ASUS Designs Monster Dual-GTX285 4GB Graphics Card 212
suraj.sun writes to mention that ASUS has just designed their own monster graphics card based on the GeForce GTX 295. While the card retains the GeForce GTX 295 name, same device ID, and remains compatible with existing NVIDIA drivers, ASUS has made a couple of modifications to call its own. "the company used two G200-350-B3 graphics processors, the same ones that make the GeForce GTX 285. The GPUs have all the 240 shader processors enabled, and also have the complete 512-bit GDDR3 memory interface enabled. This dual-PCB monstrosity holds 32 memory chips, and 4 GB of total memory (each GPU accesses 2 GB of it). Apart from these, each GPU system uses the same exact clock speeds as the GeForce GTX 285: 648/1476/2400 MHz (core/shader/memory)."
GDDR3 (Score:4, Interesting)
Bleh on the GDDR3. Radeon HD 4870 I just picked up for $200 has GDDR5, just smoking fast memory.
Re:So, when will be be getting dual-PSU cases... (Score:1, Interesting)
Already happened:
http://www.circotech.com/fortron-source-boosterx-3-dedicated-graphic-power-supply-unit.html [circotech.com]
I wonder... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:So, when will be be getting dual-PSU cases... (Score:3, Interesting)
Well even as hungry as this card is, a 1kw PSU would still do fine. Computers don't use as much power as people seem to think. However, there are actually larger PSUs for sale. For example E-Power sells a 2000 watt PSU. It is an external enclosure that houses the actually PSU components, and then a bunch of wires connecting to an internal patchbay that you hook your cables in to. Completely overkill, but then hey so is this GPU.
Re:I wonder... (Score:3, Interesting)
No graphics card maps the entire framebuffer into the physical address space, even on 64-bit OSs. I'll just use up a few 10s of MBs for BAR0, a few more for BAR1, and so on. The driver will manage all the framebuffer memory for you, all the client has to do is call the equivalent of malloc().
Re:I feel nerd-emasculated (Score:3, Interesting)
I was told by a NVidia scientist that the memory that these video cards comes with actually is more a result of the kinds of parts available at the speeds needed for the amount of address lines they need to connect rather than a requirement for an application.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:So, when will be be getting dual-PSU cases... (Score:2, Interesting)
I recently had to upgrade from a 2 year old 500W power supply because it didn't have enough (6 pin?) power cables for my GeForce 9800GTX. I was honestly disappointed, but went ahead and bought a new one. I now have a 700W power supply from rocketfish, and I think that's quite insane.
In the end, I think graphics card manufacturers might just go back to external power bricks. Either that, or people will get tired of ever-increasing power and cooling requirements... I think that console manufacturers, for one, would not be so happy with the idea of having to design a console that can supply 400W+ to a GPU. This might pressure GPU manufacturers into limiting the power requirements of their future chips.
Re:I feel nerd-emasculated (Score:3, Interesting)
True enough, but think of what a nerd could do with this?
I have a GTX 295. It is by far the most monstrous card I have ever put into a machine since the early PC days. I can't begin to imagine what its big brother looks like or how much power it will suck down.
As to the point about getting the most out of your equipment, there are people who have the skills to do things like modify and fix cheap or old cars and equipment. Personally, I find that neat. However, I never do that. The closest I get is buying all my computer parts and assembling them myself. But that's mostly to get the specific options I want without having to pay some integrator extra money to get something that don't want to stock. It also avoids labor costs, but I find that I'd almost rather pay someone rather than have to screw around with cable/wire management in my tower cases. Almost.
I pay a premium to have top quality and never have to screw with my shit. I could buy a used car and modify it to be like my new car, but I know people who do that and I find that I'm the guy who takes them to the shop all the time or picks them up when their car breaks down.
I never want to break down on the side of the road, and I want my top end card to be top end without ever causing me to lose a second of time due to the potential of problems due to my fiddling. My computer is my primary tool, as well as source of enjoyment, and I insist that it be both fast and reliable. No professional or serious amateur should compromise on the quality of their primary tools. I'll save the duct tape for my software creations.