NVIDIA's Fermi: Architected for Tesla, 3 Billion Transistors in 2010
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 30, 2009 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
The graph below is one of transistor count, not die size. Inevitably, on the same manufacturing process, a significantly higher transistor count translates into a larger die size. But for the purposes of this article, all I need to show you is a representation of transistor count.
See that big circle on the right? That's Fermi. NVIDIA's next-generation architecture.
NVIDIA astonished us with GT200 tipping the scales at 1.4 billion transistors. Fermi is more than twice that at 3 billion. And literally, that's what Fermi is - more than twice a GT200.
At the high level the specs are simple. Fermi has a 384-bit GDDR5 memory interface and 512 cores. That's more than twice the processing power of GT200 but, just like RV870 (Cypress), it's not twice the memory bandwidth.
The architecture goes much further than that, but NVIDIA believes that AMD has shown its cards (literally) and is very confident that Fermi will be faster. The questions are at what price and when.
The price is a valid concern. Fermi is a 40nm GPU just like RV870 but it has a 40% higher transistor count. Both are built at TSMC, so you can expect that Fermi will cost NVIDIA more to make than ATI's Radeon HD 5870.
Then timing is just as valid, because while Fermi currently exists on paper, it's not a product yet. Fermi is late. Clock speeds, configurations and price points have yet to be finalized. NVIDIA just recently got working chips back and it's going to be at least two months before I see the first samples. Widespread availability won't be until at least Q1 2010.
I asked two people at NVIDIA why Fermi is late; NVIDIA's VP of Product Marketing, Ujesh Desai and NVIDIA's VP of GPU Engineering, Jonah Alben. Ujesh responded: because designing GPUs this big is "fucking hard".
Jonah elaborated, as I will attempt to do here today.
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SiliconDoc - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - link
Nice consolation speech.I guess you expected " you're right ", but somehow lying to make you feel good is not in my playbook.
Now, next time you don't take it so seriously as to reply, and then still, be pathetic enough to get it wrong. Hows that for a fun deal ?
Maian - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - link
Where's snakeoil when you need him... I don't give a shit about vendor, but the flame wars here are hilarious :DLifted - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - link
What flame war? It's just a single nut barking at everyone for no reason. If he has a problem with the article he's sure making it difficult to figure out what it is with all his carrying on and red rooster nonsense.Does anyone (besides the nut) actually care what is said in this article? It's simply something to pass the time with, and certainly not worth getting upset over. Is the nut part of the nvidia marketing machine or merely a troll? It almost seems as if he's writing in a manner as to cover up his true identity. Yes silicondoc, it IS that obvious.
SiliconDoc - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - link
Wow, a conspiracist.Well, for your edification, you didn't score any points, since the readers here get all uppity about what's in the articles, so they have shown a propensity to care, even if you're just here to pass the time, or lie your yapper off for the convenient line it provides you for this momment.
Usually, the last stab of the sinking pirate goes something it like: " It doesn't matter !"
Then Davey Jones proves to 'em it does.
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Nice try, but the worst problem for you is, it matters so much to you, you think I'm not me. NOW THAT's FUNNY !
ahhahahahaaha
ClownPuncher - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - link
Aspbergers.Kaleid - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - link
No, most people with Asperger's are highly functional. This is something else.Finally - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - link
It's Rain Man?tamalero - Friday, October 2, 2009 - link
its assburgers, google it.redpriest_ - Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - link
I can't help but note for the record that um, the card isn't out yet, so how can they win when no one knows when you can actually buy one yet? And for the record, I have a 5870 in my system, right now, that can play games....right now. I went to a retail store and bought it. That's how simple it was. I know you've been posting tons of FUD in the other review forums about how it's unavailable etc etc but the fact is, it IS available, and multiple people can own one.Also, let me state for the record that I have owned nvidia GPUs in the past so that I'm vendor agnostic. I buy whatever solution is available and better. KEY POINTS: AVAILABLE. BETTER.
SiliconDoc - Thursday, October 1, 2009 - link
Here's how they can win, here the NVidia master holds FERMI up for all to see !http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/15762/1/">http://www.fudzilla.com/content/view/15762/1/
Aww, dat too bad for the wittle wed woosters. It really is real, little red lying hoods.