Trinity for Gamers

[lifeblood]

Lets assume Trinity is an excellent performing CPU so I buy one along with a FM2 MB. The GPU in Trinity is (supposedly) a VLIW-4 design. I'm a gamer so I want to use a discreet card. Is hybrid X-Fire an option? Looking back at the original specs for X-Fire, only low end GPUs would work in hybrid X-Fire with IGPs. The only VLIW-4 discreet cards released were the 6900 cards which are not low end. Does that mean it will not do hybrid X-Fire?

I would hope that if I had a Trinity APU and a discreet GPU, the GPU portion of Trinity would shut itself down. Anyone know if this is (going to be) true?

During the Analyst Day discussion, AMD said it could take 9 - 15 months to move a design from one Fab to another (TSMC to GF). That would explain why Trinity does not have a GCN GPU. Since GCN just came out from TSMC it would take 9 - 15 months before it can come out on an APU made by GF.

 

[Olikan]

VLIW4 and VLIW5 aren't that much diferent (driver wise).

but a 6970 is way more powerfull than trinity can dream about, a crossfire here would be totaly unbalanced...expect trinity to xfire with a low end... 76XX and lower

 

[RavenSEAL]

I don't even think Hybrid xFire exist on desktop boards anymore.

 

[formulav8]

I wouldn't be to surprised if the low-end 75xx-76xx cards will be Trinity CFX capable. Similar to how they did 68xx and 69xx. 68xx still used VLIW5 and 69xx VLIW4. So maybe 77xx-78xx and above will be gcn and the lower-end being a tweaked VLIW4 arch.

But as of now, I think its rumored to be all GCN cards from bottom to top. Still, I can't see them Not having some card capable to CFX with the Trinity gpu?....?

 

[formulav8]

I don't even think Hybrid xFire exist on desktop boards anymore.

? It does with Llano... Compatible with the 66xx based cards iirc.

 

[lifeblood]

So maybe 77xx-78xx and above will be gcn and the lower-end being a tweaked VLIW4 arch.

Thats how they are doing the mobility Radeons, except 7600M and lower are VLIW-5.

I just don't see them getting a GCN GPU to work well with a VLIW-4 GPU. If they do I agree it would only be for the low end.