Outstanding performance of the NV40 = old school 3dfx mojo?
- Thread starter Brimstone
- Start date
Re: Outstanding performance of the NV40 = old school 3dfx mo
Well, let's just say that Rampage's lead architect/engineer played a rather critical role in NV40's creation.
Brimstone said:
Well, let's just say that Rampage's lead architect/engineer played a rather critical role in NV40's creation.
Re: Outstanding performance of the NV40 = old school 3dfx mo
I have no idea, and I think it's quite a stretch to insinuate anything like the above. nVidia just got bit on the ass finally by using the latest process with NV30, something that had historically always seemed to work in their favor.
Brimstone said:
I have no idea, and I think it's quite a stretch to insinuate anything like the above. nVidia just got bit on the ass finally by using the latest process with NV30, something that had historically always seemed to work in their favor.
I talked to Emmett and he did have input some into NV25 and more in NV30, but it seems like the texture and shading engine of NV40 is pretty much his puppy.
Aren't we tired yet of the mythical theory that 3dfx staff had some special magic knowledge? If they did, why was rampage stuck in development hell for years?
What amazes me most is that some people think that 3dfx technology would still actually be worth something. 3dfx went belly-up a few generations of videocards ago. Whatever technology 3dfx posessed, I'm sure it's duly outdated by now.
As for their former employees, I'm sure there were some very capable people on their team... Then again, NV managed to beat them without these people onboard, and ATi managed to beat NV, while NV actually had these people onboard.
I guess there's very capable people in all camps. I think the key is more to get the right product out at the right time. You don't want engineers for that, but managers/marketing people, people with vision. I think it's exactly this kind of people that 3dfx lacked, which made them go belly-up.
As for their former employees, I'm sure there were some very capable people on their team... Then again, NV managed to beat them without these people onboard, and ATi managed to beat NV, while NV actually had these people onboard.
I guess there's very capable people in all camps. I think the key is more to get the right product out at the right time. You don't want engineers for that, but managers/marketing people, people with vision. I think it's exactly this kind of people that 3dfx lacked, which made them go belly-up.
Why do you think that then?
What kind of technology did they have, and why would this be of value today?
Or is it just a 'gut-feeling' of yours, and you don't know anything about the technology? In which case, that's pretty much what I, and some other people in this thread meant... the 'mystic powers'.
Can you say RRRRRRRRRendition?
How about PPPPPPPPPPPPPPixelFusion?
Why not CCCCCCCCCirrus Logic too?
or perhaps NNNNNNNNNNNNNNumber Nine?
Maybe ZZZZZZTseng Labs?
and one more PPPPPPPPPPPPPParadise VGA?
what's the difference between these and 3dfx? they are all gone, though most of their brain power is still in business, Still no one waits miracles from these.
yeah yeah, I know that 3dfx did helluva good chips (I still have my Voodoo 2 in my 2nd comp for Glide compability.) but so did Cirrus Logic back on it's golden times (the 486 era.) as well as Tseng Labs 128 was the only way to go on 2D in some point. Heck, even Paradise VGA was market leader in some point. (near the end of ISA cards, in fact.)
I just can't understand "the legend of 3dfx" they didn't were first making 3d on HW for PCs and they never really invented anything that would not ended on consumer market. They just made good, well balanced chips, that's all. (and IMO that's far becoming close to religion.)
How about PPPPPPPPPPPPPPixelFusion?
Why not CCCCCCCCCirrus Logic too?
or perhaps NNNNNNNNNNNNNNumber Nine?
Maybe ZZZZZZTseng Labs?
and one more PPPPPPPPPPPPPParadise VGA?
what's the difference between these and 3dfx? they are all gone, though most of their brain power is still in business, Still no one waits miracles from these.
yeah yeah, I know that 3dfx did helluva good chips (I still have my Voodoo 2 in my 2nd comp for Glide compability.) but so did Cirrus Logic back on it's golden times (the 486 era.) as well as Tseng Labs 128 was the only way to go on 2D in some point. Heck, even Paradise VGA was market leader in some point. (near the end of ISA cards, in fact.)
I just can't understand "the legend of 3dfx" they didn't were first making 3d on HW for PCs and they never really invented anything that would not ended on consumer market. They just made good, well balanced chips, that's all. (and IMO that's far becoming close to religion.)
Scali said:
Info on gigapixel
Come on, just look how much more detail there is in that gigapixel image compared to the non-gigapixel images!
Sure, that one picture may be over 2 gigs, but just think of how real games could be! The wouldn't last 20 or so hours, they'd take a lifetime to play!
Not just NV. S3 were ahead too for a while (Savage3D, Savage4, and the early days of Savage2000).Scali said:
Remember that the poor perception of Savage3D is because top-spec chips that were faster than Voodoo2 were relatively small percentages of the number of boards that shipped (S3 never really targetted the performance market, just the mainstream).
ATI is full of S3 peeps! 
I've also heard it said that Orton like occasionally ribbing Kirk on the fact that ATI have more ex-SGI engineers!
As for Kilgariff, I'm trying to clarify a few details at the moment, but it might be interesting.
I've also heard it said that Orton like occasionally ribbing Kirk on the fact that ATI have more ex-SGI engineers! As for Kilgariff, I'm trying to clarify a few details at the moment, but it might be interesting.
Scali said:
It was essentially tile based rendering, similar to that used by Power VR. Why do more work with more transistors when it isn't required! Basically the Gigapixel stuff gave similar framerates to the competition with less transistors and lower power consumption (if my memory serves me correctly).
No need to turn this into a 3dfx bashing thread btw (and I won't turn it into a 3dfx fanboi one). Remember, it's all about the technology.
Glad to hear that Kilgariff is still in the game and doing some good stuff Dave.
Well, yes, PowerVR and Intel both have used tile rendering technology for years, and I believe that Trident also made a tile renderer. I doubt that Gigapixel is still ahead of these companies, since their technology has not been under development for years, while the others have.
Also, the Gigapixel-stuff is ancient, and is not built to integrate with programmable hardware, so it will probably have to be re-designed almost completely, in order to apply it to modern-day hardware.
Which pretty much leaves only the concept of tile-rendering itself, which is already wellknown.
Not trying to bash, just trying to be realistic. In a world where technology advances so quickly, technology gets old, fast. Anything that NV didn't apply right away, after acquiring it, is pretty much lost and wasted, I'd say.
