GeForce GPU Will be Inside 200 Sandy Bridge PCs
By - Source: Tom's Hardware US
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Even with integrated graphics, there are still lots of discrete graphics!
There’s soon going to be a new Intel kid on the block, and her name is Sandy Bridge. She’s the next generation of Intel’s flagship Core architecture, she’ll be the star on stage at Intel’s CES 2011 showing.
One of the big things about Sandy Bridge is its integration of a GPU directly in the same die as the CPU. While the graphics prowess of is Intel’s best yet, it’s not enough to elbow out discrete graphics makers like Nvidia. In fact, Nvidia is boasting that it has scored 200 design wins that will pair its GeForce GPUs with next generation Core systems.
Part of that is due to the integrated Intel graphics not being a DirectX 11 part. For full DX11 support, OEMs have to turn to graphics solutions from Nvidia (or AMD).
"With the explosion in digital content and entertainment, it's no wonder that consumers love GeForce notebooks," said Jeff Fisher, vice president of the GeForce business unit at Nvidia. "Our momentum reflects the overwhelming need for a better PC experience."
The designs are expected to span a variety of notebook and desktop systems from leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and more.
We expect CES next month to be packed with Sandy Bridge computers.
One of the big things about Sandy Bridge is its integration of a GPU directly in the same die as the CPU. While the graphics prowess of is Intel’s best yet, it’s not enough to elbow out discrete graphics makers like Nvidia. In fact, Nvidia is boasting that it has scored 200 design wins that will pair its GeForce GPUs with next generation Core systems.
Part of that is due to the integrated Intel graphics not being a DirectX 11 part. For full DX11 support, OEMs have to turn to graphics solutions from Nvidia (or AMD).
"With the explosion in digital content and entertainment, it's no wonder that consumers love GeForce notebooks," said Jeff Fisher, vice president of the GeForce business unit at Nvidia. "Our momentum reflects the overwhelming need for a better PC experience."
The designs are expected to span a variety of notebook and desktop systems from leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and more.
We expect CES next month to be packed with Sandy Bridge computers.
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But you can bet your ass these solutions will probably cost *something stupid here*
The previous generation of Intel processors with integrated graphics had them on package, not on die. I believe that the CPU cores were 32nm while the graphics cores were 45nm.
And there are a LOT more of those desktops than ones like ours.
As for now AMD will provide regular desktops without IGP on die (Zambesi 8-6-4 cores) and Fusion Llano(based on Deneb improved cores) updated later Fusion Trinity (Bulldozer Cores). So if you don't like to have a "useless" IGP then wait for Zambesi.
If you add in a video card it will disable the GPU in the Intel chip. The i series was built with gpu in them. This is just one of the first times it caught the media's attention to have enough people to read into.
What I've managed to take from this is Nvidia has somehow partnered-up with some major PC manufacturers to ensure their GPUs are featured alongside the Sandy Bridge CPU release, which is expected to be a major attraction at CES. Nvidia is sort of hitching a ride on Intel's coattails. It's simply clever marketing and product exposure.
1) The die size 'wasted' on the IGP is not wasted. Today, many calculations can be offloaded to the GPU. If that trend continues, the IGP would in effect be an extra processor core that only takes effect in computationally intensive applications. That's not a waste at all...
2) You might not use an IGP, but a majority of the market does - with good reason. Modern IGP's can do all the things Average Joe asks of them (video playback, web browsing, casual gaming and word processing) quite well.
3) Intel has nothing to gain from strong arming Nvidia GPU's out of the market. First and foremost it would cause massive antitrust regulations, and second it would mean they'd effectively cede the GPU market to arch rival AMD.
FYI, IGP's can already be used in Crossfire/SLI with discrete GPU's (Hybrid SLI/Crossfire anyone?). However, only for the lowest of lowest end GPU's there's a noticeable performance benefit. Even the 5450 fails to post significant gains. After all, IGP's are terribly weak and their Crossfire/SLI scaling is absolutely pathetic.
I do not want to waste money and energy on unneeded transistors. Unless nVidia and AMD manages to add-up the power of integrated chipsets and discrete cards. They should work on that, since it would give a for-free performance advantage. But I suspect that it will not work without DirectX support.
Well, you will have to... All the top end unlocked Sandy bridges will come with that PoS integrated space taking crap. It will be disabled but it will be there. Taking precious die space and costing money for absolutely no reason. Even the Core i7-2600K... Whats the point of putting such a crap on a K model?
The die space is wasted, you do realize that on sandy bridge once a discrete GFX card is in use the IGP on the CPU will simply shit down? So no it will not be used toward offloading calculations, the discrete card will have to take care of that.
As far as them ceding to AMD, you may have a point but with intel still working on larabee (they might not have released it but intel is still working on designing a distrete GFX card despite the fact that they have claimed they won't release it as a discrete GFX card anytime soon).