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Asus Crams Three GPUs onto a Single Graphics Card

Posted by Zonk on from the when-isn't-cramming-a-good-thing dept.

Barence writes "PC Pro has up a look at Asus' concept triple-GPU graphics card. It's a tech demo, so it's not going to see release at any point in the future, but it's an interesting look at how far manufacturers can push technology, as well as just how inefficient multi-GPU graphics cards currently are. 'Asus has spaced [the GPUs] out, placing one on the top of the card and two on the underside. This creates its own problem, though: attaching heatsinks and fans to both sides of the card would prevent it from fitting into some case arrangements, and defeat access to neighbouring expansion slots. So instead, Asus has used a low-profile heat-pipe system that channels the heat to a heatsink at the back of the card, from where it's dissipated by externally-powered fluid cooling pipes.'"

4 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Drivers first. by San-LC · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The technology for multi-GPU processing is already out there (SLI, Crossfire), and now the companies are trying to increase the number of GPUs that can be daisy-chained (CrossfireX, 3-way SLI).

    However, it seems with all of these methods, the weak link is always driver support. I think that drivers will have to develop further before anything like this can take true form and be useful.

    As an aside, did anyone notice that half of the Slashdot description sounded like an advertisement for Asus GPU cooling?

  2. Reminds me of Razors. by Forge · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Remember when All razors had a single blade? Then double blade razors were all the rage. These days, Triple and quad blade razors are around. Soon we will have 5 blades but I would call that a cheese grater.

    Same thing with CPUs and now GPUs. Problem is, at what point dose it become a pissing contest rather than a way to provide more performance for an application that needs it.

    And speaking of those demanding applications. Am I the only one who notice that some of the latest video games running on the best available hardware provide no improvement in appearance or game-play over older games of a similar type running on older hardware?

    It's bad enough that I am tempted to think the programmers are just adding fat to make sure the game demands a more expensive video card.

    Kevin.

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    --= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
    1. Re:Reminds me of Razors. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      While I am not sure why I got a Flamebate mod on my post. But Raytracing real time could have advantages on cleaning up issues that we do see. While now we can see each individual grass blade each grass blade looks and moves like a broken stick. But will it be good enough for a competive advantage. Or is it that the graphics artests are not good enough for realistice 3d images. Even the stuff that takes months to render for the movies still looks computer generated and seem unrealistic when things start moving. Much like the Final Fantasy movie (yea it is old but it is a great point) they showed adds before it was released with the people face as a solid image, and you couldn't tell if it was real or not. But when you see them moving and talking you knew it was fake, and lifeless. Pixar worked around these issues by not making people look realistic they use a cartoon aproach to make them seem like cartoon and have them different enough for us to connect with. But it is an issue is it performance and CPU or the fact that we don't have artests good enough for the work yet.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Reminds me of Razors. by Cheeko · · Score: 4, Interesting

      That probably has more to do with the quality of the individual blades. Cheap $1 razor will cut like a cheap $1 razor.

      That being said I used to use the 2 blade Gilette razor and have since moved on to a 3. What I have noticed is that it does the job faster and the overall blade lasts longer. What i suspect is happening is that the first blade may dull, but its making the rough cut anyway, then one of the other blades which is sharper follows up with a cleaner cut.

      I think the more important advancement has been all the other stuff on the blade head. the mounted springs, the lube strip, the rubber precut strips that tension the skin, etc. I suspect all those contribute more to the newer blades being better.