3DLabs P10, and its possible follow-up?

[Megadrive1988]

The P10 is one of the more interesting graphics processors I've heard about. It's neat in that it has 200 32-bit processors on a single chip, and its modular. they can build Pxx chips with less than 200 processors or more than 200 processors, depending on the processing power requirement.

from what I understand, the P9 ( Wildcat VP560 ) is an example of a P10 or Pxx with less than 200 processors on board. (correct me if thats not true) Is there one that has more than 200 processors, a "P11" for instance?




also, from my understanding, the P10 supports Vertex Shader 2.0 but only Pixel Shader 1.0, 1.1, 1.4, or something like that. its less than the PS 2.0+ found in R300, Nv30, R350, Nv35. in fact P10 is not even DX9 PS 2.0 compliant.

So the obvious question is, when (or is) there going to be a P10 sucessor with PS 2.0+ or 3.0 ? has there been any hint of a P15, P20 or some such refresh or next-gen part?

 

[Megadrive1988]

where I heard about the P9, a lower end version of P10, from B3D:

The new Wildcat VP560 represents a slightly more interesting development. As mentioned before the Wildcat VP560 is not using the Wildcat VP760-970 core, P10, but still retains all of the P10's programmability. The VP560 is actually using a chip codenamed P9, based on the same architecture as P10.

P9 represents a success in the scaleable nature of the P10 architecture. As we know the P10 architecture features highly parallel arrays throughout the the Vertex and Pixel pipelines and, the theory being, should higher or lower power versions of the architecture be required then arrays could be widened or shortened with relative ease. With P9 3Dlabs aimed for a lower end, more cost effective part and hence took the P10 architecture and cut back on some of the arrays.

 

[sonix666]

Yes, the P10 has floating point units for its vertex shader 'CPUs', but only integer units for it's pixel shaders and thus cannot execute Pixel Shader 2.0 programs.

 

[Megadrive1988]

So, it would be neat if 3DLabs is working on a P10 refresh, i'll called it "P15" for now. it would have PS 2.0 & 3.0 capability. it would then belong to the R4XX / Nv4X generation.

then a true next generation part, we'll call it "P20", that would be the equivalent of R5XX/Nv5X with DX10 capability.

just being hopeful

 

[Dave Baumann]

They are not working on a "refresh" AFIAK.

 

[vrecan]

You've gone and crushed his hopes!

 

[Trawler]

You've gone and crushed his hopes!

Maybe. Or maybe you should read Dave's post more carefully.

 

[vrecan]

true it could be read that way, but if that means they are going straight to the p20 or whatever it will be called that means more time between products. which most likely means its going to be awhile before we see another new product from them. Would be nice to see a true 3rd competitor show up, but if it was my choice it would be a TBDR!

 

[David G.]

They are not working on a "refresh" AFIAK.

But they are continuing on that technological view ?

Or they'll be going back to the Wild Cat III style ?

 

[Dave Baumann]

All 3DLabs development from here will be developments of the P10 style rendering system.

 

[MfA]

So basically 3DLabs has given up and gone into maintenance mode? (Which wont generate business for very long.)

 

[Dave Baumann]

Eh?

I said they will be developing from the P10 style rendering system - i.e. Wildcat4 will probably be the last of the "fixed function" systems that come from 3Dlabs. Ehgam will continue to develop programmable based systems while the USA end (responsible for Wildcat 2/3/4) will take those designs and scale them for the high end.

There were some slides that leaked out with some information on P20 some months back.

 

[parhelia]

There were some slides that leaked out with some information on P20 some months back.

Huh? Where?

 

[Dave Baumann]

heheh - you know, if I go to the phpBB forums you'll see all the mods with sigs saying "Use the Search Link" I think we might need to start doing that here.

Anyway, here is the thread discussing XBit news post (yeilded with the Search button no less! ). Note that XBits post has gone now, indicating that it may have had some level of validity.

 

[Saem]

I can't remember any such discussion. =(

 

[bdmosky]

Where is SA btw? I haven't seen his insight into things in quite some time.

 

[cho]

P10/9 only support PS 1.2 maximal, not PS1.4.

 

[Saem]

What stops it from supporting PS1.4? Is this merely what the drivers are exposing?

 

[Xmas]

What stops it from supporting PS1.4? Is this merely what the drivers are exposing?

The question should be, "what stops it from supporting PS1.3?"
And the only sensible answer to that is: texm3x2depth. Because that is the only difference between 1.2 and 1.3