CrossFire and SLI Performance Fix for Vista, Part Deux

Back in July, Microsoft rolled out a fix for a nasty bug in its Windows Vista SLI and CrossFire multi-GPU support: Windows Vista was using only one of the GPUs! However, the Inquirer.net website reported yesterday that a more subtle bug is still plaguing some multi-GPU setups: a problem with load-balancing between GPUs.

Load-Balancing Woes and System Slowdowns

If one of the GPUs in your system is very busy, and and other idle GPUs receive a new DMA packet, you may experience scheduling latency. In plain language, your system slows down until all GPUs are assigned work to do. If you like to juggle games and other applications at the same time on your SLI or CrossFire system, you're a prime candidate for this type of slowdown.

Meet LDA, a Way to Avoid Saying "SLI" or "CrossFire"

This update isn't going to show up in Windows Update, at least not for awhile. And, if you ran into it during a casual scan of recent downloads, you might not even recognize it. That's because Microsoft is now referring to multi-GPU configurations as Linked Display Adapter (LDA) setups. SLI and CrossFire fans, make a note of this: every time you see a reference to LDA at Microsoft, think SLI (nVIDIA) or CrossFire (ATI/AMD).

Learning More About the Update...and Getting It

Microsoft has information about the hotfix, available for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista, at Knowledge Base article 945149. You must request the hotfix from Microsoft, rather than download it directly from the KB article. Microsoft promises a download link within 8 business hours, as we discussed in our article Hotfixes by Email - Just What the Windows Doctor Ordered.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Help Windows Vista newbies learn how to use BitLocker to stop data theft, get organized with Windows Calendar, and back up data and systems the easy way: give Mark's new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed. It's now available at Amazon.com and other fine bookstores.

READ MORE -
CrossFire and SLI Performance Fix for Vista, Part Deux

CrossFire and SLI Performance Fix for Vista, Part Deux

Back in July, Microsoft rolled out a fix for a nasty bug in its Windows Vista SLI and CrossFire multi-GPU support: Windows Vista was using only one of the GPUs! However, the Inquirer.net website reported yesterday that a more subtle bug is still plaguing some multi-GPU setups: a problem with load-balancing between GPUs.

Load-Balancing Woes and System Slowdowns

If one of the GPUs in your system is very busy, and and other idle GPUs receive a new DMA packet, you may experience scheduling latency. In plain language, your system slows down until all GPUs are assigned work to do. If you like to juggle games and other applications at the same time on your SLI or CrossFire system, you're a prime candidate for this type of slowdown.

Meet LDA, a Way to Avoid Saying "SLI" or "CrossFire"

This update isn't going to show up in Windows Update, at least not for awhile. And, if you ran into it during a casual scan of recent downloads, you might not even recognize it. That's because Microsoft is now referring to multi-GPU configurations as Linked Display Adapter (LDA) setups. SLI and CrossFire fans, make a note of this: every time you see a reference to LDA at Microsoft, think SLI (nVIDIA) or CrossFire (ATI/AMD).

Learning More About the Update...and Getting It

Microsoft has information about the hotfix, available for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista, at Knowledge Base article 945149. You must request the hotfix from Microsoft, rather than download it directly from the KB article. Microsoft promises a download link within 8 business hours, as we discussed in our article Hotfixes by Email - Just What the Windows Doctor Ordered.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Help Windows Vista newbies learn how to use BitLocker to stop data theft, get organized with Windows Calendar, and back up data and systems the easy way: give Mark's new book Maximum PC Microsoft Windows Vista Exposed. It's now available at Amazon.com and other fine bookstores.

READ MORE -
CrossFire and SLI Performance Fix for Vista, Part Deux

Nvidia Beta 256 Drivers Now Available for Download

We're not sure why exactly Nvidia chose to make the leap from version 197 to 256 for its latest drivers, but whatever, designation aside, the first beta release for the 256 driver-set is available now, and it includes a whole bunch of goodies.

Release 256 are the first drivers to incorporate Blu-ray 3D acceleration for the PC (see here for system requirements), just in time for the first 3D Blu-ray movie due out June 1st, Nvidia says. The new driver also includes new settings in the Nvidia Control Panel for 3-way SLI customers that enable 48x SLI Anti-aliasing (96x for 3-way GTX 400 series PCs).

You'll find a lot of buzz words accompanying Release 256, including CUDA 3.1 and OpenGL 4.0 support, as well as a new SLI and PhysX configuration page. What you won't find, however is support for Nvidia's 3D Vision Surround, which the GPU chip maker promises to include in the second release targeted for the end of June.

Driver Download (includes notebook platforms)

READ MORE -
Nvidia Beta 256 Drivers Now Available for Download

Rumor: Nvidia to Dub Dual-GPU Fermi Card "GTX 490"Rumor: Nvidia to Dub Dual-GPU Fermi Card "GTX 490"

The latest chatter from the graphics rumor mill is that Nvidia is hard at work readying a dual-GPU fermi part the company plans to call "GTX 490."

According to kitguru.net, which "continue[s] to look under the rocks in Taiwan," the GTX 490 will in all likelihood use a pair of GTX 470 processors. From what they gather, the power draw will be around 375W. That means you can probably expect some downclocking under the hood, as the GTX 470 draws 215W as a standalone card.

There really aren't any other details to go on, though that could (and probably will) change by the time Computex rolls around. It will be interesting to see how the GTX 490 stacks up against ATI's recently introduced 4GB iteration of its dual-GPU HD 5970 card.

READ MORE -
Rumor: Nvidia to Dub Dual-GPU Fermi Card "GTX 490"Rumor: Nvidia to Dub Dual-GPU Fermi Card "GTX 490"

Nvidia GTX 465 Details Leaked to the Web

Computex is less than two weeks away, and it's during that time many are expecting Nvidia to announce a new graphics card, the GTX 465. Well, thanks to Turkish site Donanimhaber, the same site that accurately revealed GTX 470 and 480 specs ahead of launch, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Nvidia's upcoming GPU.

According to Donanimhaber, the GTX 465 is being built around the same GF100 core as the 470 and 480, but with five out of the 11 stream clusters turned off. That brings the stream processor count down to 352.

The core clockspeed will race along at 607MHz, the same as the GTX 470, while the stream processors will come clocked at 1,215MHz. You can expect 1GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit memory bus, along with two 6-pin PCI-E power connectors.

Pricing is estimated to be around $300.

READ MORE -
Nvidia GTX 465 Details Leaked to the Web

NVIDIA’s Optimus Hybrid Graphics Chip Streamlines Energy Efficiency

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

It’s getting easier to have your cake and eat it too, or so suggests NVIDIA in the announcement of its new Optimus technology. According to NVIDIA: “Consumers no longer have to choose whether they want great graphics performance or sustained battery life. NVIDIA Optimus gives them both - great performance, great battery life and it simply works.”

Optimus, at its heart, allows the automatic routing of graphics demands on a laptop to either a discrete NVIDIA GPU (which sucks up power), or to an Intel integrated graphics chip (which conserves power)--without the hassle of a reboot. Optimus directs the workload, as appropriate, to the most “efficient processor for the job”, thus extending battery life by up to two times.

According to Electronista, Optimus differs from Hybrid SLI in that it doesn’t need drivers to cooperate, but rather relies on the presence of an Intel chipset--be it the Core 2 Duo, Core i7 or Atom. NIVIDA also makes use of a new software model that ensures automatic switches occur when needed--in as little as 300ms. (Users, however, will be able to tweak these settings.)

NVIDIA says Optimus will first be available on an Asus line of notebooks (the UL50Vf, N61Jv, N71Jv, N82Jv, and U30Jc), which should be available soon.

Image Credit: NVIDIA

READ MORE -
NVIDIA’s Optimus Hybrid Graphics Chip Streamlines Energy Efficiency