Hardware Autopsy
Dual-GPU Videocard
The only thing more fun than benchmarking expensive hardware is taking it apart. We
were particularly curious to see what makes nVidia’s GeForce 7950 GX2 tick, so we
sacrificed this EVGA board to the autopsy knife.interoperability problems not only with the
older 02.b and 02.g hardware, but also
between different brands using the same chip-
set. The latest batch of hardware just pushed
the envelope a little harderemphasiZing the
incompatibilities in the process.
But now that the groups involved in
phrasing the fi rst 02.n draft have learned
they can’t simply push through a standard
based on the existing hardware they have for
sale, the remediation process begins. And as
exciting as the prospect might be, the pro-
cess is actually quite boring.
The I%%% meets every two months, and a
new draft standard can be submitted at each
meeting. The organiZation approved Draft .0
in May, so it’s conceivable that they could be
considering Draft .0 at their September gath-
ering. %ach time a draft is proposed, a call for
comments goes out. The draft is then revised
in response to these comments and it moves
a step closer to ratifi cation.
Manufacturers don’t necessarily have
to wait for fi nal ratifi cation before building
their hardware. %quipment that could be
certifi ed as 02.g-compliant reached the
market when that standard was at draft 5.0.
The tipping point arrives when the bulk of
the hardware issues are resolved. If there’s
consensus that any outstanding issues are
inconsequential, the hardware can be baked.
What remains at that point is simple fi rmware,
and that’s fungible up to the moment the box
is shrink-wrapped.ARE WE THERE YET?
Unfortunately, none of this really provides
any insight as to when we can fi nally expect
true 02.n products to hit the market.
The 2,000 shocks to the system, however,
seem to have delivered a dose of reality to
the opposing camps. At this point, their dif-
ferences of opinion are more akin to how
stiff a car’s springs should be as opposed
to arguing whether or not a car should have
springs at all.
Final I%%% ratifi cation could occur in
September or November, and the Wi-Fi
Alliance can be expected to give its nod of
approval shortly thereafter. If these events fall
into line, we could see genuine 02.n prod-
ucts by the holidaysor before the end of 1
2007 at the latest. Considering how long we’ve
already waited (and if you haven’t told at least
one “Waiting for 02.n” joke in the interim,
you’re not half the Alpha 'eek you think you
are), that time is right around the corner.
The result will be Wi-Fi products that
deliver real-world throughput upwards of
0Mbs while functioning alongside and inter-
acting with older equipment. And won’t that
be worth the wait r&dBREAKING DOWN TECH —PRESENT AND FUTURE
68 MA XIMUMPC SEPTEMBER 2006 SEPTEMBER 2006 MA XIMUMPC 69
White Paper: An 802. 1 1n Status Report
GPU
INTERCONNECT
This tiny printed
circuit board
passes data back
and forth between
the two larger
printed circuit
boards.NVIDIA PCI EXPRESS SWITCH
This proprietary chip directs traffic
between the dual GPUs and frame
buffers and the PCI Express bus.HEATSINK
Each of the
aluminum
heatsinks is folded
into a series of fins,
which increase the surface
area over which heat can be
dissipated—a crucial endeavor
when two GPUs are packed
this tight.GEFORCE 7950
Each card sports
its own graphics
processor unit,
and the two work
together to do all
the heavy lifting.FRAME BUFFER Each GPU
sports its own 512MB frame
buffer, consisting of eight 64MB
GDDR modules. (These are still
wearing the thermal pads that
ensure good heat transfer to
the card’s cooler.)PCI-E POWER CONNECTOR Unlike a
conventional dual-card configuration, the 7950
GX2 card requires just one six-pin PCI Express
cable from your PC’s power supply.COOLING FAN A 40mm variable-speed
fan on each card draws air in at its hub
and blows it out over the heatsink toward
the mounting bracket.FAN POWER
HEADER The cooling
fans draw power
from this connector
on each of the
two cards.