Inflexible GT300 and RV800, Meet Free Larrabee
Hey guys! Icarus here with more on the latest hardware tech!
So I’m going to start out w/ a simple question: have you ever had a girlfriend/boyfriend who was an absolute control-freak?
Well, a typical control-freak would:
1. Watch your every move
2. Tell you what to do
3. Scream/Get mad/Become violent/etc. to you if he/she doesn’t get his or her way
So, how does this relate to the new GPUs I’ve been talking about?
Well, I’ve just recently read up on what’s going on with how the vendors are taking GT300, RV800, and Larrabee.
Many graphics card vendors in Asia are extremely fed up with NVidia and AMD. Now the vendors are eagerly waiting for the Intel Larrabee for its flexibility.
Wanna know why? Well, it’s because NVidia and AMD designed GT300 and RV800 in a way that completely control the vendors.
Here’s how NVIdia and AMD did this:
1. The original layout of the GT300 and RV800 is extremely inflexible
2. NVidia and AMD gets a percentage of any reworks and re-layout-ing the vendors did on the cards.
So let’s get crackin’!
1. The Layout
Well, any layout of any hardware is extremely important, especially ones that can be revamped and sold by many vendors.
Each graphics card vendor does their own little tweaks on the original design, and optimize it according to their standards including quality, efficiency, and price.
So, a flexible layout is obviously good for vendors because it allows vendors to tweak the layout easier than normal, and it also takes less time to do so. This generally leads to a quicker release of a new piece of hardware.
Well, NVidia and AMD apparently have inflexible circuit layouts for their GT300 and RV800 GPUs, and the vendors are becoming frustrated.
An inflexible layout will cost a vendor at least a few weeks to tweak, and cost them a lot of the profit they could receive if the layout had been more flexible.
Consumers get frustrated with the delayed release, and vendors lose profit and loyal consumers.
2. NVidia and AMD’s Profit from Layout Changes
Well, this one is understandable… if the layout wasn’t flexible.
An inflexible layout will also force vendors to make changes in the layout that wouldn’t have to be made in a flexible layout. This means NVidia and AMD get more profit, but it also means the vendors will be delayed a few weeks, lose some loyal consumers, and lose profit.
So in a way, it seems like AMD and NVidia structured their layout and their overall plan in a way that will give them the most profit.
Now, where does the Larrabee come in?
Well, according to many sources, Intel seems to have hit a jackpot with the layout of the Larrabee. Vendors eagerly await its release because the layout is much more flexible than that of GT300 or RV800.
Larrabee provides much more freedom to the graphics cards vendors.
So, GT300 and RV800, meet Larrabee, your new and powerful competition.
Well that’s all I’ve got for today! Stay tuned for more on the latest computer hardware technology!!
And don’t forget to comment!!! I love criticism, further analysis, and suggestions on what new hardware you want me to review!!!
And stay tuned, because videos are coming up!
Cheers!
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A New Trend: Intel Larrabee, NVidia GT300, and AMD RV800
Hey guys, Icarus here!
I’ve been talking about the newest and upcoming GPUs these past few days, and it turned out to be a pretty good series, if I don’t say so myself.
Now, I’ve been constantly reading and searching for new information, and I’ve come upon a realization, a kind of trend.
Have you guys noticed that AMD has been, for a long time, the ONLY major manufacturer, researcher, and innovator that took on both GPUs and CPUs?
Now we have Intel pushing into the GPU industry with the Larrabee and NVidia still dabbing and playing around with its own CPUs.
So you know all this already because you read my articles. What’s the deal with the “trend” I’ve noticed?
Well, firstly, let’s go over some facts:
1. Intel, NVidia, and AMD now all take on(or attempting to take on) both the CPU and GPU industry
2. CPUs and GPUs have become so powerful that they can probably last without one or the other.
So the trend? We could have a CPU and GPU combined into a single chip.
That’s right, there’s a possibility we will have neither; both may be able to be combined into one single chip.
This may be still some time away, but at this rate, it could come out as early as mid-late 2010.
So, how an this affect us? Well, here’s what I think:
1. Having a unified, structured chip with both a CPU and GPU will dramatically change the layout of a motherboard
2. Having a chip with both CPU and GPU may make it a bit more difficult for companies to target certain consumers
3. A new age for computer hardware.
Anyways, that’s all I’ve got for tonight, I’ll keep thinking and churning out my opinion!!
Please, PLEASE comment!! I love criticism, further analysis, and suggestions on what hardware you want reviewed.
Stay tuned for more articles and, for the first time in Icarus history, Youtube videos!!!
Cheers!
~| Icarus
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Intel’s Larrabee GPU
Hey guys! Icarus here again, with more information to help all of you!
Today, I’m going to move away from AMD and NVidia, and focus on Intel. But stay on the topic of GPUs.
Yes, you heard that right: Intel and GPUs. Thought they don’t mix well?
That’s what I thought at first too. To be honest, I’ve been completely ignoring Intel when it came to GPU. And now I feel completely embarassed.
So, here we go, the Intel Larrabee GPU.
What is it?
So basically, Intel has been making processors, motherboards, and a few other things over these past couple of years. With AMD making all that and GPUs with ATI under their belt, Intel had no competition against AMD when it came to GPUs.
Well, it looks like Intel has been experimenting with GPUs for the last few years, and finally has a GPU coming right around the corner: The Intel Larrabee GPU.
There are no details leaked yet, but from my understanding, Intel is making a serious push into the GPU industry, and when Intel is serious, they really are serious.
Some speculate that Larrabee will be the first of its kind, and absolutely steam-roll all of its competition, including AMD and NVidia. Some say it will be an absolute disaster.
Me? I”m just going to wait on more information before I make my judgement.
How does this affect me?
Well, now you have Intel in the GPU industry mix.
It’s no longer AMD vs NVidia; it’s now AMD vs NVidia vs Intel, a three-way, all-out deathmatch over whose GPU can perform the best.
The price of the Larrabee will also affect us in a way to see if we can afford it or not. Intel can’t price it too low or it won’t have enough profit to continue production, and Intel can’t price it too high because no one will buy it(in this tough economic time).
When I get more information, I will definitely update you on this new, exciting GPU! The Intel Larrabee will surely surprise us, in a good or bad way, we won’t know until it gets released.
Well, that’s all I got for you today! I will keep you posted on the latest in computer hardware technology everyday! In simple English!
And don’t forget to comment!!!! I appreciate criticism, further analysis, your own opinion, and especially suggestions on what latest hardware you want reviewed!!!
Have a great rest of Sunday! Cheers!
~| Icarus
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NVidia Follows AMD in DX10.1
Hey guys! Icarus here, with more information and help for you today!
Thinking of buying a new GT200 videocard? Well, wait just a bit longer, because DX10.1 is right around the corner for all of you NVidia fans and fanboys alike.
Yes, NVidia is FINALLY implementing DX10.1, along with new 40nm GPU processors for all GT200 series GPUs.
Now what does this mean to you?
Well, it can mean one of few things:
1. NVidia GT200 GPUs will finally match AMD’s GPUs with 10.1
2. A slight increase in performance
So let’s get started!!
1. NVidia GT200 vs AMD RV700
AMD has had DX10.1 implemented for a while now, and results have been pretty good. Some GPUs outmatch NVidia, and some say that it’s all thanks to DX10.1
I do not know how big of a difference there is between DX10 and DX10.1(except for the .1 increase in number… never got why they do that), but I have seen benchmarks where AMD’s RV700 series GPUs gave NVidia a pretty good beating in games that supported DX10.1.
Unfortunately, NVidia seems to have some behind-the-scenes talk with game companies, and some companies broke down in the pressure and took out the DX10.1 compatability from their games.
But now that NVidia is finally making a move on DX10.1, they’ll have to put it in!
2.Slight Increase in Performance
For a number of reasons including mandatory x4 Anti-Aliasing, 32-bit floating point, and other technical jargon, it gives slight performance increase over DX10.1.
DX10.1 is a series of extensions from DX10, and it was released to give better graphics control to programmers.
So this extension wasn’t meant to directly favor the consumer; it was released to give benefits to programmers.
However, in the process, we got some benefits because programmers have more control, and more control means(usually) better graphics and more realistic details.
Well, that’s all I got for today! Hope you enjoyed my post!
Please, PLEASE remember to comment!!!!! I love criticism, more information/analysis, and suggestions on what hardware you want me to review!! I’m still waiting on you!
Cheers!
~| Icarus
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My Comments and Concerns about GT300 and RV8xx GPUs
Hey guys, Icarus here again. Sorry for the late post!
Today, I’m going to give somewhat of a midpoint in my discussion of the GT300 and the RV810, RV840, and R870 GPUs by giving you some of my own comments and concerns about these GPUs.
So, to start out, here are some things I want to discuss:
1. Viability of DX11 and these GPUs
2. Time it will take to transition completely into DX11
3. How will these GPUs affect us in the future?
So, let’s begin!
1. Viability of DX11 and these GPUs
So, first up is viability. I don’t know about you, but when we were making the transition from DX9 to DX10, we took a little bit longer than we planned to. There were some technical difficulties, and price gouging was always a problem.
So far, AMD hasn’t had any technical difficulties(that they’ve announced at least) and NVidia has had a 20% yield set back on their new GT300 GPUs. But I’m guessing this is from their recent concentration on the mobile GPU industry.
My worry about jumping so quickly into DX11 is that AMD and/or NVidia may be so neck-to-neck in competition that they start creating pieces of technology that aren’t compatible with each other(like AMD GPUs on NVidia motherboards). This will, in turn, make integrating both worlds in our PCs more difficult, and maybe even more expensive.
My other concern is that, although it almost never happens, that both companies may try to advance in tech so quickly that they might look over some major quality issues. Quality is always an issue with mass production, and we don’t want anymore problems.
2. Time it will Take to Transition into DX11
I’ve heard that AMD has already asked some game companies to start creating games that will go with DX11.
But doesn’t this sound a little bit suspicious? If there’s something majorly different between AMD and NVidia GPUs, it means that you won’t be able to play some games!
But back to the topic. I really don’t think it will take long, give or take half a year. We’re advancing in technology so quickly that things that come out are already out-of-date.
However, we won’t truly know how long it will take until some more specs on the GPUs and the benchmarks on the combination between DX11 and the new GPUs come out. Then we will be able to give some more accurate feedback to you.
3. The Effect of these GPUs in the Future
Every single new GPU, the GT300 and the RV800 series, are extremely promising. Combined with DX11, there is unlimited potential there.
Also keep in mind that the GPUs may be the future “processor” of the whole computer. GPUs are becoming so powerful that theyalmost match, or they already, match the power of the CPU. Who knows, maybe CPUs will disappear and GPUs will take its throne.
GPUs can also make games and videos more realistic. From now on, I believe that it will be a competition more in quality than quantity. If a GPU is powerful enough, you don’t need two or three. That’s just a waste.
Well, that’s all I got for tonight! Hope you guys enjoyed my post!
And remember to comment!!! I love feedback, especially analysis, criticism, and suggestions on what hardware I should review!!!
Cheers!
~| Icarus
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