AMD proposes external GPU standard
AMD works on external GPU
There's more to the article. I wonder why this hasn't happened years ago. Why hasn't there been an external PCI-Express standard developed by Intel? The life of a laptop could be extended significantly with a more powerful GPU.
In fact this wouldn't just benefit GPU I could see Audio or Video devices connected externally via PCIe that would be very handy.
Quote:
ast year, AMD decided to solve the problem by putting the GPU outside the laptop in a breakout box. This has been done before, in various ways, but AMD wanted to build a standardized system that would make graphics cards as swappable for laptops as they are for desktops. The bus required for this system was a serious concern. Although it's barely possible to run low framerate, low resolution graphics over a USB 2.0 bus, USB is obviously unsuited for general graphics applications. ExpressCard offers a close facsimile of PCIe in an external format, and some external graphics solutions, like the ASUS XG Station, have used it. AMD's internal testing, however, showed that, for gaming and video applications, the single PCIe lane offered by ExpressCard was simply inadequate to allow desktop-like graphics performance. A new interface was needed.
AMD's solution was simple: they brought PCIe outside the case, pin for pin. Sunnyvale contracted with JAE for a connector which could handle PCIe bandwidth at low cost, while remaining small enough to fit on thin laptop cases. The cable will run a short distance from a connector on the laptop to a similar connector on a breakout box, where the exact same circuitry as an internal card can perform the exact same function. In theory, there should be no performance difference between XGP systems and the same GPU in a desktop graphics card implementation. The XGP connector allows up to eight lanes of PCIe 2.0, and a larger x16 connector is in the planning stages
ast year, AMD decided to solve the problem by putting the GPU outside the laptop in a breakout box. This has been done before, in various ways, but AMD wanted to build a standardized system that would make graphics cards as swappable for laptops as they are for desktops. The bus required for this system was a serious concern. Although it's barely possible to run low framerate, low resolution graphics over a USB 2.0 bus, USB is obviously unsuited for general graphics applications. ExpressCard offers a close facsimile of PCIe in an external format, and some external graphics solutions, like the ASUS XG Station, have used it. AMD's internal testing, however, showed that, for gaming and video applications, the single PCIe lane offered by ExpressCard was simply inadequate to allow desktop-like graphics performance. A new interface was needed.
AMD's solution was simple: they brought PCIe outside the case, pin for pin. Sunnyvale contracted with JAE for a connector which could handle PCIe bandwidth at low cost, while remaining small enough to fit on thin laptop cases. The cable will run a short distance from a connector on the laptop to a similar connector on a breakout box, where the exact same circuitry as an internal card can perform the exact same function. In theory, there should be no performance difference between XGP systems and the same GPU in a desktop graphics card implementation. The XGP connector allows up to eight lanes of PCIe 2.0, and a larger x16 connector is in the planning stages
There's more to the article. I wonder why this hasn't happened years ago. Why hasn't there been an external PCI-Express standard developed by Intel? The life of a laptop could be extended significantly with a more powerful GPU.
In fact this wouldn't just benefit GPU I could see Audio or Video devices connected externally via PCIe that would be very handy.
Comments
I like the idea of carrying around a nice trim laptop with decent but not stellar onboard graphics yet when I'm plugged in at home I have a system that is equal to a desktop in many ways.
This and fast SSD could and should be game changers for portables.
My dream:
13" laptop
7hr battery life.
SSD
No optical drive
Dock with GPU, HDD and 3 Monitor support.
Wifi, Bluetooth and 3G
OLED screen
4.5 lbs with battery
Decent for the road but when I plug in at home I'm turbocharged.
a pci-e bus will make for nice docing link as well this better be full pci-e and have a few 1x links in there as well will be a boost as well.
"this better be"
Did you read the article?
It says the first implementation will be 8 lanes of PCIe 2.0.
16 lanes are in the planning stages.
I agree with hmurchison, this would also be great for audio/video/DSP applications.
"this better be"
Did you read the article?
It says the first implementation will be 8 lanes of PCIe 2.0.
16 lanes are in the planning stages.
I agree with hmurchison, this would also be great for audio/video/DSP applications.
they should aslo add a few x1 links for other stuff other then a video card.
It may be a way to allow virtualization software to use hardware acceleration too for Windows hardware accelerated apps like games or 3DS Max, Houdini, CAD software etc.
13" laptop
@1440 x 900.
3 Monitor support.
Should be covered by Mini-displayport. Displayport is supposed to allow you to chain displays together, it will depend on how much the in-built GPU can drive. I haven't seen Apple advertise this capability though.
3G
I would only use it as a backup system as they restrict access to certain sites and the bandwidth and reception are generally poor. Plus it's on a separate contract. I'd rather use tethering to a phone.
OLED screen
Hopefully something that will avoid dead pixels and not be hugely expensive to replace.
AMD works on external GPU
There's more to the article. I wonder why this hasn't happened years ago. Why hasn't there been an external PCI-Express standard developed by Intel? The life of a laptop could be extended significantly with a more powerful GPU.
In fact this wouldn't just benefit GPU I could see Audio or Video devices connected externally via PCIe that would be very handy.
In short, we like what MATROX has done for several years now, but want to do it with some serious GPU power.
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/pr...ideo_decoding/
Matrox TripleHead2Go: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/
I just have to wonder what the hell Matrox is doing and how come Apple hasn't bothered to buy out their IP already, not to mention AMD or Nvidia.
I like the idea of carrying around a nice trim laptop with decent but not stellar on-board graphics, yet when I'm plugged in at home, I have a system that is equal to a desktop in many ways.
I love it! If this were to catch on it would be the death of the desktop. Which is going to be inevitable anyways. But this would be fantastic.
I love it! If this were to catch on it would be the death of the desktop. Which is going to be inevitable anyways. But this would be fantastic.
not that much as desktops will still be at a lower cost then this and they will desktop cpus with more power and better priced ram. faster HD's and more.
So it's external, but like most GPUs it would *not* just be obsolete within a few months. External, portable (I mean, not a battery but easy to carry), and upgradeable.
That's the external GPU thingy I want.
I would only be interested in this, if you buy the initial set, and you could upgrade it over the course of 1 to 3 years by installing more "blades" in it, for example.
So it's external, but like most GPUs it would *not* just be obsolete within a few months. External, portable (I mean, not a battery but easy to carry), and upgradeable.
That's the external GPU thingy I want.
That would require a lot of engineering and standardization on a form factor for the blades. While it may sound thrifty it's not going to save you money. Blade servers don't save you money until you account for the management and power savings.
That would require a lot of engineering and standardization on a form factor for the blades. While it may sound thrifty it's not going to save you money. Blade servers don't save you money until you account for the management and power savings.
It sounds like he wants the option of a replaceable passive backplane that allows for one to have the ability to have a pin connection interface that is PCI 2.0 Express and newer compliant.
A design that accounts for current and proposed contact points from daughter cards with the luxury of a replaceable bridge controller that will be much like a ZIF socket for the CPU and allows it to pin in and recognize the upgrade without throwing out the rest of the raw materials and buying a completely new product every 2 years.
It would have to be such a design that the cost of upgrading is far less than it's future replacement system.
It's a nice fantasy, but computers have been driven by a business model that goes counter to that wish.