Techniques are described for processing computerized images with a graphics processing unit (GPU) using an extended vertex cache. The techniques include creating an extended vertex cache coupled to a GPU pipeline to reduce an amount of data passing through the GPU pipeline. The GPU pipeline receives an image geometry for an image, and stores attributes for vertices within the image geometry in the extended vertex cache. The GPU pipeline only passes vertex coordinates that identify the vertices and vertex cache index values that indicate storage locations of the attributes for each of the vertices in the extended vertex cache to other processing stages along the GPU pipeline. The techniques described herein defer the setup of attribute gradients to just before attribute interpolation in the GPU pipeline. The vertex attributes may be retrieved from the extended vertex cache for attribute gradient setup just before attribute interpolation in the GPU pipeline.