PCI Express 3.0: On Motherboards By This Time Next Year?

Features
By Tony Celeste
published

After an unfortunate series of untimely delays, the folks behind PCI Express 3.0 believe they've worked out the kinks that have kept next-generation connectivity from achieving backwards compatibility with PCIe 2.0. We take a look at the tech to come.

CUDA And Parallel Processing

We are entering an age of the desktop supercomputer. We have access to massively parallel graphics processors, along with power supplies and motherboards that can support as many as four cards at the same time. Nvidia’s CUDA technology is transforming the graphics card into a tool for programmers working not only with games, but with science and engineering. The programming interface has already played an instrumental role in solutions for enterprises as diverse as medical imaging, mathematics, and oil and gas exploration. 

nVidia’s CUDA showcase

I asked OpenGL programmer Terry Welsh, from Really Slick Screensavers, for his thoughts on PCI Express 3.0 and GPU processing. Terry told me “PCI Express was a great boost, and I'm happy with them doubling the bandwidth anytime they want, as with 3.0. However, for the types of projects I work on, I don't expect to see any difference from it. I do a lot of flight-sim stuff at work, but that's mostly bound by memory and disk I/O; the graphics bus isn't a bottleneck at all. I can easily see [PCI Express 3.0] being a big boost, though, for GPU compute applications, and people doing scientific viz on large datasets.” 

The explosion Easter Egg in Terry Welsh’s Skyrocket Screensaver

The ability to double transfer speed when working with mathematics-intensive workloads is sure to enhance both CUDA and Fusion development.  This is one of the most promising areas for the upcoming PCI Express 3.0 interface.

Tony Celeste
69 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cmcghee358
    Good article with some nice teases. Seems us regular users of high end machines won't see a worth until 2012. Just in time for my next build!
    Reply
  • tony singh
    What the..... pcie3 already devoloped & most games graphics are still of geforce 7 level thnk u consoles..
    Reply
  • darthvidor
    just got pci-e 2.0 last 2008 with my x58 ... time's flying
    Reply
  • iqvl
    Good news to peoples like me who haven't spent any money on PCIE 2.0 DX11 card due to nVidia's delay in shipping GTX460.

    Can't wait to see PCIE 3.0, native USB3/SATA3, DDR4, quad channel and faster&cheaper SSD next year.

    In addition, I hate unreasonably priced buggy HDMI and would also like to see the Ethernet cable(cheap, fast and exceptional) based monitors as soon as possible.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ethernet-cable-hdmi-displayport-hdbaset,10784.html

    One more tech that I can't wait to see: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/silicon-photonics-laser-light-beams,10961.html

    WOW, so much new techs to be expected next year!
    Reply
  • ytoledano
    Processor speed *is* increasing exponentially! Even a 5% year-on-year increase is exponential.
    Reply
  • Casper42
    I havent read this entire article but on a related note I was told that within the Sandy Bridge family, at least on the server side, the higher end products will get PCIe 3.0.

    And if you think the Core i3/5/7 desktop naming is confusing now, wait till Intel starts releasing all their Sandy Bridge Server chips. Its going to be even worse I think.

    And while we're talking about futures, 32GB DIMMs will be out for the server market most likely before the end of this year. If 3D Stacking and Load Reducing DIMMs remain on track, we could see 128GB on a single DIMM around 2013, which is when DDR4 is slated to come out as well.
    Reply
  • JonnyDough
    After an unfortunate series of untimely delays, the folks behind PCI Express 3.0 believe they've worked out the kinks that have kept next-generation connectivity from achieving backwards compatibility with PCIe 2.0. We take a look at the tech to come.

    It's nice to see the backwards compatibility and cost be key factors in the decision making. Especially considering that devices won't be able to saturate it for many years to come.
    Reply
  • rohitbaran
    Nothing in the world of graphics is getting smaller. Displays are getting larger, high definition is replacing standard definition, the textures used in games are becoming even more detailed and intricate.
    Even the graphics cards are getting bigger! :lol:
    Reply
  • iqvl
    rohitbaranEven the graphics cards are getting bigger!I believe that he meant gfx size per performance. :)
    Reply
  • Tamz_msc
    We do not feel that the need exists today for the latest and greatest graphics cards to sport 16-lane PCI Express 3.0 interfaces.
    Glad you said today, since when Crysis 3 comes along its all back to the drawing board, again.
    Reply