Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 review roundup: (usually) worth the one grand]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-roundup/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-roundup/http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/nvidia-geforce-gtx-690-review-roundup/#comments Image

Now that NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 690 is shipping through some vendors, gamers have been wondering if it's worth the wallet-busting $999 to get those higher frame rates. Surprisingly, the answer is "yes." As AnandTech notes, the GTX 690 is often almost as fast or faster than a pair of GTX 680s working together in SLI mode, only using less power and running at cooler and quieter power levels through those two 28-nanometer Kepler chips. Across multiple reviewers, though, the GTX 690 was sometimes slower than two Radeon HD 7970 boards using CrossFire. HotHardware and others found that it's definitely the graphics card of choice for Batman: Arkham City enthusiasts: problems with AMD's CrossFire mode leave a dual Radeon HD 7970 setup running at just half the frame rate of its NVIDIA-made challenger.

Caveats? There are still some worries beyond the price tag, as the twin Radeon cards are as much as three times faster at general-purpose computing tasks than the latest and greatest GeForce. PC Perspective likewise warns that fans of joining three displays together for some 3D Vision Surround action will still take a big frame rate hit when they put the 3D glasses on. Still, the GTX 690 looks to be tops if you're looking to get the fastest single-card gaming on Earth, and as Legit Reviews adds, that trivalent chromium-plated aluminum makes it one of the "better looking" cards, to boot.

Read - AnandTech
Read - HotHardware
Read - Legit Reviews
Read - PC Perspective

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 review roundup: (usually) worth the one grand originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3d vision surround3dVisionSurroundamdAMD Radeon HD 7970AmdRadeonHd7970aticrossfiregamegamesGeForcegeforce gtx 680GeForce GTX 690GeforceGtx680GeforceGtx690gpgpugtx 680GTX 690Gtx680Gtx690keplernvidiaNVIDIA GeForce GTX 680nvidia geforce gtx 690NvidiaGeforceGtx680NvidiaGeforceGtx690pcradeonradeon hdRadeon HD 7970RadeonHdRadeonHd7970SLIvideo cardvideo cardsVideoCardVideoCardsThu, 03 May 2012 12:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Barcelona readies hybrid ARM-based supercomputer, uses NVIDIA GPUs for heavy lifting]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/barcelona-readies-hybrid-arm-based-supercomputer-uses-nvidia-gp/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/barcelona-readies-hybrid-arm-based-supercomputer-uses-nvidia-gp/http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/barcelona-readies-hybrid-arm-based-supercomputer-uses-nvidia-gp/#comments NVIDIA has announced that it'll be providing CUDA GPUs for Barcelona's Supercomputing Center, with the facility looking to substantially boost its energy efficiency with these later this week at the SC11 Conference in Seattle. While the words "low power" and "energy efficiency" are a bit of a buzz kill in the high-octane high-MFLOP world of supercomputing, the BSC thinks it'll use between 15 to 30 times less power than current systems. Titled the Mont Blanc Project, it's aiming to multiply those energy savings by four to ten times by 2014. While other supercomputers eat their way though megawatts of the electric stuff, hopefully a drop in power demands won't affect this machine's supercomputing scores.

Continue reading Barcelona readies hybrid ARM-based supercomputer, uses NVIDIA GPUs for heavy lifting

Barcelona readies hybrid ARM-based supercomputer, uses NVIDIA GPUs for heavy lifting originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ARMBarcelona Supercomputing CenterBarcelonaSupercomputingCenterCUDAGPGPUGPUNVIDIAparallel computingParallelComputingresearchsupercomputersupercomputerssupercomputingMon, 14 Nov 2011 11:04:00 EST<![CDATA[WebCL scores first demos, GPU accelerated apps headed to your browser]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/06/webcl-scores-first-demos-gpu-accelerated-apps-headed-to-your-br/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/06/webcl-scores-first-demos-gpu-accelerated-apps-headed-to-your-br/http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/06/webcl-scores-first-demos-gpu-accelerated-apps-headed-to-your-br/#comments WebCL Look, WebGL is great and everything but, in the era of general-purpose GPU computing, we know our 3D chips are capable of much more than just pushing pixels. WebCL is a new standard that brings OpenCL processing to the browser, leveraging the power of your graphics card to perform complex computations. Samsung and Nokia have both released prototype plug-ins, with Sammy's running exclusively in Safari on OS X using NVIDIA chips and Nokia focusing on the 32-bit Windows version of Firefox 4 and AMD GPUs. At the moment, the young technology doesn't offer much to the average user, but demos (after the break) show just how much faster OpenCL can be than traditional JavaScript -- more than 10-times quicker on some tests. Let the countdown to Folding@Home the Web App begin -- we're starting a pool now.

Continue reading WebCL scores first demos, GPU accelerated apps headed to your browser

WebCL scores first demos, GPU accelerated apps headed to your browser originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amdfirefoxfirefox 4Firefox4gpgpugpuGPU accelerationGpuAccelerationnokianvidiaopenCLsafarisamsungwebclwebglWed, 06 Jul 2011 15:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Real-time 3D face reproduction demonstrated on video]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/15/real-time-3d-face-reproduction-demonstrated-on-video/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/15/real-time-3d-face-reproduction-demonstrated-on-video/http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/15/real-time-3d-face-reproduction-demonstrated-on-video/#comments Eager to be freaked right on out? If so, head past the break and mash play. There, you'll see a recent demonstration by Tohto C-Tech, where a 3D camera setup was used to capture a person's face and then reproduce it on a monitor (in 3D, no less) in real-time. We're told that an undisclosed GPGPU setup was used to pull it off, as typical CPUs just weren't quick enough to render the final product on their own. The camera setup actually captures the face from two different viewpoints, enabling the sides of the face to be shown in addition to the front. We warned you that copious amounts of freaky were involved.

Continue reading Real-time 3D face reproduction demonstrated on video

Real-time 3D face reproduction demonstrated on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 01:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dgpgpugpureproductionstereoTohto C-TechTohtoC-techvideoWed, 15 Dec 2010 01:49:00 EST<![CDATA[ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/10/arm-intros-next-gen-mali-t604-embedded-gpu-samsung-first-to-get/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/10/arm-intros-next-gen-mali-t604-embedded-gpu-samsung-first-to-get/http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/10/arm-intros-next-gen-mali-t604-embedded-gpu-samsung-first-to-get/#commentsPromising "visually rich user experiences not previously seen in consumer electronics devices," ARM has introduced its latest embedded GPU architecture, Mali-T604, at its Technology Conference 2010 in California today. Though we're unlikely to see it in devices any time soon, the introduction means that the new design is available to ARM licensees -- and notably, the company points out that partner Samsung will be the first to get hooked up. Considering Sammy competes in the high-end embedded system-on-chip space already with its ARM-based Hummingbird line of cores, adding in the Mali-T604 is probably the next logical step for them. ARM says that it's designed "specifically" with the needs of general purpose GPU computing in mind and includes extensive support both for OpenCL and DirectX, so look for some insane number-crunching capabilities on your next-generation phone, tablet, and set-top box. Follow the break for ARM's press release.

Update: We sat down with ARM's Jem Davies to get some more details about the new Mali, and discovered it's only the first of several potential next-gen GPUs to come as part of the Midgard platform -- while this particular processor is available with up to four shader cores, successors might have more. The T604 itself is no slouch, though, as it can theoretically deliver two to five times the performance of the company's existing Mali 400 GPUs core for core and clock for clock -- which themselves run circles around the PowerVR SGX 540 competition if you take ARM at its word. Davies told us that not only does the Mali-T604 do DirectX, it supports the game-friendly DirectX11 as well as the always-popular OpenGL ES 2.0, and will appear in an system-on-a-chip together with an ARM Cortex-A15 "Eagle" CPU, when both are eventually baked into silicon several years down the road. Of course, in the eyes of marketers the future is always now, so get a look at conceptual uses (hint: augmented reality) for ARM's new Mali right after the break.

Additional reporting by Sean Hollister

Continue reading ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video)

ARM intros next-gen Mali-T604 embedded GPU, Samsung first to get it (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>armARM CortexARM Cortex A15ArmCortexArmCortexA15cortexCortex A15Cortex-A15CortexA15directxEaglegpgpugpugraphicsJem DaviesJemDaviesmalimali-t604openclsamsungvideoWed, 10 Nov 2010 20:52:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA teams with PGI for CUDA-x86, gifts its brand of parallelism to the world]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/21/nvidia-teams-with-pgi-for-cuda-x86-gifts-its-brand-of-paralleli/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/21/nvidia-teams-with-pgi-for-cuda-x86-gifts-its-brand-of-paralleli/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/21/nvidia-teams-with-pgi-for-cuda-x86-gifts-its-brand-of-paralleli/#comments NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference 2010 just kicked off in San Jose, and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has shared something interesting with us on stage -- thanks to a partnership with The Portland Group, it's bringing the CUDA parallel computing framework to x86. Previously limited to NVIDIA GPUs -- and the lynchpin of NVIDIA's argument for GPGPU computing -- CUDA applications will now run on "any computer, or any server in the world." Except those based on ARM, we suppose. Still no word on NVIDIA's x86 CPU.

NVIDIA teams with PGI for CUDA-x86, gifts its brand of parallelism to the world originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breaking newsBreakingNewscomputingCUDACuda x86CUDA-x86CudaX86GPGPUGPU Technology ConferenceGpuTechnologyConferenceGTC 2010Gtc2010Jen-Hsun HuangJen-hsunHuangNVIDIANVIIDAparallel computingparallel processingParallelComputingParallelProcessingx86Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:10:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA VP says 'Moore's law is dead']]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/nvidia-vp-says-moores-law-is-dead/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/nvidia-vp-says-moores-law-is-dead/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/nvidia-vp-says-moores-law-is-dead/#comments NVIDIA and Intel haven't been shy about their differing respective visions of the future of computing in the past year or so, but it looks like Team GPU just upped the rhetoric a little -- a Forbes column by NVIDIA VP Bill Dally argues that "Moore's law is dead." Given that Moore's law is arguably the foundation of Intel's entire business, such a statement is a huge shot across the bow; though other companies like AMD are guided by the doctrine, Intel's relentless pursuit of Gordon Moore's vision has become a focal point and rallying cry for the world's largest chipmaker.

So what's Dally's solution to the death of Moore's law? For everyone to buy into parallel computing, where -- surprise, surprise -- NVIDIA's GPUs thrive. Dally says that dual, quad- and hex-core solutions are inefficient -- he likens multi-core chips to "trying to build an airplane by putting wings on a train," and says that only ground-up parallel solutions designed for energy efficiency will bring back the golden age of doubling performance every two years. That sounds fantastic, but as far as power consumption is concerned, well, perhaps NVIDIA had best lead by example.

NVIDIA VP says 'Moore's law is dead' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 01:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AMDBill DallyBillDallycomputingcpuCPUsCUDAGPGPUIntelMoores lawMooreslawNVIDIAparallel computingparallel processingparallel processorsParallelComputingParallelProcessingParallelProcessorsprocessingMon, 03 May 2010 01:43:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters']]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/26/nvidia-unleashes-geforce-gtx-480-and-gtx-470-tessellation-monst/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/26/nvidia-unleashes-geforce-gtx-480-and-gtx-470-tessellation-monst/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/26/nvidia-unleashes-geforce-gtx-480-and-gtx-470-tessellation-monst/#comments Let's get the hard data out of the way first: 480 CUDA cores, 700 MHz graphics and 1,401MHz processor clock speeds, plus 1.5GB of onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1,848MHz (for a 3.7GHz effective data rate). Those are the specs upon which Fermi is built, and those are the numbers that will seek to justify a $499 price tag and a spectacular 250W TDP. We attended a presentation by NVIDIA this afternoon, where the above GTX 480 and its lite version, the GTX 470, were detailed. The latter card will come with a humbler 1.2GB of memory plus 607MHz, 1,215MHz and 1,674MHz clocks, while dinging your wallet for $349 and straining your case's cooling with 215W of hotness.

NVIDIA's first DirectX 11 parts are betting big on tessellation becoming the way games are rendered in the future, with the entire architecture being geared toward taking duties off the CPU and freeing up its cycles to deliver performance improvements elsewhere. This is perhaps no better evidenced than by the fact that both GTX models scored fewer 3DMarks than the Radeon HD 5870 and HD 5850 that they're competing against, but managed to deliver higher frame rates than their respective competitors in in-game benchmarks from NVIDIA. The final bit of major news here relates to SLI scaling, which is frankly remarkable. NVIDIA claims a consistent 90 percent performance improvement (over a single card) when running GTX 480s in tandem, which is as efficient as any multi-GPU setup we've yet seen. After the break you'll find a pair of tech demos and a roundup of the most cogent reviews.

Gallery: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 official pictures

Continue reading NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters'

NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dMark40nmbreaking newsBreakingNewscudadirectx 11Directx11enthusiastfermigeforcegeforce gtx 470geforce gtx 480GeforceGtx470GeforceGtx480gf100gpgpugpugraphics cardGraphicsCardgtx 470gtx 480Gtx470Gtx480high endHighEndnvidianvidia geforceNvidiaGeforceoptixphysxray tracingRayTracingreviewreview roundupReviewRoundupreviewsroundupslisli scalingSliScalingtessellationvideoFri, 26 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST<![CDATA[AMD spells out the future: heterogeneous computing, Bulldozer and Bobcats galore]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/12/amd-spells-out-the-future-heterogeneous-computing-bulldozer-an/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/12/amd-spells-out-the-future-heterogeneous-computing-bulldozer-an/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/12/amd-spells-out-the-future-heterogeneous-computing-bulldozer-an/#comments Believe it or not, it's just about time for AMD to start thinking about its future. We know -- you're still doing your best to wrap that noodle around Congos and Thubans, but now it's time to wonder how exactly Leo, Llano and Zambezi (to name a few) can fit into your already hectic schedule. At an Analyst Day event this week, the chipmaker removed the wraps on its goals for 2010 and 2011, and while it's still focusing intently on Fusion (better described as heterogeneous computing, where "workloads are divided between the CPU and GPU"), it's the forthcoming platforms that really have us worked up. For starters, AMD is looking into Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) configurations, which "represent the combined capabilities of [practically any] two separate processors." We're also told that the firm may actually introduce its Bulldozer (architecture for mainstream machines) and Bobcat (architecture for low-power, ultrathin PCs) platforms more hastily than similar ones have been rolled out in the past, which demonstrates an effort to really target the consumer market where Intel currently reigns. Frankly, we're jazzed about the possibilities, so hit the links below for a deep dive into what just might be powering your next (or next-next) PC.

[Via Digitimes]

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AMD spells out the future: heterogeneous computing, Bulldozer and Bobcats galore originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Accelerated Processing UnitAcceleratedProcessingUnitamdapubobcatbrazosbulldozercgpucpuDanubefusiongpgpugpuleoLlanoMaranellonileplatformprocessorquad-coreroadmapsan marinoSanMarinox86ZambeziThu, 12 Nov 2009 10:17:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA launches Fermi next-gen GPGPU architecture, CUDA and OpenCL get even faster]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/nvidia-launches-fermi-next-gen-gpgpu-architecture-cuda-and-open/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/nvidia-launches-fermi-next-gen-gpgpu-architecture-cuda-and-open/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/01/nvidia-launches-fermi-next-gen-gpgpu-architecture-cuda-and-open/#comments NVIDIA had told us it would be accelerating its CUDA program to try and get an advantage over its competitors as OpenCL brings general-purpose GPU computing to the mainstream, and it looks like that effort's paying off -- the company just announced its new Fermi CUDA architecture, which will also serve as the foundation of its next-gen GeForce and Quadro products. The new features are all pretty technical -- the world's first true cache hierarchy in a GPU, anyone? -- but the big takeaway is that CUDA and OpenCl should run even faster on this new silicon, and that's never a bad thing. Hit up the read links for the nitty-gritty, if that's what gets you going.

Read - NVIDIA Fermi site
Read - Hot Hardware analysis
Read - PC Perspective analysis

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NVIDIA launches Fermi next-gen GPGPU architecture, CUDA and OpenCL get even faster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cudafermigpgpugraphicsgraphics chipGraphicsChipnvidiaopenclThu, 01 Oct 2009 02:09:00 EST<![CDATA[ATI Stream goes fisticuffs with NVIDIA's CUDA in epic GPGPU tussle]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/10/ati-stream-goes-fisticuffs-with-nvidias-cuda-in-epic-gpgpu-tuss/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/10/ati-stream-goes-fisticuffs-with-nvidias-cuda-in-epic-gpgpu-tuss/http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/10/ati-stream-goes-fisticuffs-with-nvidias-cuda-in-epic-gpgpu-tuss/#comments
It's a given that the GPGPU (or General-Purpose Graphics Processing Unit) has a long, long ways to go before it can make a dent in the mainstream market, but given that ATI was talking up Stream nearly three whole years ago, we'd say a battle royale between it and its biggest rival was definitely in order. As such, the benchmarking gurus over at PC Perspective saw fit to pit ATI's Stream and NVIDIA's CUDA technologies against one another in a knock-down-drag-out for the ages, essentially looking to see which system took the most strain away from the CPU during video encoding and which produced more visually appealing results. We won't bother getting into the nitty-gritty (that's what the read link is for), but we will say this: in testing, ATI's contraption managed to relieve the most stress from the CPU, though NVIDIA's alternative seemed to pump out the highest quality materials. In other words, you can't win for losin'.

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ATI Stream goes fisticuffs with NVIDIA's CUDA in epic GPGPU tussle originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AMDATIAti streamAtiStreambenchmarkbenchmarkscGPUCUDAGPGPUgpuNVIDIAnvidia cudaNvidiaCudaparallel computingParallelComputingprocessingprocessorstreamMon, 10 Aug 2009 08:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Intel shows Larrabee die shot in Germany, speculators go berserk]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/14/intel-shows-larrabee-die-shot-in-germany-speculators-go-berserk/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/14/intel-shows-larrabee-die-shot-in-germany-speculators-go-berserk/http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/14/intel-shows-larrabee-die-shot-in-germany-speculators-go-berserk/#comments
It's been right around a century since Intel has provided any sort of hard evidence that Larrabee (a next-gen hybrid CPU / GPU) was more than a figment of anyone's imagination, but thanks to a die shot throw up Will Ferrell-style at the Visual Computing Institute of the Saarland University, we'd say the speculation is definitely back on. Intel's Chief Technology Officer, Justin Rattner, was responsible for the demo, but when PC Perspective pinged the company to inquire further, it suggested that the image we see above may not necessarily be indicative of the final shipping product, but that Larrabee was "healthy and in [its] labs right now." Sweet, so how's about a date in which that statement changes to "in shipping machines right now?" Hmm?

[Via PC Perspective]

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Intel shows Larrabee die shot in Germany, speculators go berserk originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cGPUGPGPUintelLarrabeeleakmicrochipprocessorThu, 14 May 2009 15:59:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA's GT300 specs outed -- is this the cGPU we've been waiting for?]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/26/nvidias-gt300-specs-outed-is-this-the-cgpu-weve-been-waitin/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/26/nvidias-gt300-specs-outed-is-this-the-cgpu-weve-been-waitin/http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/26/nvidias-gt300-specs-outed-is-this-the-cgpu-weve-been-waitin/#comments
NVIDIA's been dabbling in the CPU space behind closed doors for years now, but with Intel finally making a serious push into the GPU realm, it's about time the firm got serious with bringing the goods. BSN has it that the company's next-generation GT300 will be fundamentally different than the GT200 -- in fact, it's being hailed as the "first truly new architecture since SIMD (Single-Instruction Multiple Data) units first appeared in graphical processors." Beyond this, the technobabble runs deep, but the long and short of it is this: NVIDIA could be right on the cusp of delivering a single chip that can handle tasks that were typically separated for the CPU and GPU, and we needn't tell you just how much your life could change should it become a reality. Now, if only NVIDIA would come clean and lift away some of this fog surrounding it (and the rumored GTX 380), that'd be just swell.

[Thanks, Musouka]

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NVIDIA's GT300 specs outed -- is this the cGPU we've been waiting for? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cGPUcpucudageforcegpgpugpsGPU ComputingGpuComputinggraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardGT200GT300GTX 380Gtx380halnvidiaprocessorQuadroSIMDTegraTeslaSun, 26 Apr 2009 13:22:00 EST<![CDATA[NVIDIA dishes about OpenCL]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/09/nvidia-dishes-about-opencl/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/09/nvidia-dishes-about-opencl/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/09/nvidia-dishes-about-opencl/#comments
We spent some time on the phone with NVIDIA today in the wake of last night's official release of the OpenCL GPU-processing spec, and we learned some interesting things. NVIDIA thinks OpenCL is going to bring a lot more attention to general-purpose GPU computing, and it's planning on stoking the flames -- not only is it accelerating the CUDA release schedule, it's planning on working with Microsoft on DirectX 11 Compute. Hit the break for some more highlights!

Continue reading NVIDIA dishes about OpenCL

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NVIDIA dishes about OpenCL originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cudafeaturesgpgpunvidiaopenclTue, 09 Dec 2008 20:03:00 EST<![CDATA[OpenCL 1.0 spec released, GPUs everywhere to get a workout]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/08/opencl-1-0-spec-released-gpus-everywhere-to-get-a-workout/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/08/opencl-1-0-spec-released-gpus-everywhere-to-get-a-workout/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/08/opencl-1-0-spec-released-gpus-everywhere-to-get-a-workout/#comments
How time flies -- it was just a few weeks ago that the OpenCL spec was finalized and sent out for final legal review, and now it's here and ready to go. Over 20 partner companies (including AMD, NVIDIA, and, somewhat surprisingly, Intel) have signed on to the parallel programming standard originally proposed by Apple as part of Snow Leopard, and the final spec should allow apps to tap into multi-core CPUs, GPUs, DSPs and even variants of the Cell chip for everything from raw number crunching to interfacing with OpenGL. Sounds hot -- now we'll just have to see how Microsoft counters with the GPU acceleration expected to be built into Windows 7.

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OpenCL 1.0 spec released, GPUs everywhere to get a workout originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 22:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applegpgpuopenclsnow leopardSnowLeopardthe khronos groupTheKhronosGroupMon, 08 Dec 2008 22:51:00 EST<![CDATA[S3's Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/21/s3s-chrome-500-graphics-processors-handle-blu-ray-hd-video/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/21/s3s-chrome-500-graphics-processors-handle-blu-ray-hd-video/http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/21/s3s-chrome-500-graphics-processors-handle-blu-ray-hd-video/#commentsMovin' on up in the world, are we S3? Just a month after the VIA-owned S3 Graphics returned to the scene with its Chrome 400 line of discrete graphics cards comes this, the predictably named Chrome 500 series. The new line is capable of handling Blu-ray / streaming HD video playback and provides support for DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 3.0 applications. You'll also find a built-in Dolby 7.1 digital surround sound processor, GPGPU (General Purpose GPU) technology, ChromotionHD (which offloads video processing from the CPU) and compatibility with DisplayPort / HDMI / DVI (with HDCP). The first off the blocks is the 512MB Chrome 530 GT (pictured), and the bargain-bin-styled $44.95 should work wonders given the economy.

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S3's Chrome 500 graphics processors handle Blu-ray, HD video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>530 GT530GtChrome 500Chrome500directxdirectx 10Directx10GPGPUGPUgraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCards3s3 graphicsS3GraphicsVIAFri, 21 Nov 2008 09:33:00 EST<![CDATA[VIA-owned S3 Graphics crashes the GPGPU party]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/via-owned-s3-graphics-crashes-the-gpgpu-party/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/via-owned-s3-graphics-crashes-the-gpgpu-party/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/17/via-owned-s3-graphics-crashes-the-gpgpu-party/#comments We know the past couple years haven't been kind to VIA-owned S3 Graphics -- market share has declined, and NVIDIA and ATI keep introducing fancy new technologies, making it tough to keep up. That said, we're inspired by S3's ardent attempts to stay relevant in an industry that won't easily make room for small competitors. The latest case in point: the company has released a photo-editing app to demonstrate the newly-programmed GPGPU (general-purpose computing on graphics processing units) functionalities of its DirectX 10.1 Chrome 400 line of discrete graphics cards. S3 claims its hard work has produced an HPC environment that can be used to reduce processing time for scientific and other applications from days to seconds -- we'll believe it when we see it, but you've gotta admire the tenacity.

[Via CustomPC]

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VIA-owned S3 Graphics crashes the GPGPU party originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chromechrome 400chrome400gpgpugpugraphicsgraphics cardgraphics chipsethpcs3s3 graphicss3graphicsviaFri, 17 Oct 2008 15:38:00 EST<![CDATA[Intel exec says NVIDIA's CUDA will be a "footnote" in history]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/02/intel-exec-says-nvidias-cuda-will-be-a-footnote-in-history/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/02/intel-exec-says-nvidias-cuda-will-be-a-footnote-in-history/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/02/intel-exec-says-nvidias-cuda-will-be-a-footnote-in-history/#commentsNVIDIA execs have been talking smack about general-purpose CPUs for a while now, and it looks like Intel's ready to do some talking of its own -- speaking to CustomPC, Intel SVP Pat Gelsinger said that general-purpose GPU computing initiatives like NVIDIA's CUDA would be nothing more than "interesting footnotes in the history of computing annals." According to Gelsinger, the lack of a viable new programming model has held back similarly different architectures like the PS3's Cell because "years later the application programmers have barely been able to comprehend how to write applications for it." That's certainly an interesting point, but we'd say Gelsinger's not really taking stock of the big picture here -- fully utilizing the power of the GPU is the whole point of CUDA, after all, and OS developers like Apple are pushing OpenCL as a way to make GPU acceleration easier to for developers to access. Still, Intel has already said that discrete graphics are on their way out as hybrid tech like Larrabee enters the scene, and Gelsinger basically repeated the party line, saying that and "evolutionary compatible computing model" will be the "right answer long term." Those are some fightin' words -- it's going to be interesting to see how these competing chip strategies play out as other entrants like AMD's Fusion slowly make the scene as well.

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Intel exec says NVIDIA's CUDA will be a "footnote" in history originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cpucudagpgpugpuintelnvidiapat gelsingerPatGelsingerWed, 02 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[ATI to announce "Stream Computing" on September 29]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/21/ati-to-announce-stream-computing-on-september-29/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/21/ati-to-announce-stream-computing-on-september-29/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/21/ati-to-announce-stream-computing-on-september-29/#commentsFresh off its approved merger with AMD, ATI apparently has some tricks up its sleeve and will reveal its hand at a special event in San Francisco on September 29. ATI is hyping something called "Stream Computing," which uses GPGPU (general purpose graphics processor units) to run normal code on graphics hardware. GPGPU (couldn't they have come up with a better acronym?) is something that's been bouncing around the computer science community for a little while now, and may be on its way to becoming feasible -- The Reg says this technology has the potential to kick up performance by a factor of 10 and possibly as high as 30 in some computing applications (like, say, running a huuuuge freakin' Excel 'sheet). Now that may be true, but it's like those floating point specs that Apple is always parading around -- those numbers may hold water in the lab for very specific applications, but mere mortals probably won't see that performance difference anytime soon.

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ATI to announce "Stream Computing" on September 29 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4x4atigpgpustream computingStreamComputingThu, 21 Sep 2006 14:02:00 EST