A speculative question about GPU's.

[Natima]

What with all the current cooling issues of modern graphics cards, I was just wondering... whats the problem with having them utilize a socket system like CPU's?
Then we could have cooling systems like a TRUE on a gpu!

Anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[mmj_uk]

It will block the rest of the PCI slots and the weight might not be too healthy either.

 

[Art]

Do you mean built into the graphics card, or as an actual socket on the motherboard?

I doubt it would work out to well on the motherboard because of the general layout of it, you'd be horrendously pushed for space and airflow to cram a CPU, NB/SB and GPU on there with all of the other ports and sockets. Integrated graphics only works now because it's integrated into the chipset without the high power circuitry, hence why they're comparatively underpowered. Besides that, right now you can pretty much guarantee that any PCIe GPU will work with any PCIe enabled motherboard. If you had a GPU socket as well you'd have combinations of AMD/Intel boards crossed with ATI/Nvidia-specific sockets and it would just get too complicated. It's bad enough as it is now, but having to upgrade your CPU socket and GPU socket and getting the best mix of longevity, features, preferred manufacturer etc. would be a headache.

As for having the socket on the GPU, it would never support the weight, plus the height would move into other PCI/e slot space, just like multislot coolers. Having it as a plug-in card out the side is a bit more efficient space wise, plus I guess it's just easier to ship it as one product instead of having to worry about onboard/peripheral/integrated memory, power circuitry, etc.

 

[Phatjayunoi]

A major redesign of motherboard layout will have to accomodate the room for both the CPU and GPU with their respective coolers. I mean try imagining say two Tunic Towers, each cooling the CPU and GPU. Can you imagine how much space that will take up? Not to mention it will just block off any expansion and connectivity nearby. So yeah in the end, it just doesn't work.

 

[Natima]

Yeah... I meant on the mobo!
Socket on card would be silly

Well northbridges are gone soon anyway... but surely you could move the RAM slots alongside the PCI slots & In parralell with them, and then have the GPU socket where the RAM was with airflow going towards the CPU cooler, and out the back of the case.

You have a good point about the ATI/Nvidia-specific sockets... but it still seems to me, if something was ever worked out or standardised, a socket would be much more efficient no?

 

[reflux]

Because the demand for enthusiast-grade GPUs is too small for it to be economical for manufacturers to completely redesign their products. We've seen video on motherboards, in terms of integrated graphics, and we'll see an even more elegant solution when Intel and AMD launch their CGPUs; with CPU cores and graphics cores on one processor.

 

[Art]

Yeah... I meant on the mobo!
Socket on card would be silly

I thought that, but checked anyway!

The RAM needs to be shifted really, the current layout is a bit pants. Having it where it is makes it a bit more awkward to get airflow over them, they'd be better parallel to the PCIe slots like you said.

If you had the GPU socket where the RAM is though a lot of the heat from the GPU fan will go straight into the CPU cooler, and you'd get big arguments from people about which one should go first.

 

[Natima]

I thought that, but checked anyway!

The RAM needs to be shifted really, the current layout is a bit pants. Having it where it is makes it a bit more awkward to get airflow over them, they'd be better parallel to the PCIe slots like you said.

If you had the GPU socket where the RAM is though a lot of the heat from the GPU fan will go straight into the CPU cooler, and you'd get big arguments from people about which one should go first.

Maybe you could rotate the coolers 90 degrees clockwise so both blow upwards and outwards.... and have a vent as standard on the top of the case.

 

[Art]

Maybe you could rotate the coolers 90 degrees clockwise so both blow upwards and outwards.... and have a vent as standard on the top of the case.

Maybe yeah, but I'd reckon you're more likely to get airflow problems from your surroundings that way. People that have them under low desks, people that keep stuff on top of their machine etc., not to mention people that spill stuff.

At least when it's at the back you can be sure the cables mean it'll have a little airway. You could do it, but it wouldn't be ideal I reckon.