[Pc_Support] Re: AMD buys ATI, is this good or bad -- $90 mainboard w/Radeon X1800 256MB on-board?

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Tue, 2006-07-25 at 11:56 -0400, Bryan J. Smith wrote:
> For this new GPU design, _no_ new chipset logic is required.  The GPUs
> will connect _directly_ to the CPU's HyperTransport channels, just like
> another CPU.  The mechanical form is known as HyperTransport eXtension
> (HTX) -- for when the GPU is not embedded, just like InfiniBand cards.

I feel I should point out another item of note.  AMD is introducing a
new "high-end OEM" and "mid-end enthusiast" approach for cost.

Right now, you have a choice of 2 types of systems ...
A.  Mainboard, Chipset with GPU-integrated, optional PCIe x16
B.  Mainboard, Chipset with no GPU-integrated, required PCIe x16

In both these case, you have the option of always using a PCIe x16 card
because there is a PCIe x16 slot.  Most OEMs sell a lot of type "A" and
most people never upgrade.  A lot of enthusiasts buy "B" and OEMs sell
far less.

AMD is really going to change this.

I see a 3-tier model ...
1.  Mainboard, Chipset with GPU-integrated, _no_ slot -- sub-$50
2.  Mainboard, _On-board_ GPU, no HTX slot (?) -- sub-$100
3.  Mainboard, _no_ GPU, HTX slot -- $100+

"1" is still going to be a staple for OEMs.  There's little difference
from "A" above.

But this new "2" opens up a staple of performance for sub-$100!  The GPU
and its memory will be soldier on-board.  It's _not_ in the chipset and
main memory is _not_ used -- it has _dedicated_ memory, just like a
video card.

Remember, AMD's partial mesh is local memory to CPU -- with CPU to CPU
coherence.  That's a GPU too, via AMD's new approach!

If you can spend less than $100 and get 10x the performance of a
GPU-integrated chipset, wouldn't you?  More direct yet, wouldn't an OEM?
Imagine having an entry-level Radeon X1800 (in today's performance,
comparable to a high-end GeForce 7600 or low-end/crippled 7800) fixed
with 256MB dual-DDR2 on-mainboard on the mainboard for $90 total!!!

Now yes, "3" is probably what most enthusiasts would go for, so they can
upgrade their video.  The mainboard will last them 24-36 months or so,
until AMD revs the CPU/HyperTransport.

But cost-conscience enthusiasts might still go for "2".  Instead of
upgrading their video card every 12-18 months and their mainboard every
24-36 months -- they will just replace the mainboard every 12-18 months
for less than $100.

It's well worth the bother to save that much money!


-- 
Bryan J. Smith          Professional, technical annoyance
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org    http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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