Apple and NVidia: The Tragic Break-Up
Hey guys, Icarus here. I’ve been talking a lot about GPUs lately, so I’m going to stick to that!
Well, recently there’ve been rumors going around about a problem between NVidia and Apple.
Apparently, many of the technical issues in the Macbooks and iMacs have been caused by faulty NVidia GPUs. Yes, you heard right. NVidia is not perfect.
And now, there’s a tragic rumor going around that Apple may break up its ties with NVidia.
Aw, a tragic break up story right? Just like real relationships, one continuous but hidden fault blows up what seemed to be a good relationship. Figures right? I mean, NVidia and Apple are a group of people after all.
But anyways, here’s my interesting question: What will Apple do now?
Now, before you put a comment with your opinion, consider these two options:
1. Intel
2. AMD
Now, I haven’t really heard of Intel or AMD excelling as much as NVidia in both the GPU and mobile GPU market, but who knows? This may be a good opportunity to take some major steps in that direction.
Leave a comment with your own opinion !!!!
Anyways, that’s all for today! Please leave a comment with your opinion! I really want to know!
Tomorrow, I will post my own opinion up as a post.
Remember, comment, subscribe, and make suggestions on what hardware you want me to review!
Cheers!
~| Icarus
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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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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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AMD’s RV810, RV840, and RV870 Series
Hey guys, Icarus here! Thanks for your comments, it helps a lot! I’m still anxious for more! 
Today, I’m going to flip sides and talk about AMD’s new approach to DX11: the RV800 series.
So far, there’re there GPUs that we know of:
1. the RV 810
2. the RV 840
3. the RV 870
Anyways, the top two, RV840 and RV870, are the GPUs that AMD is going to use to conquer DX11 over NVidia.
Now, AMD is taking a similar strategy as Intel is, except in the GPU industry. By dividing the newer GPUs into entry-, mid-, and high-level, AMD is simplifying its enormous family of graphics cards.
Now, AMD hasn’t leaked much information on the new RV8xx series, but from what I have seen and heard, they have not had any major setbacks like NVidia had. We still don’t know who started on the course to conquer DX11 first, but from the looks of it, AMD may take this race.
However, keep in mind that products still in the prototype state can take ANY “side-roads”, so we will not know who will release their GPUs first.
It is all completely up to NVidia, AMD, and technology karma.
Well, that’s all for today! I hope you like my articles!
Oh and please comment!! I’m always out for criticism, analysis, and suggestions on what you want me to review!
Cheers!!
~| Icarus
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