Dual Core GPU's?

[mpjesse]

There hasn't been much discussion on this topic from nVidia, ATI, or any of the industry "predictionists" so I thought I'd bring it up. Does anyone think GPU's will move to a dual core design? If so, when? If not, why?

We've seen lots of discussion and products that have dual GPU designs, but not dual core. Isn't it logical to assume GPU's will eventually move to a multiple core design?

Just curious what everyone thinks on this topic.

 

[raven_87]

In essence, GPU's today are multi core. You have your pipelines, pixel and vertex shaders and quads... a GPU is a very complicated piece of hardware, and simply adding in another "core" is nothing like a CPU.

However we could take examples' from the 7950 and 3D1 cards.
2 chips on one PCB. I think ATI and NV could integrate two processor's one assigned to run "X" value and another assigned to run "Y" value.
Say one is meant to be offloaded for physics calculation and DX driver communication, while the other is doing all the number crunching for rendering.

I'm @ work for 10 hours now, and thinking about it gives me a headache....so I'm going to maybe get some sleep and comment later.

 

[enforcerfx]

Yea i was also thinking about the 7950. Since its 2 cards linked into 1 PCIe slot, wouldnt that mean its performing some sort of dual-core processing? Maybe im just looney and have no idea what im talking about, but thats what i think.

 

[Vokofpolisiekar]

My view - exploit high efficiency processing units more, like the 1900 architecture. Rather keep it simple, increase transistor count on smaller die package and spend lots more time on running shorter efficient code through parrallism (something the gpu's of today excel at - hence the not looked down path of core based gpu's). ATi started the move to better efficiency, and Intel has just profen the same with Core (albeit on two cores - but it's a cpu).

With GPU's doing so much work, heat will always be a problem. Furthermore, consider one core failing or on gpu out of dual gpu solution failing.

 

[jkflipflop98]

There hasn't been much discussion on this topic from nVidia, ATI, or any of the industry "predictionists" so I thought I'd bring it up. Does anyone think GPU's will move to a dual core design? If so, when? If not, why?

We've seen lots of discussion and products that have dual GPU designs, but not dual core. Isn't it logical to assume GPU's will eventually move to a multiple core design?

Just curious what everyone thinks on this topic.

GPU's have been multicore since the GeForce 256 came out.

 

[raven_87]

@Vok

Thats half the problem, getting a smaller die package. Soon its going to be hard to mate a proper cooler because of the die size being so small. Heat dissipation won't be easy by any means.

 

[Vokofpolisiekar]

Okay okay, I'm just talking low level here - the technicalities of wafer production isn't my forte... :lol: But the principle for efficiency sticks.

Talking about coolers, it's damn near time for NV and ATI to do something proper about cooling on high end cards, ESPECIALLY ATi. If 3rd party coolers can do the job whilst being quiet, then I hope first generation card releases will follow with something similar

 

[mpjesse]

There hasn't been much discussion on this topic from nVidia, ATI, or any of the industry "predictionists" so I thought I'd bring it up. Does anyone think GPU's will move to a dual core design? If so, when? If not, why?

We've seen lots of discussion and products that have dual GPU designs, but not dual core. Isn't it logical to assume GPU's will eventually move to a multiple core design?

Just curious what everyone thinks on this topic.

GPU's have been multicore since the GeForce 256 came out.

No. GPU's have multiple units, not cores. There's a big difference. That's like calling a single core Pentium 4 multi-core because it has 2 ALU's.

 

[mpjesse]

Yea i was also thinking about the 7950. Since its 2 cards linked into 1 PCIe slot, wouldnt that mean its performing some sort of dual-core processing? Maybe im just looney and have no idea what im talking about, but thats what i think.

In a way yes. But the definition is dual-core is two physical dies in one package. So the analogy that dual GPU boards are essentially the same as dual core doesn't work. (However, the end result is the same. But read on...)

We already know what dual GPU cards are capable of. SLI is an extended form of dual GPU cards.

I personally think the industry will move towards dual core GPU's eventually. Dual GPU boards and SLI/Crossfire are ultimately inefficient and have severe limitations. (Just imagine 4 GPU single slot video cards!) 3dfx did at one point have a 4 GPU board and it failed because it was HUGE and it cost too much to manufacture.

Seems to me dual core is the next logical step for GPU's. (Please note i'm seperating packaging and features here)

 

[jkflipflop98]

There hasn't been much discussion on this topic from nVidia, ATI, or any of the industry "predictionists" so I thought I'd bring it up. Does anyone think GPU's will move to a dual core design? If so, when? If not, why?

We've seen lots of discussion and products that have dual GPU designs, but not dual core. Isn't it logical to assume GPU's will eventually move to a multiple core design?

Just curious what everyone thinks on this topic.

GPU's have been multicore since the GeForce 256 came out.

No. GPU's have multiple units, not cores. There's a big difference. That's like calling a single core Pentium 4 multi-core because it has 2 ALU's.


You know, situations like this are a pet peeve of mine. I hate when someone asks for help - you give them the answer - then they tell you that you're wrong.

 

[Action_Man]

Spot on.

 

[Blessedman]

Though a single unit on a gpu can be considered a core as they operate independant of one another. Obviously some units operate in tandum and should you break down the units that must work together I am sure you would call it multicore... So a dual core gpu is what most generation leaps have been. When they double the pipelines and the (ROP/ALU/USU) units that accompany them they are effectivly doubling the core. The real problem though as others have said is heat. Hence SLI gains favor in the ability to dissepate heat off two seperate chips.

IMHO I think iNTEL and AMD are wasting space with dual cores, when they could more effectively choose features that in nature of the x386 command base are more effecient in a multi unit nature and expand from there. That however is probably further off then what I can invision. oh well just my 2cents.