPU) memory pixel data associated with one or more pixels in an image, the method comprising: identifying within a buffer residing within the GPU memory a first stack associated with a first set of pixels included in the image, wherein each stack stored in the buffer is associated with a different set of pixels included in the image, and wherein a first set of stack compression bits associated with the first stack includes an all-compressed bit; populating a first tile included in the first stack with pixel data associated with a first subset of pixels included in the first set of pixels, wherein each tile included in the first stack stores pixel data associated with a different subset of pixels included in the first set of pixels; generating tile compression information associated with the first tile based on the pixel data associated with the first subset of pixels, wherein the tile compression information specifies a compression format used to compress the pixel data associated with the first subset of pixels and a compression state associated with each pixel in the first subset of pixels; and storing the tile compression information in the first tile.