ATI Vows to Bring Shader Model 3.0, Multi-GPU Tech


Recommended Posts

ATI Consider NVIDIA-Promoted Technologies

ATI Technologies, the world?s top supplier of discrete graphics processing units, said it would adopt technologies that its arch-rival NVIDIA Corp. has been promoting for a while in future. While the Markham, Ontario-based graphics chip designer did not provide any concrete plans, typically graphics firms discuss details of their next-generation products, not hypothetic long-term plans.Pixel Shaders 3.0 ? When Needed

?ATI will support Pixel Shaders 3.0 when it becomes readily available in games and applications. Currently, this feature is not readily used by the developer community and today?s top titles still largely rely on Pixel Shaders 2.0. As this trend starts to change ATI will incorporate PS3.0 into its feature set,? said John Carvill, who is public relations manager on Integrated and Mobile Products for ATI, in an interview to an Asian web-site OC WorkBench.

ATI Technologies has been consistently downplaying Shader Model 3.0 supported by NVIDIA Corp.?s GeForce 6-series GPUs since the release of the GeForce 6800 product in April, 2004. An internal document allegedly made by ATI stated: ?Steer people away from flow control in ps3.0 because we expect it to hurt badly. [Also it?s the main extra feature on NV40 vs. R420 so let?s discourage people from using it until R5xx shows up with decent performance...?.

Makers of graphics processors usually present new graphics architectures or seriously revamped architectures once a year. Some sources expect ATI?s next-generation R520 graphics chip to emerge in the first half of 2005. Before that ATI will offer its code-named R480 product, a remake of the currentMulti-GPU Technology ? Probingchnology ? Probing

The representative for ATI also made some comments in regards multi-GPU technology, a capability that allows two visual processing units to work in parallel and achieve higher performance in resource-demanding 3D environments than single VPU configuration. Currently multi-GPU ability is available on specially designed platforms by Alienware, a maker of high-end gaming desktops, and also from NVIDIA Corp., who supplies graphics processors that are natively able to operate in pairs.

?Our [graphics] cards can already support dual-GPU configurations in such platforms as Alienware?s ALX. We have a strategy in place for dual-GPU on the chipset side but it would be premature to discuss at this time,? Mr. Carvill indicated.

NVIDIA?s SLI is a technology that enables two NVIDIA-based graphics cards to operate in a single workstation or PC delivering higher graphics horsepower. A special mainboard with two PCI Express x16 is required for such configuration. According to NVIDIA?s estimates, typical performance advantage dual NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra bring is about 75% - 80% when operating on a system running NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset that boasts special enhancements for Multi-GPU technology. NVIDIA?s approach requires special circuitry to be incorporated into GPUs and, for extra speed gain, into core-logic. Alienware?s Video Array technology does not require any special logic to be incorporated into graphics or system chips.

ATI?s potential desktop multi-GPU approach is unclear, however, the company has some logic in its VPUs to allow them to work in parallel, as the firm supplies its graphics processing units to Evans & Sutherland for high-end graphics systems with up to 256 chips.

ATI can make chipsets for both AMD and Intel microprocessors. NVIDIA Corp. does not have license to make core-logic products for Intel Corp.?s chips.

X-Bit Labs

Last time 3dfx used MultiGPU, so I guess nvidia has an advantage with technology here. Other than that. Hope ATi manage to do it well. Voodoo 5 wasnt even T&L support but was about as fast as the Geforce 2. Amazing I think.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • A summary of the article shouldn't be an issue in theory, as the information is all based within the document itself. The problem with a lot of AI models is that they are trained off both Wikipedia as a primary source and other secondary websites which have less reliable information. As an encyclopaedia it is no doubt going to have bias in one way or another, all encyclopaedias do. The difference is that there is a process for a lot of this information to be figured out whether or not it is an opinion, or the source of that information, and to be aware of the possible bias in the first place, even your own bias as a reader. The way many people understand languages these days is quite limited, particularly in certain areas of the world. This is obvious in many types of "journalism" where some articles are thinly disguised opinion pieces, Where language is carefully curated to push a point of view despite it looking like fact. This is partly why a lot of the Western world is now so divided.
    • I paid for a year subscription, starting in December, I think. I like the user-friendliness and assets like royalty-free music and sounds. But they need to fix some of the horrific bugs before they start adding more features. For starters, you should be able to drag stuff around the timeline without it completely obliterating transitions, synchronization timing, and clip lengths. If you already set up footage and audio how you want, and try to insert more by sliding content to the right, you'll have to clean it all up again. The scroll wheel constantly stops working, and you have to minimize the window and restore it to get it back. When selecting text at the top right in special text tools, it glitches and goes to "copy" mode with a weird pop-up on top of your cursor and you can't type. These are more important than AI tools and new features. Microsoft, start by making your product less painful to use.
    • 🙄 Whats the need to launder? Do you have any reputable sources?
    • Thanks, I'll download it and see how it goes. Gonna be tough. I've used Nova Launcher for around 10+ years I think.
    • Wikipedia has become hot molasses with mostly filth masquerading as truth. Most of it is the imagination of few writers who think of themselves as above god. The narrative setup is mind boggling.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Apprentice
      Adrian Williams went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Reacting Well
      BashOrgRu earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • Collaborator
      CHUNWEI earned a badge
      Collaborator
    • Apprentice
      Cole Multipass went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Posting Machine
      David Uzondu earned a badge
      Posting Machine
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      519
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      263
    3. 3
      +Edouard
      191
    4. 4
      +FloatingFatMan
      176
    5. 5
      snowy owl
      133
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!