dotTom
10-25-2004, 06:39 AM
Does anyone know when we're likely to see software renderers (for example MentalRay [MR]) use the symetrical bandwidth of PCI-Express x16 GPUs to accelerate renders? It strikes me as mad that I have this high perf X800 PCI-Express card, with bitchin' vector units and a high bandwidth bus back to the CPU and MR just doesn't use it.
OK, so I'm being unfair and PCI-Express GPUs probably haven't gotten enough market share for render ISVs to start using them as "math co-processors" just yet, but does anyone know if we might see something in 2005?
Again, it's probably too soon so say, but with something like MR, if I off load some of my rendering calcs to the GPU does that count as another (costly) render node licence?
On a related note: kudos to Microsoft for stating that they won't licence "per core" on future CPUs (unlike IBM and Oracle) - here's hoping MR takes the Microsoft route. Multi-core is a solution to the general perf problem, its not in the same market sector as SMP.
OK, so I'm being unfair and PCI-Express GPUs probably haven't gotten enough market share for render ISVs to start using them as "math co-processors" just yet, but does anyone know if we might see something in 2005?
Again, it's probably too soon so say, but with something like MR, if I off load some of my rendering calcs to the GPU does that count as another (costly) render node licence?
On a related note: kudos to Microsoft for stating that they won't licence "per core" on future CPUs (unlike IBM and Oracle) - here's hoping MR takes the Microsoft route. Multi-core is a solution to the general perf problem, its not in the same market sector as SMP.