Is the 'Single GPU' cause a lost one?

[Sin_Chase]

Just thinking out loud really, based on some of the performance we have seen in the preview benchmarks for the new AMD cards and not quite the improvements we were expecting.

Is single GPU a lost cause?

This will be a poor tecnical comparison but is pushing the GPU tech further into single GPU solutions like not migrating to multiple core CPUs and trying to flog as much performance out of a single core?

I will not touch multi-GPU setups as from what I have seen game, profile and driver support is poor.

Should this change? Should the big players be trying to mature multi-GPU solutions faster than they currently are and 'abandon' the single GPU approach?

Does the software need to change to accommodate this?

The question I am asking is why we have not seen multi-GPU become mainstream like multiple core CPUs have. Cost of R&D? Software not allowing for a big changes to occur? It's not like multi-GPUs are cutting edge....it has been around for a fair good time now. Maybe it is lack of uptake on the current dual-GPU single cards but surely this is more down to most peoples opinion/perception of the problems it can cause?

 

[inSilica]

I think we will start to see this very soon, I mean multi-GPU setup. We have this at the moment but I agree driver support sucks (I've read allot). With ATI 7900 and Kepler moving to smaller fabrication process the manufacturers are bound to try to fit more on the same PCB.

Maybe optimistic but I would not be surprised if new 4 GPU cards surface in mid 2013 to late 2013. That is if there is a market for it.

 

[ghutchison14078]

We probably wont see major leaps in single GPU tech until the next gen of consoles are released...think back to the 8800GTX, it was released about 18 months after the Xbox 360 came out and it was a massive step forward in GPU tech.

I think the design of GPU's is directly linked to the requirements of game developers, and since most developers dont prioritise the pc platform we wont see mega GPUs coming out until the next gen of all singing all dancing consoles hit the market

 

[Sin_Chase]

We probably wont see major leaps in single GPU tech until the next gen of consoles are released...think back to the 8800GTX, it was released about 18 months after the Xbox 360 came out and it was a massive step forward in GPU tech.

I think the design of GPU's is directly linked to the requirements of game developers, and since most developers dont prioritise the pc platform we wont see mega GPUs coming out until the next gen of all singing all dancing consoles hit the market

I dis-agree somewhat. I doubt next gen consoles are going to leap forward ahead as much as some people might expect.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I dis-agree somewhat. I doubt next gen consoles are going to leap forward ahead as much as some people might expect.

Yup, this is my line of thinking too. I am not expecting a huge leap, manufacturing of these new components has just become too expensive.

 

[kitch9]

A high end single GPU will run everything maxed out at a mainstream res of around 1080p, and if you decide you want 3d or multi monitors then you need to think about dual GPU.

I think we've seen the end of big power hungry GPU's going forward as they are too much hassle for the manufacturer. The 7970 to say its a completely new tech for AMD on its first driver looks to be pretty good for a 200w card... I'm not sure what people were expecting?

What's the problem?

 

[decto]

For real multi GPU performance you'd need a technology shift to high speed dedicated interconnects. I can't see an on die quad core gpu catching on yet as you create more problems than you solve. GPU's are already massively parallel execution units, splitting them up into cores just gives you the same heat issue with interconnects to manage.

I actually think AMD has played a bit of a master stroke with the 7970, it'a currently the fastest single GPU and will be until Nvidia gets it act together and is economic to produce with a controlled die size and modest cooling requirements. In time to come they should be able to sell these at £200 and still make a profit. While that will take a time to come around so don't hold your breath for a price cut they clearly have the heat and power headroom to have include more stream processors however if they spin a ultra high end die, it's expensive to produce, yields may be lower and you need a more expensive cooling solution all for a limited market. If AMD have the option to price these competitively into the mid range high volume market then the card will be a winner. Nvidia may reclaim the high end but the mid range segment is a better place to be.

The 7970 has approx 1/3 more stream processors than the 6970 ... performance is about what I'd expect.

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