DUAL-CORE GPUS
Though we have no offi cial confi rmation
from either ATI or nVidia, we’ll go on record
saying that both companies will release
dual-core GPUs in 2006. The reason is
simple: Just as in the CPU world, the quest
for ever-higher clock speeds in videocards
has led to massive cooling solutions that
consumers have roundly rejected in favor
of quieter, single-slot coolers. And just as
the CPU makers have declared a cease-
fi re of sorts and adopted multicore as their
long-term strategy, we anticipate the vid-
eocard manufacturers adopting a similar
strategy. In fact, dual-core GPU designs
will probably see more dramatic perfor-mance gains than dual-core CPU designs,
simply because graphics can benefi t from
increased parallelism without requiring any
tweaks to applications.
Of course, dual-GPU videocards are
already available on the market from enter-
prising manufacturers such as Gigabyte
and Asus. These boards have shown near-
SLI benchmark scores, but they have to
accommodate two large, hot single-core
GPUs on a single board. By switching to
a dual-core design, manufacturers could
reap performance dividends without run-
ning into heat problems.
ATI has even hinted to Maximum PC
that it might be interested in producing its
own dual-GPU solution, with
one GPU dedicated solely to
calculating physics, which
brings us to our next bit of
technology intrigue.PHYSICS
ACCELERATORS
We’ve covered the up-and-
coming Ageia PhysX accelera-
tor before, and all signs point
to its actual arrival sometime
in 2006. The upstart technol-
ogy company’s add-in board
has gained momentum recently
with industry heavyweights
Asus and BFG onboard to pro-
duce boards for retail sale.
While it’s true that no gameshave yet arrived that take advantage of the
PhysX processor, Ageia has signed up a
truckload of developers to use its tech in their
games. Such industry luminaries as Ubisoft
and Epic Games are already on board; in fact,
the PhysX processor will accelerate every
game that’s powered by the Unreal 3 engine.
Watch this space for more info.NEW SOCKETS AND MEMORY
FOR EVERYONE!
We’ve already reported on the new
“Socket M2” from AMD that will replace
the aging Socket 939 interface, but addi-
tional details have come to light. Now
known as “Socket F” AMD’s new tech
bears a remarkable resemblance to Intel’s
LGA775 architecture, with the pins on the
CPU socket rather than the underbelly of
the CPU. This is according to leaked “spy
shots” of the socket, which may or may
not be legit. The new socket will use DDR
memory running at 667MHz and is sched-
uled for release in April of 2006.
And just as AMD climbs aboard the
DDR2 train, rumors abound that Intel
will switch to DDR3 memory at the same
time or shortly thereafter in order to keep
one step ahead of its nemesis. Industry
insiders quip that Intel has already begun
testing DDR3 modules on an unnamed,
unannounced desktop platform, and that
like DDR2’s unimpressive rollout, the new
memory chips may also be underwhelming
at launch, given their conservative timings.quickstart THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
The Top
Technologies
of 2006!
10 MA XIMUMPC JANUARY 2006
We cast our steely gaze over the
technology landscape, with an eye
on three new technologies that could
revolutionize the PC experience in
2006, and beyond!
2006 could be remembered as either the year of the
PhysX processor (above), or as the year Ageia went
out of business.quickstart THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALL
Technologies
technology landscape, with an eye
on three new technologies that could
revolutionize the PC experience in
THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTechnologies Technologies
THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTechnologies Technologies
THE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLTHE BEGINNING OF THE MAGAZINE, WHERE ARTICLES ARE SMALLIf industry rumors are true, nVidia’s
next-gen GPU will offer two cores on a
single GPU die, which will be much more
efficient than this Gigabyte board that
sports dual single-core GPUs.