G80 is more CPU than GPU. Inq linq

Keysplayr

Elite Member
Jan 16, 2003
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Seems that all Nvidia needs to do with G80 architecture is:

1. Fine tune
2. get an X86 license
3. program G80 for x86 instructions
4. Shrink it
5. Market it
5. Pwn. (methinks)

BUT!! What, or how will they offer this? New platform? New socket on new mobos?
I'm sure they have their work cut out for them. The biggest roadblock would be getting the license to produce x86 CPU/GPU's.

Linkage
 

IntelUser2000

Elite Member
Oct 14, 2003
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1. Fine tune
2. get an X86 license
3. program G80 for x86 instructions
4. Shrink it
5. Market it
5. Pwn. (methinks)

They don't call CPU a general purpose unit for nothing. Follow those steps and you'll have a hot, low performing, expensive CPU that performs like the original Pentium.

GPU has like hundreds of pipeline stages or something?? Putting that as a CPU means the amount of branch mis-prediction and pipeline flush would make Prescott look like a 2 stage pipeline.

The performance increase you can get on a GPU by adding pixel pipelines don't work for apps that runs on a CPU.
 

xtknight

Elite Member
Oct 15, 2004
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It's just the Inq...

I doubt that NVIDIA will go as far as making G80 x86-compatible. That doesn't mean that it can't perform x86 things in different ways. It may be heaven for GPGPU (General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit) programmers. Essentially the chip will be the most programmable yet, but it will not embrace the x86 instruction set.
 

Cookie Monster

Diamond Member
May 7, 2005
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I did know that the G80 was a GPGPU but not sure about it becomnig a CPU after a series of steps. But this does indicate that nVIDIA in the near future will be entering the CPU business.
 

jim1976

Platinum Member
Aug 7, 2003
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Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
I did know that the G80 was a GPGPU but not sure about it becomnig a CPU after a series of steps. But this does indicate that nVIDIA in the near future will be entering the CPU business.


Exactly.. As it was rumoured some months now..
 

fierydemise

Platinum Member
Apr 16, 2005
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I'm a little skeptical that nVidia will release a CPU anytime soon, this just looks to me like the natural progression toward more general purpose use. Eventually the CPU and GPU will be rolled into one but until then I don't see an nVidia CPU anytime soon.
 

josh6079

Diamond Member
Mar 17, 2006
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keys, thanks for noting that the source was from the Inq. You saved me a click I didn't want to make. :)
 

Cookie Monster

Diamond Member
May 7, 2005
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Originally posted by: fierydemise
I'm a little skeptical that nVidia will release a CPU anytime soon, this just looks to me like the natural progression toward more general purpose use. Eventually the CPU and GPU will be rolled into one but until then I don't see an nVidia CPU anytime soon.

O yeah, it wont be happening within any time now. Im sort of expecting this to happen within the next 5 years though. It will eventually happen but not now.
 

JAG87

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
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it will never happen, and if it does happen, intel will acquire nvidia the next business day.

think about it people. intel wants most of the cake, AMD is already leeching like crazy, if someone as big as nvidia becomes a player, intel will swallow someone.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
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Originally posted by: JAG87

it will never happen, and if it does happen, intel will acquire nvidia the next business day.

think about it people. intel wants most of the cake, AMD is already leeching like crazy, if someone as big as nvidia becomes a player, intel will swallow someone.

Intel does not have enough cash to acquire Nvidia. Even though Intel is far bigger than AMD, Nvidia is FAR FAR bigger than ATI was (Partly because they have been around longer IIRC).

Its a testament to what ATI was able to do. They were smaller and didn't have as much money as Nvidia, but after a few years (7000 series and 8000 series and before) they created a fantastic series of chips (9700 and up).

-Kevin
 

JAG87

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
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are you insane... nvidia is worth nothing compared to intel

nvidia is worth just a bit more than ATI, and AMD was actually considering merging with nvidia at one point. They decided to go with ATI because its was cheaper, and because ATI has fabs which are essential for AMD to produce their chipsets and their Fusion crap.

nvidia does not have any fabs even, I bet they can get away with less than 10 billion (the AMD-ATI deal was 5.4 billion IIRC). you have no idea how much intel is worth, with their pocket change they can acquire nvidia 3 times over.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
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Originally posted by: JAG87
are you insane... nvidia is worth nothing compared to intel

nvidia is worth just a bit more than ATI, and AMD was actually considering merging with nvidia at one point. They decided to go with ATI because its was cheaper, and because ATI has fabs which are essential for AMD to produce their chipsets and their Fusion crap.

nvidia does not have any fabs even, I bet they can get away with less than 10 billion (the AMD-ATI deal was 5.4 billion IIRC). you have no idea how much intel is worth, with their pocket change they can acquire nvidia 3 times over.

No. Nvidia is MUCH MUCH larger than ATI was. Yes they aren't worth as much as Intel, but Intel would be spending a very very large portion of its cash to acquire Nvidia.

-Kevin
 

JAG87

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2006
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trust me, you would be surprised.

intel could buy out AMD if they really wanted to. but that would do more bad than good to their finances. nvidia is peanuts for intel.
 

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
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Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Nvidia is FAR FAR bigger than ATI was (Partly because they have been around longer IIRC).

I thought ATI had been around longer. You know, back when ATI.com went to a page called "Artificial Turd Industries." :p

Didn't Nvidia start back in the early stages of 3D acceleration, with NV1 (precursor to Riva)? Maybe I'm dreaming all this.

Anyways, ATI has a history dating back to before 3D acceleration, when acceleration meant "Windows? Accelerator." I'm thinking PCI and VL-Bus, and the ATI "Mach" chipsets.
 

40sTheme

Golden Member
Sep 24, 2006
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Originally posted by: JAG87
trust me, you would be surprised.

intel could buy out AMD if they really wanted to. but that would do more bad than good to their finances. nvidia is peanuts for intel.

That doesn't matter. He was saying that Nvidia is worth waaaaay more than ATi. I think (although i'm not sure) when the merge happened, nV was worth $13.1 billion (billion or million? I forgot exactly, but it was pretty large), and ATi was worth $5.6 billion/million whatever. I'm almost positive it was billion. Anyways, either way it's a lot more cash.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
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Originally posted by: Zap
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Nvidia is FAR FAR bigger than ATI was (Partly because they have been around longer IIRC).

I thought ATI had been around longer. You know, back when ATI.com went to a page called "Artificial Turd Industries." :p

Didn't Nvidia start back in the early stages of 3D acceleration, with NV1 (precursor to Riva)? Maybe I'm dreaming all this.

Anyways, ATI has a history dating back to before 3D acceleration, when acceleration meant "Windows? Accelerator." I'm thinking PCI and VL-Bus, and the ATI "Mach" chipsets.

Yea, thats why I put IIRC, cause I distinctly remember buying a card. Despite being around longer, I KNOW Nvidia is so many times biggers than ATI. I dunno lol, I'm sorry for any confusion. (I also remember Number Nine Video Cards :) )

-Kevin
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
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Originally posted by: MegaWorks
ATI

nVidia

ATI was founded in 1985, and nVidia ???

Not nearly that long. Like I said, I apologize for the confusion I caused. Nvidia I believe came along ~1996. However, they really took off when they introduced their first Geforce with the first T&L (Transform and Lighting) engine (And quadratic surfaces algorithms).

-Kevin
 

allies

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2002
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Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: MegaWorks
ATI

nVidia

ATI was founded in 1985, and nVidia ???

Not nearly that long. Like I said, I apologize for the confusion I caused. Nvidia I believe came along ~1996. However, they really took off when they introduced their first Geforce with the first T&L (Transform and Lighting) engine (And quadratic surfaces algorithms).

-Kevin

Heh... actually they gained tons of steam with the TNT2 Ultra which brought 32bit color with great frame rates to the masses.
 

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
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Originally posted by: allies
Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Originally posted by: MegaWorks
ATI

nVidia

ATI was founded in 1985, and nVidia ???

Not nearly that long. Like I said, I apologize for the confusion I caused. Nvidia I believe came along ~1996. However, they really took off when they introduced their first Geforce with the first T&L (Transform and Lighting) engine (And quadratic surfaces algorithms).

-Kevin

Heh... actually they gained tons of steam with the TNT2 Ultra which brought 32bit color with great frame rates to the masses.

Very true. It was 3DFX's own pompous attitude that killed them when they decided that we didn't need 32bit color.

-Kevin