

ATI's announces the latest perk of CrossFire





Comments     Threshold


ATI... focus on core competence please.
By lemonadesoda on 6/6/2006 12:02:02 PM , Rating: 2
ATI does not need to create a dual GPU card. The whole concept of their memory/bus "ring" is that they can just add more shader/vertex units to the ring. The ATI core is designed to scale.

Crossfire is just an elastic band between two physical slots and two "rings". Its an interim solution, if not a copy-cat reaction to the press nVidia got with their SLi concept.

In fact, from what we understand, ATi had the technology a long time but saw no viable commercial application for it, since it was always more efficient to just produce the "next gen" GPU, i.e. 9500 over 8500, 9700 over 9500. x800 over 9800. x1800 over x800 etc. Each of these generational steps has been MORE EFFECTIVE than just doubling the previous GPU power via Crossfire/SLi methods.

Far more efficient, elegant, and cheaper to produce with the benefit of lower power consumption is to add more processing units, and each unit more efficient. This would however require increased die size.

No need for crossfire. No need for dual PCIex16. No need to duplicate the GDR3 memory on each card (where in practice, the same, data/textures are sotred on both cards at the same time). No need for the complex and expensive mainboards. No need for large cases with multiple slots. No need for gigawatt PSUs. No need for airconditioning systems. No need for ear-plugs.

Just one nice big 64 vertex/shader processor unit GPU. Then 96. Then 128.

ATI should focus on developing this silicon, then focus on reducing volt/power requirements.


Why are they wasting so much time, money and editorial resource doing this silly 3 GPU business? Is it smoke and mirrors? Just to grab some headlines. Free advertising. REALLY worried about AGEIA? Or what AGEIA might achieve in thier v2.0?

By Trisped on 6/7/2006 1:51:56 PM , Rating: 2
They are doing it so they can stay one step ahead of NVIDIA, which is why both companies do anything innovative.

There is also the PCIe advantage being created. For a long time the only PCIe cards have been graphics cards. Part of this is because most boards only have slots available for graphics, with the extras covered over by the HSF of the GPU card. This way you are guarantied 1 extra slot will be open, there buy encouraging manufactures to produce for hardware for PCIe instead of just PCI. Besides, isn't the goal to have 6-7 PCIe 16x slots?

By Trisped on 6/7/2006 1:56:30 PM , Rating: 2
I think the idea is coloser to "I own an x1800 that I bought right when it came out. I plan on owning the top of the line R600. Rather then sell my x1800 it would be nice to use it as a physics processor."

