AMD fuses CPU and GPU

[Steve]

Today it all kicks off, as for starters, ati.com disappears and even more excitingly, AMD starts blowing the trumpets of its new initiatives. Where's the new AMD/ATI headed? Towards Fusion...

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=7094

[SpawnofSonic]

CPU and GPU as one, sounds exciting, very exciting imagine the bandwidth available, although what about memory?

Im guessing it would make use of your system ram, if thats the case then your looking at the integrated memory controller, although surely GDDR3 and such is faster, i can't wait to read what its actually going to intale.

Looks like you'd need 2Gb of ram as minimum

[Veles]

I've never really liked the idea of having to upgrade my processor at the same time as my GPU, because, lets be honest, you can still game well with a 3GHz P4, people tend to upgrade thier GFX card towerdays far more than thier CPU.

[kalniel]

Hmm. Not expecially convinced on this front.

What percentage of PC users actually need a powerful graphics solution? My guess is it's tiny, meaning most CPU-GPUs will be created for the mass markets who just need enough to run Vista Aero.

So now if you want a more powerful solution you'll be encouraged to buy an enthusiast model CPU-GPU, and we know how much the enthusiast CPUs currently cost :/

Finally when the next model of Shaders or whatever comes out, it's a whole new CPU-GPU replacement to upgrade.

The success of the PC itself is utlimately down to the way it is a multi-component system. GPU on a seperate socket via torrenza I think would be fantastic, but a same package CPU-GPU.. not for me.

[shaithis]

Sounds rather risky to me as I really can't see this taking off.....although I guess they've had some pretty expensive analysts telling them its viable.

Tying your CPU and GPU together just makes me shiver. Sounds like the kind of thing Apple would use, not gamers.

[Steve]

I think a Torrenza style GPU on the HyperTransport link would be a better transitional solution, but I guess AMD has to go at this one guns blazing.

[DavidM]

Wouldn't the Torrenza method allow a greater bandwidth then PCI-E etc?

[Steve]

That was my point

[kalniel]

Of course, lots more.

But you'd have to share access to slow system RAM, quite possibly going through the memory controller on the CPU.

Now if you had a small amount of embedded RAM to act as a buffer, and made sure your system ram was fast enough, say GDDR3 or so, then you'd be sorted.

Alternatively you'd get sued for copying the X360

[DavidM]

Alternatively you'd get sued for copying the X360

But who designed Xenos?

[kalniel]

That was my point

[Mike Fishcake]

Sounds rather risky to me as I really can't see this taking off.....although I guess they've had some pretty expensive analysts telling them its viable.

Tying your CPU and GPU together just makes me shiver. Sounds like the kind of thing Apple would use, not gamers.

That's probably because you're a computer enthusiast.

This sort of thing would be an ideal solution for OEM builders.

People that want computers to just sit there and be able to access the internet, use Windows and Microsoft office and so on just won't care. As long as it copes with what they want to use it for, it really doesn't matter.

[Veles]

People that want computers to just sit there and be able to access the internet, use Windows and Microsoft office and so on just won't care. As long as it copes with what they want to use it for, it really doesn't matter.

Yeah I can see this being the replacement for on(mother)board graphics chips by companies like Intel for general home use, and hopefully will support alot of the features common on-board GPUs don't. There were quite a few complaints when people realised their on-board GPUs couldn't handle the sims 2.

I don't see this as being a replacement for a GFX card for the gaming market though. I'd imagine even budget gamers would get a separate CPU and GPU instead.

[Clunk]

Looks like a good plan to me, its a couple of years off, so who knows what will happen in the meantime?

[YorkieBen]

it will be good for oems etc to make cheap pcs - as people have said, it wont contain a top level cpu and gpu, simply because of heat and size of die.

It will be interesting though for multiple displays, htpcs, office pcs and mini pcs

[sawyen]

I think this is going to be a very big move for AMD, think about a single solution that solves everything that is needed. This then truly exercise the term motherboard as all that is added to the system PCB are just silicon and not extra PCB.. i.e. If Torrenza and all goes smoothly, sound systems can be miniaturised into just a single chip, think X-Fi the size of a CPU, on an auxiliary Torrenza socket locked up to the HTransport. Then the only decision only comes whether you want a 3,4 or 5 socket motherboard. And every add on is just a small chip with everything in it. I cant imagine anything conventional that wont work on it..

PPU, FPU.. everything can then be added/taken out based on requirement. And the CPU gives enough functionality to sustain itself alone.. which is perfect for a one chip one board solution, i.e. server terminals, 'satellite' systems.