Head of Graphics Cards Supplier Expects Intel’s Larrabee to Change the Market.

[nekrosoft13]

The head of BFG Technologies, a well-known Nvidia-exclusive supplier of graphics cards, admitted in an interview that Intel Corp.’s highly anticipated code-named Larrabee graphics processing unit (GPU) would change the market of graphics processors, however, he still said that Nvidia would be able to remain on top.


“Next year we’re going to see a completely different competitive landscape and it will change how people buy graphics cards,” said Scott Herkelman, the president of BFG Technologies, said in an interview with Hexus web-site.

The emergence of two players – Advanced Micro Devices and Intel – who are able to supply complete platforms consisting of a central processing unit, a core-logic and a graphics processing unit will indisputably change the whole market as system integrators as well as consumers like to buy their products from a single supplier.

Since Nvidia does not develop x86 central processing units and the future of its chipset business is uncertain in the light of inability to get a license on Intel QuickPath Interconnect bus, the most crucial part of its competitive position is the GPU, which is where the company is particularly strong.

“A lot of companies have gone out of business trying to compete with NVIDIA on GPUs,” added Mr. Herkelman.

The head of BFG warned that the recent price wars that Nvidia started by cutting down the recommended price of the Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX from $349 to $199 in a very short time-frame may cause troubles for Nvidia add-in-board partner. Graphics card suppliers, distributors and retailers have stocks of products and large price-drop may either cause money loses for them or would require compensation from Nvidia, which catalyzes money losses on their side. Still, Mr. Herkelman stressed that since there are different kinds of relationships between Nvidia and partners, the attitude of GPU developer may be substantially different to various companies.

“Each partner is in a unique position – it’s not clear cut how to react to price adjustments,” he said.


http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/d...he_Market.html

[v3rninater]

With this combination of cpu/gpu really screams proprietary to me. Which in essence is NOT that great, unless amd/intel found a way to make those processors work better together. And by that I mean beat the pants off a super duper Intel/Nvid machine. Unless that's happening, I don't understand what combining those processors would really mean for amd/intel.

Kind of sounds like they are going backwards to me!?!

Course this could be what Nvid has been predicting and why they are all snuggly with Via now.

[Medion]

I prefer discrete graphics over one built into the CPU. Here's why.

GPUs tend to obsolete faster than a CPU. If you bought an Ahtlon 64 X2 3800 in 2005, you can still run high end games today with a decent GPU. But if you bought a GeForce 6600GT in 2005, good luck doing the same even with a high end CPU.

And that's my problem. I can stick with a solid CPU through several GPU generations, using the same PCI-E slot. But if I want to upgrade my graphics with this Larrabee approach, that means a new CPU, likely a new socket, so a new mobo, and posisbly new memory.

Forget that, that's one expensive upgrade path just to enhance your graphics.

[Quarter]

As I said on another site: Intel has been raving about the prospects of integrated graphics for quite some time, and they've only gotten better at the same pace they did before -- every time a new integrated graphics component from them or AMD is released, it only matches the low-end of dedicated mobile cards from the previous generation.

I don't expect any of that to change. Intel keeps saying how dedicated cards are going to die, but I think we're seeing dedicated cards becoming more and more important.

Rahul (spelling?) of Voodoo in a recent video for the Envy 133 said you'd see a merging of the CPU and GPU within a year (or by the end of the year, or something), which would be really nice for laptops, but I just don't see it happening -- at least not happening with them being very powerful.

[turdhat]

There is a great side and a terrible side to this. The gpu on die with the cpu would offer incredible speed. Probably enough to begin having SOME applications doing real time raytracing. I think that raytracing is their motivation behind the merging of the two techs.. I think that Intel is sold on raytracing as the next big leap in graphics and it would be beyond any doubt however there isnt any hardware fast enough (that I know of) that will raytrace on the level required for modern gaming. They want to be 1st at it I think.

The bad would be having to purchase the cpu/gpu as an inseparable package. I dont have to mention the problems that could cause.

[Blacklash]

Damn I wish nVidia and Intel got along well. Nothing would stop them together.

[Quarter]

Originally Posted by Blacklash

Damn I wish nVidia and Intel got along well. Nothing would stop them together.

Except an unfair business practices group.

[Vanzagar]

When's Larrabee expected to hit the streets?

[Quarter]

Originally Posted by rhuala

When's Larrabee expected to hit the streets?

Next year sometime. I believe early or middle of next year.

[Ninja Prime]

Originally Posted by rhuala

When's Larrabee expected to hit the streets?

Late 2009/early 2010.

I fully expect Larrabee to crap all over anything Nvidia and ATI have for a while, at least according to rumored specs, Intel really wants the GPU market.

[Dreamingawake]

now all we need are some games that actually utilize all that crazy ass power..