EggXpert

We recently had the opportunity to interview NVIDIA reps using questions supplied directly from everyone here in the EggXpert community. The first part of the interview is in the books, and below is a transcript for your reading delight. We aim to have more questions and answers from NVIDIA and other manufacturers on a regular basis. EggXpert would like to thank NVIDIA for their help and for agreeing to sit down with us!

And now, Part I of the Xpert Interview with NVIDIA...

EDIT: Part II of the interview is HERE!

---

EGG: What’s going to be the next gen thing? Are you going to move away from DVI to something even better? Each generation seems to be almost twice as fast as the last; are you expecting this to continue?

NVIDIA: One of the coolest new technologies we’ve been working on is called Hybrid SLI (http://www.nvidia.com/object/hybrid_sli.html). Hybrid SLI should appeal to anyone in the EggXpert community who is on a tight budget because of two features it has: GeForce® Boost and HybridPower™. GeForce Boost provides up to a 40% boost in graphics performance by combining a Hybrid-capable GeForce 8 Series motherboard GPUs, found on an nForce motherboard, with a Hybrid-capable GeForce graphics card. This allows end users to upgrade existing motherboards for increased performance and protect the investment of your entire PC. HybridPower™ unleashes graphics performance when needed and switches to quiet, low-power operation for everyday computing. Plug any NVIDIA Hybrid SLI-enabled GPU into any NVIDIA SLI-enabled motherboard for the ultimate control. Dial up performance for demanding 3D games and applications; reduce noise and power consumption for everyday computing tasks like browsing the Web, word processing, or watching HD videos. This also lowers power consumption on your PC, resulting in reduced noise, heat, and utility bills. We’re really excited about the performance advantages and power saving features of our Hybrid SLI products. The first graphics card to support Hybrid Power is the GeForce 9800 GX2, which just launched March 18. The first motherboard to support Hybrid SLI is the nForce 780a for the AMD platform, which will launch in early April.


EGG: What is the outlook for this summer's GPU & Chipset releases? What do we have to look forward to this summer as far as premium GPU releases?

NVIDIA: It’s not summer yet, but we just launched our new graphics flagship, the GeForce 9800 GX2. The GX2 is now the world’s fastest graphics card, and it delivers amazingly smooth game play experiences at resolutions up to 2560x1600. You can combine two 9800 GX2 graphics cards in SLI for an unparalleled graphics solution that will run Crysis at 1920x1200 at its highest possible settings.

We also just launched the world’s most overclockable motherboard called the nForce 790i. The 790i supports 2-way and 3-way SLI systems and features support for 1600 front side bus speeds. Dozens of tech sites have reviewed the GeForce 9800 GX2 with the new nForce 790i and pronounced them the ultimate enthusiast architecture. HardOCP, for example, put the 790i through the toughest tests that site has ever performed on a motherboard and said it was rock-solid stable.


EGG: What are the future plans for 3-Way and Quad SLI?

NVIDIA: We're launching a new Quad SLI configuration on Tuesday, March 25. It will offer an unparalleled graphics solution at extreme HD resolutions. We will continue to unveil exciting new 3-way SLI solutions this summer, with one coming in early April.


EGG: When can we expect things such as dual core GPUs (NOT 2 video cards shoved together), dual core integrated GPUs, and possibly dual core northbridges?

NVIDIA: “Dual-core GPUs”? You wouldn’t want us to go backwards, would you? =) The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX introduced in November of 2006 offered 128 core processors on a single chip. Today’s GeForce 9800 GX2 has 256 core processors on a single graphics card. While CPU manufacturers are trying to figure out why anyone would need a 4-core CPU, there are many applications for which our multi-core graphics processors are offering dramatic speedups today.


EGG: Are there any thoughts to cooperatively develop a product with Intel, since it only seems appropriate now that AMD/ATi have married? Any plans to compete against AMD and Intel as they both seek to integrate the GPU into multi core processors?

NVIDIA: We work closely with every major player in the technology industry, but we’re bound by confidentiality agreements from divulging sensitive information.


EGG: Are you going to allow open source for your Linux driver support (since there are apparently some issues with them having restricted drivers and them not always working with various hardware)? And are there any roadmaps or plans with/without game developers to bring more gaming to the Linux community?

NVIDIA: Unfortunately, at this time, we are not offering open source Linux drivers. There are a variety of reasons why we cannot do this, but we recognize that we need to continue to provide high quality drivers that are fully supported. We will open source pieces of our software when we can, and we have previously provided the source code for our Control Panel and installation utility.


EGG: We keep hearing about how soon the GPU and CPU will be combined. Is the R&D department working on something like this, or do you have any info on this?

NVIDIA: Unfortunately, we can’t comment on unannounced products.


EGG: What are your plans regarding the future of graphics cards? Some say that we're moving to homogeneous operations where all processes are run by the processor as well as integrated RAM. What are your plans if this comes to be true?

NVIDIA: The world has changed. People aren’t just using their PCs for Word and Excel anymore. Today people are watching YouTube videos, watching movies, editing pictures and video, playing games, and getting directions on their PC. All of those things are visual. If you want a PC that performs well with visual apps, then you need a graphics processor.

We believe in a heterogeneous computing model because users need good graphics processors to handle today’s visually intensive applications. CPU makers would have you believe that a fast CPU is all you need. But most enthusiasts recognize that today’s fastest CPUs are overkill. You’re better off getting an entry-level or mid-range CPU and combining that with a good graphics processor. The technology press knows that this is the best combination for real-world computing performance. That is a heterogeneous computing model.


EGG: In the near future, will upgrading a video card be just like adding a new CPU and/or RAM to your motherboard? It seems that the more we demand out of these cards, the more real-estate they will need. So are swappable video processors and video ram even a thought?

NVIDIA: Users can and do upgrade their GeForce graphics cards with ease. SLI technology allows anyone with an nForce SLI-ready motherboard to simply add a second graphics card to the PC and install a new driver. The future is now!


EGG: Is NVIDIA doing the graphics card for the new XBox? Also, when will I be able to SLI a console with my comp for even better power? That would be something worth looking into. SLI across multiple computers.

NVIDIA: We can’t comment on products in development.


EGG: When will the Higher end 9 series cards be released and will the 9800GT/GTS have tri-SLi support?

NVIDIA: See questions 2 and 3.


EGG: With the acquisition of Ageia, will you still be releasing dedicated PPUs? Will you be integrating their technology? Or will you continue with the dedicated line? If you do integrate it, will you license it out and 'show ATI some love?' Simply for the sake of possibly excluding yourself in the market via either price or lack of developer support? Or just shut it down as you think it's not necessary with engines such as Havoc?

NVIDIA: We are committed to hardware-accelerated physics and will support AGEIA's current PPU customer commitments, as well as future business, as demand dictates. In parallel, we will enable physics on GeForce as soon as possible.


EGG: Why is it that DX10 runs so much slower on Vista than DX9? I know that DX10 has more graphics, but shouldn't the new architecture aid in that?

NVIDIA: DirectX 10 was developed to answer the challenge from gamers and developers for a more immersive experience. Using DirectX 10 vs. DirectX 9 doesn’t mean trading off performance. Gamers want better games, and developers so far have focused on ways to make games look better and feel more immersive. Like any new technology, optimizing the visual experience with performance takes a bit of time, as does striking the right balance in every game on graphical fidelity and performance.


EGG: Each year the Video/Graphics Card gets stronger, more powerful, and obviously more attention. When will it be time to add a little to the software side as in the nview application? Through the years, we've seen a couple of new graphics or a new wizard interface, but it is still pertaining to the same old tricks from some time ago. Can we get maybe a few more tricks or even support for three.. four.. monitors and tricks in displaying consecutively?

NVIDIA: While we cannot talk about unannounced products, improving display support is on our roadmap.


EGG: When will we see 780a Chip set Motherboards?

NVIDIA: The nForce 780a motherboard will be launched in Q2 of this year.

---

More to come in the future, guys...



NVIDIA personnel who contributed to the interview:
Andrew Fear, SLI product manager
Ken Brown, GeForce PR manager

Awesome post man! worth of some eggs... but i dunno how to give any... Anyway i enjoyed read that! good to know nvidia has surprises for us! i am very eager to know more about the hybrid sli thing

Very Very cool, thank you Egg team for bringing the producers to us the consumers.  This will be a great enhancement for the community as these interview continue to grow and more companies are willing to talk directly to their consumer base.

~TK

 

Very worthy post, can't wait for the next interview.

I would comment on how I enjoyed the post, but I am unable to divulge that information at this time.

 

thanks ning! very cool post. awesome

My question was asked but it was danced around (How does Boost address new interfaces anyways?). Argh, guess we will have to wait and see! Thanks for the opportunity EggXpert!

 

 

Definantly interesting, definantly a great post and information, thanks EggXpert, and thanks Ning!

 I wonder when they'll answer my question on Ray Tracing...

NVIDIA Rep: *We Are Unable to Divulge Information At This Time*

Sadly, they had to beat around the bush on a lot of the questions...And skipped completely over some of em...

Oh well, still a great interview, looking forward to the next part!

Respectfully,

PROACEX1

 

Now let's see, I don't want to answer that question.

Ah, Can't discuss that, or that, that either. 

ning:

EGG: Are you going to allow open source for your Linux driver support (since there are apparently some issues with them having restricted drivers and them not always working with various hardware)? And are there any roadmaps or plans with/without game developers to bring more gaming to the Linux community?

NVIDIA: Unfortunately, at this time, we are not offering open source Linux drivers. There are a variety of reasons why we cannot do this, but we recognize that we need to continue to provide high quality drivers that are fully supported. We will open source pieces of our software when we can, and we have previously provided the source code for our Control Panel and installation utility.

 

1) Thanks for asking.

 

2) That's why I will NEVER buy an nVidia video card for my Linux desktop.  I believe ATI is delivering full specs to the open source community for their newer cards.

 

I imagine that disclosing the source code would give away competitive hardware and software advantages to ATi and other (mostly future) competitors; nVidia can't cut their own throats.  A lot of guys think that ATi's unix-based drivers are clunky compared to nVidia's: I've noted a lot of frustration in other forums with ATi cards in using Unix/Linux--either native or fglrx. I'm using an AGP ATi X800XT AIW with Kubuntu 7.10 and XP/98SE in dual-boot. The ATi driver does work satisfactorily for my simple needs. For a while, I was using a secondary BFG 5500LE based PCI card for Linux before getting fglrx to work--I believe the nVidia driver was smoother in Linux.

(By the way, the X800XT AIW worked best with the "generic" low-end Radeon AIW driver for 98SE--it appears that the 9800XT is the highest level chip supported directly by ATi for 98/98SE. Otherwise, I was left with Bill's 98SE Windows default driver--that's not acceptable (really poor resolution and performance). Some hardware and chip mfrs, have been brutal in cutting support for 98 and other legacy Windows versions--this will happen too soon as well to XP: The idea is to force users to upgrade hardware and software often in order to stay in Window's world.)

NVIDIA: Unfortunately, at this time, we are not offering open source Linux drivers. There are a variety of reasons why we cannot do this, but we recognize that we need to continue to provide high quality drivers that are fully supported. We will open source pieces of our software when we can, and we have previously provided the source code for our Control Panel and installation utility.

I have 3 systems with ATI graphics cards running Linux.  I was thinking about trying a Nvidia card in one of the systems but after that answer I will be sticking with ATI. 

What, no one asked when Nvidia will fix their drivers so we get what we payed for? Who cares about new tech when what you can buy right now has broken functions that Nvidia states their products have. Many problems have existed for close to 2 years.

FSAA is still broken. This is a claimed feature, well where is it? http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=58863

2d performance is still broken in even the latest 1xx.xx drivers. 2d has been broken since the first 1xx.xx driver. Pull your head out Nvidia! http://www.passmark.com/forum/...ad.php?p=5061#post5061

No ability to compensate for overscan when driving a HDTV using HDMI. This is a needed function, without it you can't drive an HDTV without severe overscan.
http://forums.nvidia.com/index...pics&highlite=overscan

The Nvidia control panel sucks and is riddled with bugs. Many settings do nothing at all, what a joke. Give use the old control panel!
http://forums.nvidia.com/index...opic=48690&hl=overscan

Whats really funny is when a hardware review site tests video cards they never report these problems even though they exist and are serious. If a review site can't do a complete review stop reviewing hardware!  The 2d performance problem will never be found by a hardware review site because they do not test 2d performance. 90% of computer users spend 90% of their time in 2d mode. Review sites, get off your a** and start doing complete reviews. Start testing 2d as its a big part of what a graphics card does. Same does for other broken functions listed above. If review sites had been doing complete reviews we would have working products from Nvidia or known better and just purchased a ATI card in the first place. 

 

Lets be a bit patient here, Ning did say more is to come.  But I am thinking some questions will simply not be answered.  I understand why but it is still a bummer.

 

One question I have meant to post for Nvidia is their driver's have a higher processor overhead than ATI.  This makes the GPU performance more dependent on the CPU's performance. What will Nvidia do in the future to address this?

Mikey_Likes_It:

 

One question I have meant to post for Nvidia is their driver's have a higher processor overhead than ATI.  This makes the GPU performance more dependent on the CPU's performance. What will Nvidia do in the future to address this?

Hmm not sure why you think that but you might want to post this question in the thread created to ask Nvidia questions.  But I think the time to add more questions might have passed anyways.  http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/271033.aspx

im not sure at a certain point if that bit of extra processor overhead matters. i mean look at the resources that you have vs. the ones you're using. if your game maxed everything out completely it would crash. The os is what uses the drivers and no matter what you are doing the os is still running underneath the application. CPU's and GPU's go hand in hand. bottom line, if you have a high end GPU you cant really expect to get away with a low end processor.

I love this answer:

NVIDIA: We are committed to hardware-accelerated physics and will support AGEIA's current PPU customer commitments, as well as future business, as demand dictates. In parallel, we will enable physics on GeForce as soon as possible. 

Translation: Yes, we're phasing that line into our GPUs ASAP so that people might actually write code to take advantage of it.

Awww Nvidia killed fluffy

 

Any who thanks Ning for the post I enjoyed reading it. It’s too bad that Nvidia did dodge certain questions.

umm that was just part1, how can you call them out for dodging questions until they are done answering the questions? 

MeiLing:

umm that was just part1, how can you call them out for dodging questions until they are done answering the questions? 

 

If you actually take a look you will see that over 50% of the questions were dodged by Nvidia. MrMonroe for instance shows one of many so do others some of the questions are very good to know for our knowledge with in the industry, In order to lead people with in the right direction it does help us understand where they are coming from as well. With out the information and someone ask the same specific or close to the same question what will your answer be?

ah so the answers that where given where not liked.  I took that as the questions that where not yet answered. 

Correct

I actually wasn't being facetious when I said I liked that answer. It was a very deft way of saying the truth that didn't give too much away. You just had to know a little background to translate it.

I thought they did pretty well in answering the majority of the questions honestly or with a reasonable "we just can't tell you yet because it would be bad for business" reply. I thought the one real black eye they left with was the question about Linux driver support.
 

ning:

EGG: In the near future, will upgrading a video card be just like adding a new CPU and/or RAM to your motherboard? It seems that the more we demand out of these cards, the more real-estate they will need. So are swappable video processors and video ram even a thought?

Time to revamp this question seeing they completely danced around it.

The Question: 

You don't need to divulge any sensitive information about your future product line or answer in specific terms (a.k.a. no dogging the question) but is it feasible to have GPUs installed like are current CPUs are installed, in a socket? This will provide the consumer with more flexibility and customizability when building a computer that is right for them. Do think production graphics could go this route in the future?

Knowing nVIDIA they may still decline to comment but at least it's harder to dance around and maybe we can force some better answers out of them. 

Good Job even so Ning! I look forward to part 2!

Reactor89