Nvidia : spilling exciting beans?
First off, here's the link:
<a href="http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-896996.html"; target="_blank">Nvidia: Forget Microsoft--chip's ahoy</a>
It's basically a snapshot of where Nvidia stands in the marketplace right now, with a new product getting set to launch soon. It also touches on their relationship with Microsoft and the Xbox.
BUT, here's the bit that caught my eye:
Huang also noted the inroads the company has made in the Macintosh market, saying that the company expects to have the largest share of that market "very soon." Huang said that Nvidia's chips are in the eMac that Apple Computer introduced Monday.
"You are going to see many more exciting introductions in that space," Huang said.
Any speculation gentle readers?
Drew <----going off to read the rest of the article now
<a href="http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-896996.html"; target="_blank">Nvidia: Forget Microsoft--chip's ahoy</a>
It's basically a snapshot of where Nvidia stands in the marketplace right now, with a new product getting set to launch soon. It also touches on their relationship with Microsoft and the Xbox.
BUT, here's the bit that caught my eye:
Huang also noted the inroads the company has made in the Macintosh market, saying that the company expects to have the largest share of that market "very soon." Huang said that Nvidia's chips are in the eMac that Apple Computer introduced Monday.
"You are going to see many more exciting introductions in that space," Huang said.
Any speculation gentle readers?
Drew <----going off to read the rest of the article now
Comments
That and (I never thought I'd hear myself say this) their drivers are much better than nVIDIA's.
<strong>First off, here's the link:
<a href="http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-896996.html"; target="_blank">Nvidia: Forget Microsoft--chip's ahoy</a>
It's basically a snapshot of where Nvidia stands in the marketplace right now, with a new product getting set to launch soon. It also touches on their relationship with Microsoft and the Xbox.
BUT, here's the bit that caught my eye:
Huang also noted the inroads the company has made in the Macintosh market, saying that the company expects to have the largest share of that market "very soon." Huang said that Nvidia's chips are in the eMac that Apple Computer introduced Monday.
"You are going to see many more exciting introductions in that space," Huang said.
Any speculation gentle readers?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
GeForce 5 anyone?
In the long run I have more faith in nVidia than ATi and Hyper Transport sounds very interesting.
<strong>Unlike Splinemodel, I've always preferred nVidia over ATi (for as long as we've had the choice. My GeForce3 (PC version flashed to work in my Mac) still keeps up with or out performs the ATi 8500 - and the GF3 has been out, what, two years?
In the long run I have more faith in nVidia than ATi and Hyper Transport sounds very interesting.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Which card did you buy/flash? Can you do this with any of them? I am looking to upgrade my video somewhat cheaply and this looks like a viable route...
<strong>GeForce 5 anyone?
Its coming, you know it is... if you look at how nVidia sequences product introductions you can tell the future. If you look at the DirectX 9 spec, you can tell what the hardware behind DX9 will have to be able to do. If you know anything about graphics, I'll warn you now... get a towel to mop up the drool...
<strong>We need more than a towel
Yeah, need a diaper
<strong>Which card did you buy/flash? Can you do this with any of them? I am looking to upgrade my video somewhat cheaply and this looks like a viable route...</strong><hr></blockquote>
It's the original, plain vanilla GeForce3 that used the original nVidia spec- none of the Ti series seem to be flashable so far and it might be difficult to find the flashable version, but not impossible. (Specifically, I have a VisionTek GeForce3). It's a great card though.
<a href="http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/Graphics/flashing_pc_geforce3.html"; target="_blank">Here's how to do it</a> and other related links.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled thread....
Imagine games as good as FF:TSW?!!
Even Nvidia has said this was a top priority for this year. We'll probably have to wait until 2003 to see it, but vid cards double performance every 6 months... so imagine a games 4x better than the best a Geforce4 4600 128MB can do today (no one has games that can do this yet)...
<strong>Let's hope the next card can render 1600x1200x32 Final Fantasy The spirits within clips in real time at full production rendering quality...
Imagine games as good as FF:TSW?!!
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Some things just can't be done in real-time in any sort of a reasonable fashion... at least for the next few years. But in many ways it'll get close enough that the consumer won't be able to tell the difference.
<strong> [quote]
Even Nvidia has said this was a top priority for this year. We'll probably have to wait until 2003 to see it
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Right: they said it was top priority for this year.
<strong> [quote]
but vid cards double performance every 6 months... so imagine a games 4x better than the best a Geforce4 4600 128MB can do today (no one has games that can do this yet)...</strong><hr></blockquote>
It isn't about increasing performance, necessarily, so much as it is about increasing capability. There will be performance increases, but consider that it might be better for future hardware to draw about the same amount, but make each pixel look 4x better. This does represent an increase in computing performance, but it may not show up in pixel/sec or polygon/sec numbers. The new hardware might only double the pixel rate, but it will be able to do far more calculations per pixel.
The real question in this forum should be how aggressively Apple will bring these new technologies to the Macintosh. What apps can do through OpenGL determines how much of the new capability can be leveraged, and currently none of it could be... the geForce3&4 are currently largely wasted on the Mac.
<strong>The new hardware might only double the pixel rate, but it will be able to do far more calculations per pixel.</strong><hr></blockquote>
And, if I've read things right, they will also not limit the types of calculations that can be done to a handful of options.
I've heard of capabilities like - I don't know the technical term, so I'll borrow one from the database world - stored procedures, where the software can actually cache a custom function in the GPU and call it? That alone would immensely improve the capabilities of the software. It seems to my one-semester-of-OpenGL-7-years-ago eyes that one of the major problem facing game programmers is how to disguise polygons. If the GPU makes it easier to disguise them, not as many are necessary because the engine no longer needs to "throw polygons at the problem" that everything looks like a D&D die.
I'm speculating here, though.
[quote]<strong>What apps can do through OpenGL determines how much of the new capability can be leveraged, and currently none of it could be... the geForce3&4 are currently largely wasted on the Mac.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm predicting a new OpenGL layer and QT6 in the next major release of OS X, regardless of what the MPEG-LA settles on for licensing terms, and regardless of whether they've settled. Apple can always withhold the streaming software if that's a sticking point, but I think they will need to release the rest.
Apple might call the OpenGL layer a "beta" if the ARB hasn't finished OpenGL 2.0 yet, just so that developers won't be surprised when they change something to conform to a change in the standard. But I think they'll push it out.
<strong>First off, here's the link:
<a href="http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-896996.html"; target="_blank">Nvidia: Forget Microsoft--chip's ahoy</a>
It's basically a snapshot of where Nvidia stands in the marketplace right now, with a new product getting set to launch soon. It also touches on their relationship with Microsoft and the Xbox.
BUT, here's the bit that caught my eye:
Huang also noted the inroads the company has made in the Macintosh market, saying that the company expects to have the largest share of that market "very soon." Huang said that Nvidia's chips are in the eMac that Apple Computer introduced Monday.
"You are going to see many more exciting introductions in that space," Huang said.
Any speculation gentle readers?
Drew <----going off to read the rest of the article now</strong><hr></blockquote>
Not to add fuel to the fire, but you might find the following link very intersting:
<a href="http://news.com.com/2100-1040-896850.html"; target="_blank">http://news.com.com/2100-1040-896850.html</a>;
Specifically:
[quote]"Also on Monday, Nvidia raised its financial outlook for the just-ended quarter, and Huang said he sees continued market share gains this year leading to more growth. Some of that will come from a new graphics chip slated to arrive in August.
The new chip will be manufactured on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s latest 0.13-micron manufacturing process, Huang said. Huang did not reveal the name or specific features of the chip, but did say it was a fundamentally new architecture from the GeForce 4 Titanium introduced earlier this year.
"It is the most important contribution we've made to the graphics industry since the founding of this company," Huang said, speaking at the Merrill Lynch Hardware Heaven Technology Conference.
Huang also noted the inroads the company has made in the Macintosh market, saying that the company expects to have the largest share of that market "very soon." Huang said that Nvidia's chips are in the eMac that Apple Computer introduced Monday.
"You are going to see many more exciting introductions in that space," Huang said. "<hr></blockquote>
Hmmm.... I wonder if this would make it in time for a late July announcement at MWNY?
Steve
Edit: Ooops, I didn't realize the original link had basically the same information...
[ 05-02-2002: Message edited by: SteveS ]</p>
:cool:
Well, here's hoping...
Lemon Bon Bon
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Originally posted by JasonPP:
Let's hope the next card can render 1600x1200x32 Final Fantasy The spirits within clips in real time at full production rendering quality...
Imagine games as good as FF:TSW?!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some things just can't be done in real-time in any sort of a reasonable fashion... at least for the next few years. But in many ways it'll get close enough that the consumer won't be able to tell the difference.
<hr></blockquote>
Nvidia already <a href="http://gamespot.com/gshw/stories/news/0,12836,2820060,00.html"; target="_blank">demo'ed</a> this. Although it was at 2 FPS and probably not at the insane resolution they use to print to film.