ATI Takes on Physics - Computex Day 1

[sladesurfer]

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==

Below are pictures of an Intel Badaxe motherboard running a Conroe processor that has a 3 16x PCIe slot configuration. There are three X1900 XT video cards installed. Two are doing CrossFire graphics and the third X1900 XT is being used at the physics processor.

[perkam]

I do not believe that's what we had in mind when we thought physics for the third card.

Perkam

[oshua]

The 3rd X1900 is just for show. We will be able to run physics with a X1300 or X1600 just fine.

I'm sure that that rig is quite a screamer.

[PkG.1337]

lol
imagine a heavily overvolted and overclocked smithfield and 3 X1900XT working @ 1.575v 7XX/8XX
1kw psu wont be enough?

[vapb400]

ATI claims that their CrossFire configuration has been specifically optimized for Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor and we got to see it in action. The third element that finishes the Boundless Gaming triangle is actually another Radeon X1600 or better being utilized as a physics processor or PPU. ATI’s physics will have support for Havok FX as well as asymmetrical configurations meaning gamers can delivery physics in a 1+1 and a 2 +1 Crossfire configuration.

edit*

I need to read first

I am very impressed with the options, hopefully it performs well, I dont have any doubts though.

Looks like X1600 Pros are $97+ while the XTs are $142+, not bad

[Pinnacle]

I guess the story about Ati asking for 3 PCie is true

[metro.cl]

i didnt like the idea of buying 2 cards now 3

plus now you'll have to pay premium for psu and mobo

[eva2000]

3x X1900XTX at least 36-45A needed in +12v rails excluding the cpu required amps!

maybe would be better to have a dual socket conroe board where one conroe cpu is phsyic processor ? cheaper and less power draw

[BlackX]

Why cant they just put a physics on the same PCB?

[Richie P]

Article demo's the 2.1 setup with CF and Physics, but they did also say you can 1.1 it so if you've already got a X1900 card, all you need is at least a X1600 to take advantage of it!

Plus the X1600 Pro is well over half the price and the XT is only a little more and still half the price. Or for the same money you could get a X1800XL. Plus you're getting 256mb memory with them instead of the measly 128mb with the Aegia.

You don't *have* to buy 3 cards - only if you want the best.

[nn_step]

I can barely imagine how many watts that needs

[gundamit]

So where exactly do I put my sound card? Onboard? Lol. A low-end video card (maybe with passive cooling) that not only takes care of the physics but allows for better air flow to the top video card would be nice. At a sub $100 price point I can see more people adopting the cards for games in the future. Realistically I don't see ATI worrying too much about the lack of accessibility to PCI slots since most of their users will still be using a single video card and that won't be an issue.

[mursaat]

Ignore me, I didn't read the whole thread, sorry

[metro.cl]

add the article about next gen vgas (dx10.0 ready) that consume a minium of 130w up to 300w, and put 3 you'll need a freaking nuclear reactor to feed them

here is the link about power compsuntion on dx10 cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdoc.aspx?i=2770

[luf1c3r]

I agree, but what I don't see very clear is that in a pc we have so many slots using for a pc and then the consumption wwww ufffff.

[OmegaMerc]

Anyone else thinks this idea SUCKS? Where will I put my sound card? Where will I put my wireless card? SCSI card? ANYTHING PCI?

[Ubermann]

Can you think of any other solution ? I cant.
And i really wanna use 1 PCI for sound.

[luf1c3r]

You have the whole reason OmegaMerc; it doesn't rot to place the things, but what I see, is we will already have to sell things for that inside little all they manufactured it to small pcix.

We will already see.

Greetings luf1c3r

[OmegaMerc]

Can you think of any other solution ? I cant.
And i really wanna use 1 PCI for sound.

It gets out of control, onboard is never as good as the slotted stuff unfortunantly, so you sacrifice other aspects of your pc for a priettier image? Look at the pictures on the board, there is no space for a sound blaster or similar.

[3NZ0]

1 X1900xtx is enough for me thanks......

dont need 2 let alone 3, wtf are they thinking?
i have an expensive sound card i want to use, i have a tv card i want to use, where does that go?

well, if someone has all that rendering firepower its a shame they are going to have crap sound.

[Stuperman]

Anyone else thinks this idea SUCKS? Where will I put my sound card? Where will I put my wireless card? SCSI card? ANYTHING PCI?

Yeah, I think it is stupid. Gimme an Agiea card any day over this. It's gonna take a lot to convince me that a card designed to do graphics, is better at physics than a card designed to do physics.

[Torin]

More single slot solutions needed, not this 3 double slot crap. :P

If 2 of those cards were single slot, you could fit a sound card and something else in there.

Personally, anything setup that won't let me have a sound card is not doable, I'd imagine a LOT of other people are in the same boat.

[cantankerous]

What I am wondering is this... for a 1 + 1 configuration do you HAVE to have a crossfire chipset/board or can you just use a board that has 2 pcie slots? I am wondering if my Ultra-D can do this with a 1900XTX in one slot and a 1600XT in the other?

[mursaat]

^^^ Good question, as I don't plan to upgrade until Conroe AND R600/G80 (well that's what I say now, but in secretly hide myself I'll buy a Conroe rig in July )

[thephenom]

Yeah, I think it is stupid. Gimme an Agiea card any day over this. It's gonna take a lot to convince me that a card designed to do graphics, is better at physics than a card designed to do physics.

Only time will tell when UT2007 and Crysis comes out. What's so hard to believe that a GPU can be used as PPU? I mean it's all about calculations, I do think a x1600 does have more processing power than the AGIEA.

If you guys read the other article, the RD600 physics system has 2 x19s and 1 x16. And the x16 is sitting on a riser card running on a x1 PCI-E lane. There are plenty of boards today that has spare PCI-E slots, leaving you room for your PCI sound card and perhaps TV tuner. If you're the kinda guy that needs more than 2 extra PCI slot, I don't think any ATX boards will fit your need if you plan to run multi-gpu.

With 3 x1900, that's probably an overkill for most gameplay since more "objects" in the game will only end up killing performance.

It'd be really damn cool if they can run physics as 1.5 + 0.5 instead of 1+1 or 2+1, so you get some physics with your CF setup and won't lose much fps (or $$$).