ATI 'Crossfire' practical issues

[Mintmaster]

Personally, I don't see much reason to support anything but identical (or nearly so) video cards. Even combining a card with one that is half as fast will offer little to no noticeable improvement (and would be likely to drop performance in cases that are hard on SLI-type scenarios, such as render to texture).

As far as I'm concerned, I totally agree with you.

But remember that people will spend $500 on a 6800 Ultra instead of $400 on a 6800GT for maybe 10% extra performance. Even more ridiculous is the X800 XTPE vs X800 XL comparison: 70% more $$ for maybe 20% more performance?

More importantly, people won't be necessarily buying a second card when it becomes cheaper a few months down the line, but possibly a high margin performance card instead.

 

[Fox5]

For example suppose the master card has a different feature set, different performance, different internal quality, or even hardware bugfixes!

You think there would be no restrictions on this?

I think the number of times I've said that it is highly unlikely that different generations of boards will operate together because of these types of issues exceed the digits on both hands. I also know I was correct in saying that.

Slightly differing performances and bugfixes are likely to be less of an issue (bug fixes within a generation rarely affect anything that would be noticeable).

RAMDACs might matter, but I'm guessing the crossfire thing will be using the digital ports?

about the preformance issue, well there is no other solution other then simply make the faster card wait, other then lower frame rates there should be no problems at all, atleast i dont see any. Confused

How about giving the weaker card a lesser workload?

 

[Geo]

Well, supposedly today is the day that Dave (and others) get it all spelled out to them. . .

 

[Rys]

Well, supposedly today is the day that Dave (and others) get it all spelled out to them. . .

Yes But you still have to wait

 

[Kombatant]

Well, supposedly today is the day that Dave (and others) get it all spelled out to them. . .

Yes But you still have to wait

Yup, today's the day... but for now, all you will people get is hints and nothing more

 

[epicstruggle]

Well, supposedly today is the day that Dave (and others) get it all spelled out to them. . .

Yes But you still have to wait

Not me, ive bugged dave's office. Ill let you know if he mentiones anything good.

epic

 

[nagus]

more MVP rumors

http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=article&dId=766


... We were given some tasty information yesterday - such as with ATI MVPU you’ll have a master and slave graphics cards. The master will be based around the upcoming R520 series (which we were told will have 512MB and 24 pixel pipeline processing) and will be required to be the master card. The master card will work with any X800, X800XL, X850XT and X850XT graphics card – that’s right, you don’t need two identical graphics cards like nVidia’s SLI. ATI are pushing the whole “flexibility†thing with MVPU and so far from what they’ve told us, it sounds like they are heading down the right path. There will be other “master cards†available based on cut down versions of the R520 but specific details on this are sketchy still at this stage. We’ll confirm more details in Taiwan...

If true, they will HAVE TO launch R520 at Computex

 

[trinibwoy]

I read somewhere that they were going to make x850 based master cards. So that's not happening I guess.

 

[Rys]

more MVP rumors

http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=article&dId=766


... We were given some tasty information yesterday - such as with ATI MVPU you’ll have a master and slave graphics cards. The master will be based around the upcoming R520 series (which we were told will have 512MB and 24 pixel pipeline processing) and will be required to be the master card. The master card will work with any X800, X800XL, X850XT and X850XT graphics card – that’s right, you don’t need two identical graphics cards like nVidia’s SLI. ATI are pushing the whole “flexibility†thing with MVPU and so far from what they’ve told us, it sounds like they are heading down the right path. There will be other “master cards†available based on cut down versions of the R520 but specific details on this are sketchy still at this stage. We’ll confirm more details in Taiwan...

If true, they will HAVE TO launch R520 at Computex

Almost none of that is correct Or is it

And with that, I'm off to sit down in my Taiwanese hotel and watch utterly horrible anime and martial arts films, whilst pondering how next to stitch geo up with Baumann-esque hint-dropping and general rumour-based nastiness

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

If different gen card will work then is it realy SLI. Could we be seeing some thing different like not spliting the screen to divide work load but spliting what work to what card by what will be able to do it or whaqt card can do it the fastest.

Example

The 2 cards being a R520 and a R420.

The R520 will do all the SM3.0 and long SM2.0 shaders and passing the standered SM2.0 and lower shader to the R420 to do. The same with VS.

 

[DOGMA1138]

If different gen card will work then is it realy SLI. Could we be seeing some thing different like not spliting the screen to divide work load but spliting what work to what card by what will be able to do it or whaqt card can do it the fastest.

Example

The 2 cards being a R520 and a R420.

The R520 will do all the SM3.0 and long SM2.0 shaders and passing the standered SM2.0 and lower shader to the R420 to do. The same with VS.

such thing will never happen, such thing will require supprot from the API and the oparating system, and will ne insanely difficult to create.

 

[Geo]

And with that, I'm off to sit down in my Taiwanese hotel and watch utterly horrible anime and martial arts films, whilst pondering how next to stitch geo up with Baumann-esque hint-dropping and general rumour-based nastiness

Oh Rys, thank you just ever so much. It was my life's goal to get on the "most likely to be taunted by those in the know" list. I shall add you to the family Xmas newsletter list (invariably long and chatty and full of lame humor like "The Great Toilet Flood of 2004") to express my appreciation.

 

[digitalwanderer]

such thing will never happen, such thing will require supprot from the API and the oparating system, and will ne insanely difficult to create.

You sure about that? I'm pretty sure it could all be done at the driver level....

BTW-Cool thought Snipe, me likes the idea and hopes for it. 8)

BTW2-What anime is it Rys? :|

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

If different gen card will work then is it realy SLI. Could we be seeing some thing different like not spliting the screen to divide work load but spliting what work to what card by what will be able to do it or whaqt card can do it the fastest.

Example

The 2 cards being a R520 and a R420.

The R520 will do all the SM3.0 and long SM2.0 shaders and passing the standered SM2.0 and lower shader to the R420 to do. The same with VS.

such thing will never happen, such thing will require supprot from the API and the oparating system, and will ne insanely difficult to create.

I think it can be done by the drivers by compiler. Look at the compiler that is used to reorder the shader code now and just add the abilaty to sort what shader code goes to what card. I think thats why there is the term Master card and Slave card with this setup and not primary and secondary.

 

[Xmas]

such thing will never happen, such thing will require supprot from the API and the oparating system, and will ne insanely difficult to create.

You sure about that? I'm pretty sure it could all be done at the driver level....

And I'm certain it can't. The driver can never know where objects using PS3.0 shaders will end up on screen.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

such thing will never happen, such thing will require supprot from the API and the oparating system, and will ne insanely difficult to create.

You sure about that? I'm pretty sure it could all be done at the driver level....

And I'm certain it can't. The driver can never know where objects using PS3.0 shaders will end up on screen.

I think the Master card would have the abilaty to know that and would be controling the slave card. Thats why they title of master and slave.

 

[Geeforcer]

I think the reason {Sniping}Waste is asking about it is because we are all trying to figure out how a R420-R520 setup would work in an SM3.0 game.

 

[Geo]

I think the reason {Sniping}Waste is asking about it is because we are all trying to figure out how a R420-R520 setup would work in an SM3.0 game.

I would have thot that if they are determined to go that route it would report to the drivers as an sm2.0 device and sidestep that sm3.0 stuff. Actually, I'm pretty sure I got that idea around here.

 

[Geo]

If true, they will HAVE TO launch R520 at Computex

My first reaction was "no f'ing way. It would have to have been one of the great stealth releases of all time; too many of the usual milestones haven't shown up".

But then I look at G70, which apparently is being announced at Computex, and I see damn few of those same expected pre-release milestones as well. . .so I guess I'm not as sure as I started out to be. Tho at least we now have a name for G70-based cards --we don't even have that for R520 ones!

Would certainly be one of the great con jobs if they do it.

 

[{Sniping}Waste]

I think the reason {Sniping}Waste is asking about it is because we are all trying to figure out how a R420-R520 setup would work in an SM3.0 game.

With all the info out now, in the box thinking is getting no were. Im thinking out side the box to look for answer with th info out there. The strange thing is with a SLI setup there is no Master or Slave. Both cards are looked as the same but from the info coming out now it looks like ATI setup that you have to have a master card for it to work. There is no master/slave setup with SLI so what is ATI doing? I think what there coming out with is not SLI but somthing different. If there making a master card then what is it controling?

All the talk is about SLI but non have ever thought about it not being SLI but somthing else. Its strange in this fourm that there has been no talk about it being somtheing else with all the ppl here and knowlage they know.