Marketing, I'm sure

[TWills]

so why doesn't either nvidia or ati just get it all over with and release 128 pipe video cards??? We're all just drooling now over the prototype 32 pipe part r520, and as far as logic goes, pipe count will just keep getting bigger and bigger. Why not just save ourselves the hassle and make the 128 pipe beast now?

 

[Boris the Spider]

Because that would be no fun.

 

[VIAN]

Because, it would be a really huge chip. And it would cost piles of cash. And it would generate lots of heat. And it would consume lots of power. And... I don't know, it's just not practical.

 

[ddogg]

lol....why doesnt intel release a 10ghz processor and surprise us all?? obviously they dont release a 128pipe card because they dont have the technology to do it and its just impractical at the moment. to fit so many pipes u would have to move to a smaller die maybe 45nm or even lesser which would take easily another 3 years.

 

[imported_Noob]

They would have to use at least a 90nm design, or the future 65nm CPU design. It may have to be watercooled but with a much smaller micron design it would be hard to tell, same with a power consumption estimate.

 

[Wag]

Yep, 1GB of ram too.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: ddogg
lol....why doesnt intel release a 10ghz processor and surprise us all?? obviously they dont release a 128pipe card because they dont have the technology to do it and its just impractical at the moment. to fit so many pipes u would have to move to a smaller die maybe 45nm or even lesser which would take easily another 3 years.

they can, but it wouldnt be pratical. a few years ago, intel built a 35ghz chip. it took up an entire slab of silicon and was te size of your forearm in diameter. ati or nv could do it(the 128 or 256 pipe card) but there would be maybe 2-3 cutomers.

 

[Regs]

Maybe when Nvidia and Ati master the 35 nm or even 90 nm fab process they'll be able too. It's all ready on paper being planned.

 

[Boris the Spider]

Well yes, in all seriousness the card would be just too damn big, to power hungry, run too hot, etc.

 

[imported_Noob]

Originally posted by: Boris the Spider
Well yes, in all seriousness the card would be just too damn big, to power hungry, run too hot, etc.

Maybe not if it was built on a 35nm design.

 

[Amplifier]

Originally posted by: TWills
so why doesn't either nvidia or ati just get it all over with and release 128 pipe video cards??? We're all just drooling now over the prototype 32 pipe part r520, and as far as logic goes, pipe count will just keep getting bigger and bigger. Why not just save ourselves the hassle and make the 128 pipe beast now?

Would be cool.

 

[Schadenfroh]

and make it 64 way sli on a single board

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

then the companies wouldn't make any money. if they go strait to 128 pipe cards, they would make no money on the lower pipe ones. they have to keep going in order, so they make the most money possible. its obvious marketing technique. technology speeds tings up, the economy slows it back down.

 

[stnicralisk]

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: ddogg
lol....why doesnt intel release a 10ghz processor and surprise us all?? obviously they dont release a 128pipe card because they dont have the technology to do it and its just impractical at the moment. to fit so many pipes u would have to move to a smaller die maybe 45nm or even lesser which would take easily another 3 years.

they can, but it wouldnt be pratical. a few years ago, intel built a 35ghz chip. it took up an entire slab of silicon and was te size of your forearm in diameter. ati or nv could do it(the 128 or 256 pipe card) but there would be maybe 2-3 cutomers.

I call shens. If the chip is bigger it should make it ever more difficult to reach such speeds, the pathing would be way too long. Is there a link? Google turns up nothing.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: stnicralisk

Originally posted by: mwmorph

Originally posted by: ddogg
lol....why doesnt intel release a 10ghz processor and surprise us all?? obviously they dont release a 128pipe card because they dont have the technology to do it and its just impractical at the moment. to fit so many pipes u would have to move to a smaller die maybe 45nm or even lesser which would take easily another 3 years.

they can, but it wouldnt be pratical. a few years ago, intel built a 35ghz chip. it took up an entire slab of silicon and was te size of your forearm in diameter. ati or nv could do it(the 128 or 256 pipe card) but there would be maybe 2-3 cutomers.

I call shens. If the chip is bigger it should make it ever more difficult to reach such speeds, the pathing would be way too long. Is there a link? Google turns up nothing.

they had a breif story on it during the news(NBC4) a few years ago. ill provie a linky if i can find one

 

[TWills]

when SLI first came out, ATI publicized a story about taking their X850 somewhere and had it ubercooled so it could turn up faster scores than the twin 6800 ultras. If it's such a necessity to have "the fasest time," why wouldn't either one make a 128 pipe video card to oneup the other?

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: TWills
when SLI first came out, ATI publicized a story about taking their X850 somewhere and had it ubercooled so it could turn up faster scores than the twin 6800 ultras. If it's such a necessity to have "the fasest time," why wouldn't either one make a 128 pipe video card to oneup the other?

Because it's a risk at this point and time and the logistics for it are simply not there.

 

[imported_Ged]

Originally posted by: ddogg
lol....why doesnt intel release a 10ghz processor and surprise us all?? obviously they dont release a 128pipe card because they dont have the technology to do it and its just impractical at the moment. to fit so many pipes u would have to move to a smaller die maybe 45nm or even lesser which would take easily another 3 years.

Cause they [Intel] tried that and failed at it? EDIT: That's what they tried to do with the P4 line.

Any Graphics Comapny can make a 128 pipe GPU. It's not difficult. You simply use as much Silicon as it takes. No matter what process you use it can be done.

The only problem is that it's not practical.

EDIT#2:

This is a crude way to look at it, but I think it shows why 128 pipe cards aren't around right now:

16 pipe NVIDIA 6800 Ultra uses 222 million transistors.

128 / 16 = 8

it would take roughly 8 times one NVIDIA 6800 Ultra to make a 128 pipe GPU.

8 * 222 million = 1.776 Billion Transistors.

We're talking as much silicon as the BIG Itanium2's with all that extra cache they use now. And the cost of that much silicon, even with Intel's manufacturing ability, is huge.

Though, if you looked at it this way, a 6800 Ultra costs $500 (assume $500), and a 128 pipe version could possibly cost 8 times that ($4,000). But there are other factors which would make such a card cost more: such as the horrible yield on such a large GPU even with today's best process.

Another way to explain why this isn't done is because the Computer Hardware industry is such that they want to sell you something slightly better each product cycle. If they release the best possible solution to you before they could have, they are losing money.

So, if NVIDIA or ATi could sell you a 128 pipe GPU tomorrow at $500, they wouldn't because the average customer will buy a 24 pipe, 32 pipe, etc. card each time they decide to release it. They will pocket more money that way.

 

[vision33r]

128 pipes, can you say 1000watts required to run the thing?

 

[trinibwoy]

Originally posted by: TWills
when SLI first came out, ATI publicized a story about taking their X850 somewhere and had it ubercooled so it could turn up faster scores than the twin 6800 ultras. If it's such a necessity to have "the fasest time," why wouldn't either one make a 128 pipe video card to oneup the other?

Well maybe if you tell the IHV's how to install, power and cool such a beast within the confines of a PC system while minimizing production costs and maximizing yields on the product in a price range in reach of the masses they will consider doing it. :roll:

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: vision33r
128 pipes, can you say 1000watts required to run the thing?

Yup, and an Air Conditioner attached to the Core, the video card is actually a box the sixe of a 4 drawer standup dresser, cost at least $20k. Yup, they should do it, we'd all be buying that sh1t.