NVidia 6800 Ultra power requirements

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Nvidia 6800 Ultra: 110 watts maximum

Power Supply:-

480 watts minimum !!!

Preferably 4 "disk-drive" cables available from power-supply.
Two must be available EXCLUSIVELY for the 6800 Ultra.
( minor exception --- auxiliary fans are allowed to co-use
these cable feeds )

Power-supplies with only 3 cables will need some $2 splitters
on the third cable for the various disk drives --- not a real
problem, since their power consumption is very low.

Also, from the Tom's Hardware Guide review :-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"..................................
We can also extrapolate the power requirements of the remaining cards
( FX5950, Ati 9800XT ) from these numbers. Assuming that NVIDIA's
quoted maximum power draw of 110 Watts for the 6800 Ultra is correct.
Let's also assume that we reached that worst-case scenario during our
tests. That would mean that the Radeon 9800XT has a maximum power
requirement of about 91,5 Watts, while the FX 5950 needs 93,5 Watts"
-----------------------------------------------------------
..... ever wondered why your 5950 and 9800 got so hot..... ? About
the same as the P4 3.4GHz CPU. However, the heat is spread over the
video board, since the above power-consumption includes that of
memory. My guess at the 5950/9800XT GPUs is around 70 watts...

Since DDR3 memory takes less power than DDR1 and assuming 256meg
will be the 6800Ultra default, , the actual power in the NV40
(16-pipe ) is probably around 95 watts, around 25-watts more than the
existing GPUs, so the nice big 2-slot cooler on 6800 Ultra should be
more than adequate for the new GPU.

BTW, the 6800 non-Ultra (12-pipe) will have only 1 power-connector (!)
and a single-slot cooler, so those thinking of cheesily upgrading the
6800 non-Ultra 12-pipe to the 16-pipe by a BIOS/hardware hack will
probably have to think again. Either the NV40 12-pipe is a totally
different mask or more likely the power supply to the core is divided
into groups of 4 pipes and that the 12-pipe will be parts that fail
(silicon-blemishes) to get all 16-pipes working to spec, with the
failures concentrated in one group, and the power then either
hardware-enabled external to the NV40 or bonded internally to
avoid that group. If externally hardware-enabled, any attempt to
modify the power-enabling arrangement for the 12-pipe NV40 to
enable all 16 pipes is highly likely to burn out the power-regulators
or sag the voltage too much, since regulator power-sharing is
obviously not available on the single-connector board..

John Lewis

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

On Wed, 14 Apr 2004 15:59:38 -0500, duralisis
<NOduralisisSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote:


>>
>
>Keep in mind that the reviewer samples are only an A1 revision
>engineering reference board, straight out of the bin. It's likely that
>come production time, each manufacturer will choose things such as a
>cooler, the mosfets, caps, vregs, etc.
>

The 110 watts is nVidia's max. spec.....according to the reviews.

>So by the time you get your hands on one (a GF6-6800U), most card
>manufacturers will likely go with a _strict_ reference design (including
>the HSF and ramsinks), but you might find some that just barely fit in a
>single slot with a different cooler.
>
>Also, the voltage requirements right now are a "clean 12v", so depending
>on what components are certified by NVidia, some manufacturers /JUST
>MIGHT/ be able to get away with a single plug from a good PSU (like a
>high rated 350w). NVidia's Q.C. program they've inacted since the FX
>series launch is likely going to be the limiting factor in this.
>

I agree. But I will go with the 2-plug version if it is available. The
lower the PS impedance at the board, the less noisy the power
on the board.

>What I'm really excited about is the next card revision. In the same way
>the NV35 completed the promise of the NV30, The NV45 (or whatever core
>revision gets stuck on the PCB in 6 mo.'s), will likely be a much more
>efficient and slimmed fighter.

Not likely for quite a while. Manipulation in the current 0.13u
process will have very little power-savings without cutting
functionality. And the masking cost is horrendous. Probably
at least $1 million for a chip this size, assuming first-pass
no errors...

I would expect the next real iteration to be either a .09u
..065u shrink. IBM is working with AMD on .065u. And that
sure won't happen in six months.

The NV30 to NV35 interation was a significant DESIGN
improvement on the SAME process. The design of the NV40
seems near-perfect for the current graphics state-of-the-art.
Only benefit would be a mask-shrink, which would
potentially improve yield (assuming a stable process)
and significantly raise the number of die per wafer -
thus doubly reducing production costs.

John Lewis


>Most likely even better memory
>bandwidth, some tweaked RGMSAA modes, probably a few Doom III tricks ,
>and hopefully a much more efficient power usage.
>
>As for now, it looks like brute force is doing pretty well.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 16:29:41 +1200, puss@purrpurr.com wrote:


>
>
>I am referring to the Heat,

25 watts is 25 watts of heat.........
Remember the heat from a 25 watt light bulb ? That is the extra heat
you will need to get rid of if you replace a 9800XT with the 6800
Ultra. Hopefully, that bulb will now turn on for you.

For comparison, a Prescott3.4 GHz processor dissipates103 watts max,
just 7 watts less than the 6800Ultra, max.. Northwood 3.4GHz is 89
watts.

Now maybe you can see why a 480 watt power-supply is not
entirely out of line when you add in the other peripherals.

>any way the ATI 9800xt cards do not seem to have a
>extra power connector..?
>
>Unless I am blind..
>

Neither does the non-Ultra version of the 6800, which runs with
12 pipes, a 1-slot-high heat-sink and probably has very similar total
power consumption to the 9800XT, since the GDDR3 memory
runs cooler than DDR1. BTW, for neither the 9800XT or the 6800
non-Ultra would I ever recommend putting a card in the adjacent
PCI slot.

The power-connectors on the 6800Ultra are marked Primary
and Secondary. nVidia is probably paranoid about having very
low line-impedances to the card to avoid digital glitches, since
the peak-current surges to the GPU will be very spiky.

John Lewis



>>
>>er.... I think that you will find that the max. dissipation of the
>>R420 will be very similar, if Ati volunteer to tell you at all........
>>No doubt Tom or Anandtech will measure it anyway...........
>>
>>
>>John Lewis
>>
>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Preferably 4 "disk-drive" cables available from power-supply.
>>>>> Two must be available EXCLUSIVELY for the 6800 Ultra.
>>>>> ( minor exception --- auxiliary fans are allowed to co-use
>>>>> these cable feeds )
>>>>>
>>>>> Power-supplies with only 3 cables will need some $2 splitters
>>>>> on the third cable for the various disk drives --- not a real
>>>>> problem, since their power consumption is very low.
>>>>>
>>>
>>>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. (George Carlin)
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. (George Carlin)

 

[NaDa]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

john.dsl@verizon.net (John Lewis) wrote:
> On 15 Apr 2004 02:26:53 -0700, nada_says@hotmail.com (Nada) wrote:
>
> >John, you wouldn't happen to have a link to a Intel Pentium IV Prescot
> >power consumption test sites? I heard those models produce more watts
> >than HAL2000. This is going to create mass hysteria with upgrading
> >the power supplies again.
>
> Yes, indeed and it should be a permanent bookmark for anybody
> building Intel-based PCs or trying to find a particular mask rev of
> a processor.
>
> http://processorfinder.intel.com/scripts/default.asp
>
> Pick your processor. Click on the appropriate SL code and bingo...
> all the important shortform infomation on mask version, wattage, max
> operating core temp etc. For example, note that the P4EE is spec'd
> for a max core temperature of 64 degrees C only. Doesn't mean
> that it will stop working at 65, but it might slow down a little....
>
> Prescott 3.4 is 103 watts max
> Northwood 3.4 is 89 watts max.

Good grief. I have a feeling my case needs more system fans for the
summer.

> For reference the whole nVidia 6800Ultra board has a maximum
> dissipation of only 110 watts Compared to the block heatsinks of
> the processors, the nVidia reference thermal solution is huge (and
> apparently very quiet ). I'll take huge and quiet any day...

I don't mind if the card is "fat", but if it's too long that might
cause claustrophobia near the IDE cables. The 5900XT I have is
already getting tight with the IDE cables. Most likely I have to
change the cables to the round ones. It's going to be ridiculously
expensive upgrade this summer with the power supply and monitor.

> BTW, the weight of the 6800Ultra is no greater than the 5950U, since
> the heatsinking is all aluminum. I suspect that some of the
> vendors of Nvidia cards (MSI and Leadtek come to mind ) will
> replace the aluminum with copper to get the Ultra height down.

MSI has really been much better with their thermal solutions for the
last two years. They used to be as bad and noisy with the heatsinks
as Creative. My current 5900XT card by Leadtek has an excellent
dustcover protecting the fan from harm, and I hope the basic 6800
heatsink and fan combos will keep the manufacturer's name alive.

> Beware of the weight of a copper thermal solution.... No matter what
> solution is adopted, the PCI space next to the 6800 or 680 Ultra
> should be always left completely free for adequate ventilation, unless
> the alternate solution vents directly through the rear -- and with the
> 2 large DVI connectors that will be very difficult to do effectively
> in a 1-slot space.
>
> John Lewis

It's been better lately with the "open PCI vacancies", because my
nForce 2 has all the integrated LANs I ever need. And my soundcard is
at the bottom PCI slot. I've noticed even here in Scandinavia that
the summer is slowly creeping up inside the PC tower. The ambient
temperature is slowly increasing to a level where the almost-silent
power supply fan isn't enough anymore to keep the temperature in a
normal level. Opening the side of the case drops the heat by 10
Celsius during heavy gaming sessions. There has been no lock-ups yet
with the Barton 2600+, but I'm somewhat alarmed that it might happen
any day.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In news:alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia, john.dsl@verizon.net (John
Lewis) posted on Wed, 14 Apr 2004 20:58:44 GMT:

> I would suggest that for any wondering whether their existing
> power-supply is sufficient that they check the Power Supply
> label. If AT LEAST 18 amps at 12 volts, AND at least 350 watts
> they should probably give the 6800 Ultra a whirl before rushing
> out to buy a new supply. Anything less than 18 amps from 12
> volts -- budget for a new power-supply, especially if you are
> running a top-end CPU.

Well, I have a 500-watt power supply. I got it for future expandability,
and I guess I'm glad I did. I currently run two hard drives (I'll be
running three or four once I buy another IDE controller card) and two
CDRW drives (one with DVD capability) and the LiveDrive. No floppy.

I like having more than enough power. I haven't found one yet, but I
wish Antec would make a case with slots for multiple power supplies. But
then I'm not really sure that my battery backup would accomodate it.
With my current PSU and monitor, I've got my battery backup at a 45-46%
load. Those are the only two items I run -- the necessities. Sound,
scanner, printer, etc.... all run without battery backup.

Damaeus

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

> the processors, the nVidia reference thermal solution is huge (and
> apparently very quiet ). I'll take huge and quiet any day...

Some reviews noted that it wasn't too loud when enclosed in a case with
other loud components. Others mentioned that it was loud. It looks to me
from the pictures, that it uses a 60mm fan. You cannot get good airflow
with near-silent acoustics from a 60mm fan. This will be loud enough to
irritate the silent pc enthusiasts.

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 08:22:08 GMT, Damaeus <no-mail@hotmail.invalid.net> wrote:

>In news:alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia, john.dsl@verizon.net (John
>Lewis) posted on Wed, 14 Apr 2004 20:58:44 GMT:
>
>> I would suggest that for any wondering whether their existing
>> power-supply is sufficient that they check the Power Supply
>> label. If AT LEAST 18 amps at 12 volts, AND at least 350 watts
>> they should probably give the 6800 Ultra a whirl before rushing
>> out to buy a new supply. Anything less than 18 amps from 12
>> volts -- budget for a new power-supply, especially if you are
>> running a top-end CPU.
>
>Well, I have a 500-watt power supply. I got it for future expandability,
>and I guess I'm glad I did. I currently run two hard drives (I'll be
>running three or four once I buy another IDE controller card) and two
>CDRW drives (one with DVD capability) and the LiveDrive. No floppy.
>
>I like having more than enough power. I haven't found one yet, but I
>wish Antec would make a case with slots for multiple power supplies. But
>then I'm not really sure that my battery backup would accomodate it.
>With my current PSU and monitor, I've got my battery backup at a 45-46%
>load. Those are the only two items I run -- the necessities. Sound,
>scanner, printer, etc.... all run without battery backup.
>
>Damaeus



What is the 12v+ Rating on it..?


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. (George Carlin)

 

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

In news:alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia, puss@purrpurr.com posted on
Fri, 16 Apr 2004 21:51:02 +1200:

> On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 08:22:08 GMT, Damaeus <no-mail@hotmail.invalid.net> wrote:
>
> >With my current PSU and monitor, I've got my battery backup at a 45-46%
> >load. Those are the only two items I run -- the necessities. Sound,
> >scanner, printer, etc.... all run without battery backup.

> What is the 12v+ Rating on it..?

Well... Here's what the control panel for it says:

UPS Type: Line-Interactive
Rating VA: 1000VA
Rating Input Volt: 120V
Rating Output Volt: 120V
Rating Battery Volt: 24V
Rating Input Frequency: 60Hz

Running my 19" monitor and the tower, it's got a 45-46% load on it.
However, I've never seen the battery level above 95%. I don't know why.
Oh, wait! It just jumped to 96%. That's the first time I've seen that,
but it fluctuates a little.