We’ve Been Bamboozled! Process Delays Hit GPUs ( Why is it so hard?)

PC Perspective ^ | Dec 03, 2010 | Josh Walrath

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

EDITORIAL

Don't get too enamoured with your fancy, long term plans...

Process technology is the best friend, and worst enemy of the graphics world.  Throughout the years we have seen improvements in process tech create new opportunities within the 3D graphics industry, and at the same time we have seen it be the downfall of certain products and cycles.  Today we see that in full effect, and for a variety of causes.

Looking back through the years we have seen some great advances, and some huge stumbles.  Consider NVIDIA and their flawed GeForce FX design on a “not quite ready for primetime” 130 nm process.  The original GeForce FX 5800 was the pariah of the industry, all the while ATI released their Radeon 9700 Pro on the older, more mature 150 nm process to great fanfare.  But we have also seen massive improvements from one generation to another.  Take the Radeon HD 2800 XT, which was a hot and power hungry card using a specialty 80 nm process to achieve high speeds.  It was not a big seller, and it had plenty of issues.  Revisit ATI about eight months later and we see the 55 nm HD 3870, which matches (and improves upon the HD 2800 XT) in terms of performance, but comes in around ½ of the power and significantly lower heat production.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Bit of History on Graphics chips.

[dhs12345]

Ya. Cool stuff. Thanks!